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| South Face   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 37.67670°N / 107.5595°W Route Type: Scramble Time Required: A long day Difficulty: Class 2/3
| Route Quality: | | | | Loading...
| Page By: truchas Created/Edited: Aug 11, 2005 / Aug 18, 2005 Object ID: 166232 Hits: 1444 Loading... Page Score: 88.03% - 9 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Approach
Total round trip to base camp from trailhead: 12.6 miles
Total elevation gain to base camp from trailhead: 2000 ft.
Total elevation Loss to base camp from trailhead: 1900 ft.
Starting elevation from trailhead: 11,800 ft.
Finishing elevation at basecamp: 11,900 ft.
Total elevation gain from trailhead to peak: 3800 ft.
Total round trip distance from trailhead to peak: 14.6 miles
The approach starts from the Beartown Trailhead. See the "Getting There" section on the main page for directions.
From the Beartown Trailhead, follow the Vallecito Creek Trail approximately 4.2 miles over Hunchback Pass and down to Vallecito Creek. Look for the first large meadow about 1/2 mile past the last switchbacks (I will have GPS coordinates soon). This meadow will have a trail leading to it from the Vallecito Creek Trail that you will be on.
Cross the meadow and ford the Vallecito Creek. This will REQUIRE you to wear sandals as there is no dry way across. This could be very tricky in early season high water. After crossing the creek bushwhack a short ways into the wilderness and you will find a nice but primitive trail.
Take a right turn and hike up this trail as it follows along the south side of Trinity Creek. You will lose the trail about 1.5 miles up just before leaving the forest and entering a boulder field. Hike onto the boulder field and make your way up boulders and tundra to a bench about 200 feet below lake silex. A nice but small meadow will make for an excellent base camp.
Route Description
Total distance from base camp to summit round trip: Approx. 2 miles
Total elevation gain from to summit from base camp: 1800 ft.
 
From the meadow, hike up and below the southeast ridge of Storm King Peak over rocks and tundra. Work your way around to the south side of the peak and hop over a huge boulder field to the saddle between Storm King and Peak 9. Hike directly up the south ridge/arete staying close to the scree gully to your left. This will plant you near the summit. From the top of the arete, make a short scramble to the west to gain the true summit.
It is probably only class 2 if you take the gully rather than scrambling on the arete, but I wouldn't recommend it as it is loose and very annoying.
Essential Gear
Ice axe and crampons will be necessary for an early summer ascent. A helmet is highly recommended. Water socks or sandals will be necessary for the crossing of Vallecito Creek.
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San Juan Range
