The Wet Mountains are the easternmost range of the Rockies south of
Canon City. Their crest has a distinct northwest-southeast trend, with
the north end offset about 25 miles westward from the south end of the
Front Range. The Canon City Embayment lies at the junction between the
ranges.
Though smaller and lower than the Front Range, the Wet Mountains include
many pleasant and easily accessible recreation areas and a number of
attractive streams and reservoirs. Greenhorn Peak, the summit of the
range, is 12,334 feet high. It is formed of Precambrian granite, as is
most of the crest of the range.
The structure of the eastern side of the Wet Mountains is similar to
that of the Front Range, except that there are more faults in the
sedimentary layers. The southern end plunges southeastward into the
plains. On the western side, westward-dipping sediments are completely
submerged in Cenozoic lava flows and debris from the mountains. Ore
minerals very like those of the Front Range occur near Silver Cliff, but
they have so far proved to be of little economic importance.