Mount Elbert is visible to the southwest of Leadville , often snow @-@ capped even in the summer . Many other fourteeners surround Elbert in all directions , and it is very close to central Colorado 's Collegiate Peaks . The neighboring Mount Massive , to the north , is the second @-@ highest peak in the Rocky Mountains and the third @-@ highest in the contiguous United States , and La Plata Peak , to the south , is the fifth @-@ highest in the Rockies . The community of Twin Lakes lies at the base of Mount Elbert , Denver is about 130 miles ( 209 km ) to the east , Vail is 50 miles ( 80 km ) to the north , and Aspen is 40 miles ( 64 km ) to the west . Leadville , about 16 miles ( 26 km ) to the northeast , is the nearest large town . Elbert 's parent peak is Mount Whitney in California . Including Alaska and Hawaii , Mount Elbert is the fourteenth @-@ highest mountain in the United States .