Mt. Silex is a spectacular and remote peak located in the Grenadier subrange of Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Sandwiched in between two better known peaks (The Guardian and Storm King Peak) in the eastern part of the range, Silex has incredible views unrivaled anywhere in Colorado. Similar to other Grenadier peaks, Silex has a rugged and forbidding quartzite north face no doubt containing several multi-pitch technical rock climbs, one reportedly as long as 18 pitches. The peak also contains a class 2 pedestrian route on the south face. Along with it's neighbor The Guardian, Silex also gives the mountaineer a spectacular view down and into the pristine Vallecito Creek drainage.

Mount Silex from the Vallecito Creek Trail

Unlike it's western neighbors, Silex is not viewable from any road. The shortest access to the peak is a 6.5 mile backpack requiring a 4x4 to reach the trailhead; otherwise the approach is at least 14 miles. Flanked on either side by more well known peaks, Silex's obscurity and remoteness affords the peak one of the most spectacular yet least travelled summits in Colorado.

Grenadier Range Overview

Sweeping faces of two billion year-old quartzite in a remote wilderness setting make the Grenadier Range one of the most intriguing locales in Colorado. Combined with the Needle Mountains to the immediate south, they make up the hardened core of the otherwise volcanic San Juans. The Grenadiers and Needles are the only places in the San Juans where the basement rock withstood the range's period of vulcanism. Therefore, the history of the Grenadiers is an interesting one.

From left to right: Mt. Silex, Storm King Peak, 2 rugged subpeaks, and Peak 9 rising above Trinity Lake.

The Grenadiers were originally uplifted 70 million years ago as part of the enormous San Juan Dome during the Laramide Orogeny, the mountain-building episode responsible for the creation of most of Colorado's peaks. By around 35 million years ago, the San Juan Dome had eroded into an undulating but mostly level surface. Mostly level except for the nascent Grenadiers and Needles, that is. During the San Juans' period of volcanic activity, nearly the entire surface was buried in layer after layer of lava and ash flows, but the volcanic flows would only lap at the Grenadiers' and Needles' feet. The Grenadiers, as Hopkins and Hopkins put it, "remained intact during the San Juans' explosive formation to become a magnificent range of glacially carved metamorphic basement rock." The Grenadier Range is actually just the spiny crest, the only part that extrudes to such inspiring heights, of the huge Grenadier fault block, which reaches for hundreds of miles northwest into Utah and southeast all the way into Oklahoma.

Basement rock, hard quartzite faces... what does all this mean to you as a climber? It means the Grenadiers feature "the highest concentration of quality rock climbs in the San Juans," according to Robert Rosebrough. The Grenadiers are highlighted by eight of Colorado's highest 200 peaks, and Vestal Peak, the sole representative from the highest 100, is the monarch. The range trends northwest to southeast for eight short but glorious miles between the Animas River and Vallecito Creek across the northwestern corner of the Weminuche Wilderness. The area saw a relative dearth of mining activity, so there are no maintained trails leading into the key drainages on the range's north side: Vestal Creek and Trinity Creek.

The ridge that divides Trinity Creek and Vestal Creek forms a convenient way to distinguish the eastern portion of the range from the west. On the west we have perhaps the more remarkable section. The arcing north faces of Arrow, Vestal, and Trinity Peaks seem like impossible copies of one another. The most impressive of these faces is the famed Wham Ridge of Vestal Peak, one of Colorado's classic climbs. The western end of the range is anchored by a collection of peaks – Electric Peak, Graystone Peak, Point Pun, and Mount Garfield – that encircles beautiful Garfield Lake. Their remote position and their lower summit elevations make these among the least frequently climbed thirteeners in the state.

3 of the eastern Grenadiers including Mt. Silex, Peak 9, and Storm King Peak

The eastern end of the range includes three high thirteeners: Storm King Peak, Mount Silex, and the bastion peak, The Guardian. These three peaks brandish steep 1500' north faces. Just south of these three are two shorter but equally rugged thirteeners, Peak Eight and Peak Nine. Some call Peak Nine one of the most difficult thirteeners in the state to climb by its easiest route.

The Grenadier Range is one of the few places in the San Juans that were not climbed by either the Hayden or Wheeler Surveys. Franklin Rhoda's notes from the Hayden team's climb of Mount Sneffels show how the Grenadiers were nevertheless on the survey teams' minds as they traveled through the region: "The group of quartzite peaks stood out as boldly as ever about thirty miles to the southeast. In fact, I may state here that we have never yet seen a group from any station (and we have viewed it from all sides) without feeling both deep respect and awe for their terrible ruggedness. The fact... that the storm clouds seem to hover about them before starting on their meandering ways only served to add to our feelings of uneasiness."

The first climbers to challenge the Grenadiers' heights were William S. Cooper and John Hubbard in 1908. The range had caught Cooper's eye from the summit of Pigeon Peak. The pair camped at Balsam Lake and hiked to the saddle between Vestal and Arrow. They climbed up both peaks by gully routes on their respective south faces, finding Vestal to be an interesting but straightforward climb.On the other hand, "Arrow Peak," Cooper wrote, "proved to be really difficult. Several times our holds depended on the strength of our fingers." The range saw no more climbers until 24 years had passed when Carleton Long and John E. Nelson climbed Vestal and Arrow and made a first ascent of Point Pun. They are also credited with naming Wham Ridge. After studying Wham's impressive profile from the summit of Arrow Peak for a few minutes, Nelson exclaimed, "I still don't believe it!"

Thanks to Ryan Schilling for permission to use his excellent information for this section and the sources below:

Sources:

Donald L. Baars, The American Alps: The San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado
Ralph Lee Hopkins and Lindy Birkel Hopkins, Hiking Colorado's Geology
Randy Jacobs and Robert M. Ormes, Guide to the Colorado Mountains
Gerry Roach, Colorado's Thirteeners: 13,800 to 13,999 Feet
Robert F. Rosebrough, The San Juan Mountains: A Climbing and Hiking Guide

Weminuche Wilderness

"May the Peace of the Wilderness be with you"

Established in 1975 and expanded in 1980 and in 1993, the Weminuche Wilderness is Colorado's largest and most spectacular wilderness encompassing portions of two national forests, the San Juan and Rio Grande. Containing almost 500,000 acres, the Weminuche is over twice the size of Colorado's second largest wilderness and contains almost 500 miles of hiking trails. The name comes from the Weminuche tribe of the Ute Indians and is pronounced Wem-in-ooch.

The Western portion of the wilderness contains Colorado's most rugged, steep, and alpine like summits, while the eastern portion contains miles and miles of unspoiled peaks, rivers, lakes (63 cirque lakes carved out by glaciation), alpine meadows, and forests. 3 peaks in the Weminuche rise over 14,000 ft. while scores of other peaks rise over 13,000 ft. Many of the peaks contain technical routes while some require technical ascents. Some of the most difficult peaks to climb in Colorado can be found in this wilderness. Two great American Rivers, the Rio Grande and the San Juan, have their headwaters here as well.

The mighty Needles of the Weminuche from Mt. Silex

The Weminuche is king of the American high country. The average elevation of this wilderness is over 10,400 ft., making the San Juan Mountains of the Weminuche the highest mountain range in the U.S. The Continental Divide Trail runs through the wilderness from Stoney Pass to Wolf Creek Pass for 80 miles and averages over 12,000 ft. Bring your backpack, your ice axe, your rope, and your camera as this is one of the finest wilderness areas in the United States, my personal favorite.

Caution: This wilderness is not for the inexperienced or the unprepared. High winds, extreme lightning, heavy snowfall (over 500 inches a year), extreme avalanche conditions in the winter, and rockfall can make this place a nightmare for those who take this wilderness lightly. Storms can come about suddenly and with little or no warning. Leave an itinerary with your loved ones and be prepared for any of these conditions even if the weather forecast seems favorable.

Note: Unless you just have to, stay away from Chicago Basin. Chicago Basin is home to 3 14ers and way way too many people. Many of the animals there are now tame and now will ransack your camp. There are plenty of other places in the Weminuche for which to enjoy. Please have respect for this delicate environment. Pack your trash out and do not feed the animals!

Sources:
coloradowilderness.com
GORP
members.aol.com

Getting There

4x4 REQUIRED

From Silverton:

Drive northeast on Highway 110 out of Silverton about 4 miles and turn right on Colorado 4 Rd. Drive approximately 2 miles and turn left on 3 Rd. towards Stoney Pass. Drive approximately 8 miles on a rough high clearance road (4x4 recommended) over Stoney Pass and down to the intersection of FR 506 to Kite Lake. Take a right on FR 506 and drive approximately 6 miles to the trailhead which will be on your left about 1/2 mile before arriving at Kite Lake. There is a very small parking lot at the trailhead but there are other places to park before and after the trailhead.

Caution: This route requires 2 water crossings. In June these crossings may have high water. Contact the forest service for road information.

SummitPost member ktimm makes his way up the boulders below lake Silex in route to base camp.

From Creede and Lake City:

From Creede drive west or from Lake City drive south on Highway 149 to the intersection of FR 520 and drive towards Rio Grande Reservoir. Drive approximately 25 miles on FR 520 past the reservoir and to the intersection of FR 506 to Kite Lake. Take a left on FR 506 and drive approximately 6 miles to the trailhead which will be on your left about 1/2 mile before arriving at Kite Lake. There is a very small parking lot at the trailhead but there are other places to park before and after the trailhead.

Caution: This route requires 1 water crossing. In June this crossing may have high water. Contact the forest service for road information.

Red Tape

There are no permits or fees required to climb this peak.

Mount Silex lies within the federally designated Weminuche Wilderness. Wilderness is land set aside as part of wild America, where man can be a visitor. The natural environment has not been disturbed. Travel is restricted to foot or horseback. No mechanized equipment is allowed.

For more information, contact the Columbine Ranger District and Field Office at:

110 W. 11th
Durango, CO. 81301
Voice: (970) 884-2512
Fax: (970) 385-1238
TTY: (970) 884-1433

You can also access more information from the San Juan National Forest web page.

Current fire restrictions:

Colorado Office of Emergency Management

When To Climb

This climb is best done from mid-June through October. Snow remains late in the season so an ice-axe and crampons are recommended in June and parts of July.

Winter and Spring access to this peak is very difficult and not recommended. Avalanche conditions exist and are normally extreme. The closest winter approach will be at least 15 miles.

Information on avalanche conditions:

Colorado Avalanche Information Center

Camping

Camping is available at the trailhead and also in plenty of places along the route to the base of Silex. A very nice but small meadow below Lake Silex can also be used as a base camp. Lake Silex itself is nothing but boulders so don't try and find a camp at the lake.

Camping below Mount Silex is breathtaking

Mountain Conditions

Images



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