Introduction
This page lists peaks in Colorado which are known to require 5th class climbing to reach the summit. A YDS rating is given for the easiest route to each summit (those without ratings are known to be technical but the difficulty is unknown). Also included is a list of peaks which, based on topo maps or photos, appear that they could require 5th class climbing.
The lists include ranked and unranked peaks that might be of interest (for Colorado, ranked peaks typically refer to peaks with 300 feet of "interpolated prominence"). Deciding which unranked peaks to include is very subjective. There are certainly many boulders throughout the state that require 5th class climbing to top out on; in general, those are beyond the spirit of this list. Of course, a few of the listed peaks are technical due to difficult summit boulders, hence the subjectivity. Those peaks listed in gray are unranked.
Comments, suggestions, and additional information about these and other peaks are welcome.
5th Class Peaks
| Name | Elevation | Rating | Quadrangle |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Sunlight Spire" | 13,995 | 5.10d | Storm King Peak |
| Jagged Mountain | 13,824 | 5.0-5.2 | Storm King Peak |
| Teakettle Mountain | 13,819 | 5.3 | Mount Sneffels |
| Dallas Peak | 13,809 | 5.3 | Telluride |
| Peak Fifteen | 13,700 | 5.0-5.2 | Snowdon Peak |
| Coxcomb Peak | 13,656 | 5.3 | Wetterhorn Peak |
| "Noname Needle" | 13,620 | 5.6 | Storm King Peak |
| "Coffeepot" aka "S 1" | 13,568 | 5.0-5.2 | Telluride |
| Needle Ridge | 13,500 | Storm King Peak | |
| Gray Needle | 13,430 | Storm King Peak | |
| The Index | 13,420 | 5.9 | Snowdon Peak |
| Twin Thumbs (North) | 13,420 | 5.0-5.2 | Storm King Peak |
| South Lookout Peak | 13,380 | 5.0 | Ophir |
| Twin Thumbs (South) | 13,340 | 5.3 | Storm King Peak |
| Little Finger | 13,220 | 5.7 | Snowdon Peak |
| "Dicker's Peck" | 13,140 | 5.5 | Monarch Lake |
| Lizard Head | 13,113 | 5.8+ | Mount Wilson |
| "Gore Thumb" | 13,100 | Vail East | |
| Saint Sophia Ridge | 13,060 | 5.7 | Telluride |
| Chimneys of Treasure Mountain | 12,820 | Snowmass Mtn | |
| Point 12740 | 12,740 | Rito Alto Peak | |
| "Peak T" | 12,660 | 5.5 | Vail East |
| The Sharkstooth | 12,630 | 5.4 | Mc Henrys Peak |
| Hayden Spire | 12,500 | 5.0-5.2 | Mc Henrys Peak |
| Twin Peaks | 12,461 | 5.8-5.9 | Halfmoon Pass |
| Point 12438 | 12,438 | 5.9 | Pikes Peak |
| Turret Ridge | 12,260 | 5.8-5.9 | Courthouse Mountain |
| The Castles (West) | 12,180 | West Elk Peak | |
| Devils Thumb | 12,100 | 5.4 | East Portal |
| The Castles (East) | 12,020 | West Elk Peak | |
| "Petit Grepon" | 12,000 | 5.6 | Mc Henrys Peak |
| Chimney Rock | 11,781 | 5.6 | Courthouse Mountain |
| Point 11460 | 11,460 | 5.0-5.2 | Mc Curdy Mountain |
| Point 11180 | 11,180 | 5.3 | Mc Curdy Mountain |
| Point 10926 | 10,926 | 5.4 | Windy Peak |
| Rabbit Ears Peak | 10,654 | Rabbit Ears Peak | |
| Chimney Rock | 10,146 | Whiteley Peak | |
| Point 10093 | 10,093 | Glentivar | |
| Mount Vigil | 10,073 | Mount Big Chief | |
| The Castle | 9,691 | 5.4 | Windy Peak |
| "Big Rock Candy Mountain" | 8,285 | 5.9 | Cheesman Lake |
| "Bishop Rock" | 8,260 | 5.5 | Pine |
| "South Green Mountain" | 8,073 | 5.0-5.2 | Eldorado Springs |
| Cheesman Mountain | 7,933 | 5.9 | Cheesman Lake |
| Needle Rock | 7,874 | 5.2 | Crawford |
| Curecanti Needle | 7,856 | Curecanti Needle | |
| Point 7071 | 7,071 | Canyon of Lodore South | |
| Point 6799 | 6,799 | Canyon of Lodore South | |
| "Outlaw Peak" | 6,489 | 5.4 | Canyon of Lodore South |
| Point 6300 | 6,300 | Canyon of Lodore South | |
| Chimney Rock | 6,110 | Tanner Mesa | |
| Steamboat Rock | 6,074 | Canyon of Lodore South | |
| Independence Monument | 5,739 | 5.8+ | Colorado National Monument |
Other Possibilities
| Name | Elevation | Rating | Quadrangle |
|---|---|---|---|
| "West Eolus" | 13,740 | Mountain View Crest | |
| "Pierre Lakes Fin" | 13,080 | Capitol Peak | |
| Point 11212 | 11,212 | Courthouse Mountain | |
| Elephant Head Rock | 9,963 | Elephant Head Rock | |
| Mount Buckhorn | 8,380 | Manitou Springs | |
| Noddle Heads | 8,260 | Deckers | |
| Finger Rock | 8,220 | Yampa | |
| Chair Rocks | 8,020 | Platte Canyon | |
| Big Island | 7,915 | Grizzly Ridge | |
| Chimney Rock | 7,903 | Chimney Rock | |
| Point 7860 | 7,860 | Snyder Flats | |
| East Toe | 7,765 | Mariano Wash East | |
| Island Peaks | 7,631 | Grizzly Ridge | |
| West Toe | 7,325 | Mariano Wash East | |
| Mountain Sheep Point | 7,105 | Secret Canyon | |
| Point 6719 | 6,719 | Gateway | |
| Point 6716 | 6,716 | Gateway | |
| Point 6350 | 6,350 | Gateway | |
| Cleopatras Couch | 5,780 | Tanks Peak | |
| Point 5700 | 5,700 | Sieber Canyon |
Additions and Corrections
[ Post an Addition or Correction ]
|
| Scott | More | |
Voted 10/10 | I have climbed The Palisade. It has a 3-4th class route. I believe this one is 5th class (by looking at it while on hikes): Peak PS, after scanning my feeble memory, I was incorrect about Plug Hat Rock. It has a walk up. Sorry about that. | |
| Posted Mar 22, 2006 10:42 pm | ||
| RyanS | found another potential | |
Voted 10/10 | Mountain Sheep Point, a ranked peak in the Dolores Canyon. | |
| Posted Apr 23, 2006 3:42 am | ||
| John Prater | List Notes | |
Hasn't voted | 2007-8-13 - moved Needle Rock from list of possibilities to 5th class list - Jeremy Hakes reports that easiest route is 5.2 based on summit register entries - changed Cheesman Mountain rating to 5.9 per Jeremy Hakes - added link to Brian Kalet's new "Coffeepot" page - set rating of Saint Sophia Ridge to 5.7 per Aaron Ihinger and Jamie Princo 2006-10-05 - updated "Outlaw Peak" (name, rating, SP link) - removed Point 6100 on Cameo quad from list of possibilities - found route no harder than 3rd class, mostly easier - removed Point 7182 on Jacks Canyon quad from list of possibilities - found route no harder than 3rd class | |
| Posted Oct 6, 2006 5:04 am | ||
| John Kirk | Dog Head | |
Hasn't voted | Easiest route - 5.2 http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=4313 | |
| Posted Apr 6, 2008 6:47 pm | ||
| John Kirk | Squaw & Papoose | |
Hasn't voted | Haven't done these, but they're definitely in the 5th class category. Squaw Papoose | |
| Posted Apr 7, 2008 12:53 pm | ||
| Jeremy Hakes | Wheeler Monument | |
Voted 10/10 | Definitely 5th class, likely harder than .10+, as the "easiest" line looks like a west facing arete with hard climbing above it. http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Climbers.php?Id=1777 | |
| Posted Jul 2, 2008 12:07 pm | ||
| CShaw | More suggestions... | |
Hasn't voted | Twin Thumbs (South): Easy class 3 with one boulder move to touch the top. "Gore Thumb": Easy class 3 -- I expected more. | |
| Posted Aug 13, 2012 6:47 pm | ||
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