Pintada Mountain is a prominent high peak in southern Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, rising to 12,840 feet on Rio Grande National Forest land southwest of Monte Vista. It is the second-highest summit in Rio Grande County, just northeast of Bennett Peak, the county’s highest mountain and its line parent. The mountain stands out for its steep local relief, climbing sharply above Middle Fork San Francisco Creek. Water from its slopes flows into Raton, Rock, and San Francisco creeks and ultimately toward the San Luis Valley. Its alpine subarctic climate brings snowy winters, cool to warm summers, year-round precipitation, and the Spanish-derived name means “painted” or “mottled.”