DENVER — A drive to name a Colorado mountain peak after the late singer John Denver sounds like a natural, but not everyone is high on the idea.
Thousands of Coloradans have signed a petition to name a peak on Mount Sopris near Aspen after the revered singer, whose hit “Rocky Mountain High” is now the official state song. Legend has it that he wrote the song near that peak.
The problem is that the peak lies in a wilderness area, and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names has a policy that discourages adding new names to wilderness areas.
“The board felt that naming new features in wilderness areas might detract from the wilderness experience,” said board secretary Lou Yost. “Very few new names have been applied to wilderness areas.”
He said exceptions have been made in the cases of, for example, safety or education. The board has not yet received a petition for the proposed John Denver Peak.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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