The 13,119-foot (3,999 m) is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness, 6.8 miles (11.0 km) west by south (bearing 258°) of the town of Ophir, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide separating San Juan National Forest and Dolores County from Uncompahgre National Forest and San Miguel County.

In many places one could with one hand pull down hundreds of pounds of fragments, and occasionally we could hear the crashing of small avalanches that fell without human prompting.

During the night people living on the mesas near Ophir heard a sliding, grinding noise, which disturbed the atmosphere and gave the impression of an earthquake.

The smaller spire which was formerly inconspicuous by the side of the head is now standing single and alone, pointing to the sky, a long sentinel of last night’s upheaval.

Before-and-after photos shown in Jackson and Fielder's Colorado 1870-2000 [11] taken from the south do not show as much change in appearance, indicating that the area of collapse was on the northern side.