Overview: A Note From the AuthorPotosi Peak…is a mess. I’ve known this since my first ill-advised attempt over twenty years ago. With my final success came the affirmation that Potosi was a mess then and it’s a mess now. The mountain will always be a mess. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, unless you’re a mountain lover who doesn’t mind wandering routes and heinous climbing conditions on what happens to be one of Colorado’s most stunning, beautiful and commanding thirteen thousand foot peaks.
Potosi is rated Class 2+ by Colorado’s premiere guide book writer Gerry Roach. Thanks to Gerry’s route descriptions, I have had many successes in Colorado’s mountains, and Potosi is no exception. You can read more about my earlier “innovative” attempts here. It would be a very long time before I would give in to just doing the recommended route, currently best described in book form by Gerry Roach. But I have been in slight disagreement with Mr. Roach on occasion, and after climbing Potosi, it’s my opinion that the mountain is a Class 3 scramble, particularly when climbing the approach on nearby Coffee Pot via the route we chose to follow, which avoids much of the treacherous loose rock that these mountains are so well known for.
I must however also extend kudos to Mister Roach for his well-thought-out and executed descent route. Many have written about this descent route, including accounts right here on SP, about how it doesn’t work. This route description certifies that it does indeed work and goes very well, although one must understand that it’s a messy undertaking and climbers need not worry about making points over stylish moves. There’s nothing glamorous about the descent, other than a bonus of spectacular wildflowers along the way, but it does get you off the mountain in the best, most expedient way possible.
The key to the descent route is to study the mountain carefully before you start climbing. Get that mental picture in your head of where you need to be to make the route work. I did this for a good thirty minutes the day before with binoculars, and though the route looked questionable, I kept the option open as a viable alternative, and I was obviously a bit curious to see if it did indeed work, and to hopefully figure out where others had gone wrong. Lord knows I have on this mountain in three previous attempts!
Once executing the descent route, it’s important to resist the temptation to descend too early. From what I can tell, that is the most common mistake climbers make. Pay attention to the descriptions you read here and in Mister Roach’s guide book and you should get off the mountain safely and without incident. The reward for your route finding skills is a display of wildflowers that must be seen to be believed.
This route page is a real treasure. Until recently, a comprehensive route description for this mountain was not present on the internet, and it was a sorely missed feature here on SP. I inherited the Potosi page and made a concerted effort to get the route page done by climbing the mountain, but my luck with the San Juan weather effectively blocked my attempts until now. Even with this climb, our chances for success looked grim (as you’ll see in the photos), but we finally managed to climb the mountain in safe conditions.
And that benefits you, the SP member looking into the mystery of what it’s like to climb Potosi. This is the “treasure” you’ve been looking for, that “forbidden fruit” you haven’t found in any book anywhere. It’s not a very difficult mountain, or that physically demanding, and exposure is minimal at the most. Route finding is a bit of challenging fun, and this route description does indeed leave some of that to you to figure out to heighten your experience on the mountain. Please be advised that all figures are approximate and cannot be accurately stated, and ultimately you must determine your own route choices.
Potosi should be taken very seriously. Climbers must be experienced with loose San Juan rock of the highest order, and they must also be prepared to wear a helmet for most of the climb, as rock fall on this mountain is a constant concern, and it’s usually caused by those accompanying you. Loose rock and scree is the order of the day, along with incredibly steep tundra slopes. Good hiking boots with decent tread are a must, as foot holds are important with every step. Test all hand holds, for most of the holds you grab on the lower stretches of Coffee Pot are amazingly loose.
An early start is imperative. Being stuck on this mountain in a San Juan thunderstorm is the stuff your worst nightmares can’t compare to. Be off the mountain as quickly as possible unless it’s absolutely certain the chance of bad weather is nill to none, which in the San Juans is a rare thing indeed. Strong parties should do this route in well under six hours.
Bring your camera. The climbing is fun to photograph, the views are the biggest reward and if you climb in the summer, the wildflowers are out of this world.
Be prepared and you’ll have fun with Potosi, and it will certainly be a favorite. It is certainly one of the most rewarding climbs among Colorado’s high thirteeners. If you choose not to climb Potosi, no one will fault you for being smart! Potosi’s a beautiful mountain just to behold, and as a backdrop for Yankee Boy Basin, the mountain is probably Colorado’s most admired unrecognized peak, despite its unprecedented beauty. Climbed or not, Potosi is one of Colorado’s greatest mountains.
Aaron Johnson
SummitPost
APPROACHING THE MIGHTY POTOSI PEAK
Digital photo by Aaron Johnson
Getting ThereSee the GETTING THERE details on the main page, and read the following.
If you plan on returning via the route climbed (back over Coffee Pot), you may want to park your vehicle just before the parking area for the restrooms. If you plan to utilize the descent route, parking shortly after where the road levels off and angles west on a curve might be a good plan. Either way, PARK WELL OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT ENCROACHING ON ANY OF THE DELICATE YANKEE BOY BASIN TUNDRA.
Distance between these two spots is less than ¼ mile, and either spot will do, along with any spot available in between.
NOTE: Your 4 wheeling skills should be pretty good so you can drive the Yankee Boy Basin road in the dark and get an early start, which is a definite key to success on this mountain and beating the afternoon San Juan weather.
An early start is essential for success on Potosi Peak. Such a view may be had at 6:00AM.
Digital panorama by Aaron Johnson
SEE THE BIG VERSION HERE!
View as large as you can!
Before You BeginStudy the mountain and the descent description herein. You’ll be glad you did. Note the intermittent band of tundra about half way up the mountain. Note the orange scree pile at the bottom of a gully at the base of the mountain, directly east of where the road curves and heads downhill.Route Description
Ascending Coffee Pot Climb north on ever steeper tundra slopes from a point just east of the restrooms Stay just left of a patch of trees. At approximately 12,000 feet, angle to the right, staying on tundra, and get in position beneath Coffee Pot’s steep southern slopes. Note three couloirs above you, all funneled in your general direction. Climb the tundra northward, angling toward the shallowest couloir on the right. The tundra will then run out and you’ll be on notorious loose San Juan talus. 
Ascending Coffee Pot Previous routes have gone up the couloirs, with the price being loose, rotten rock. This route climbs to the right of the third couloir, staying on firmer strata for most of the way. However, this variation is steeper and is considered strong Class 3 climbing. More loose talus follows before reaching the ridge top. Avoid the temptation to contour over to the ridge connecting to Potosi at approximately 13,100 feet.
Descending Coffee Pot Once on the ridge top, promptly descend the ridge due southeast on a well worn climber’s trail. The talus on this ridge is dangerously loose and great care must be exercised all the way down to the 13,000 foot saddle. This is one of the most hazardous spots on the route. The trail then contours and ascends up toward Potosi’s impressive summit cliffs. The talus on this stretch is also very loose and hazardous. Exercise great care and move fast and light.
The West Face The trail then traverses the great west face of the mountain through a brown scree band, undulating between 13,300 and 13, 400 feet. Cairns may be evident through here. Traverse around a corner and continue south along the face to the mountain’s southwest ridge, crossing somewhat unstable talus slopes on the way. Once on the ridge, make a hard left and climb directly up the ridge due northeast to about 13,400 feet, where the route then traverses across the southeast face beneath the imposing summit cliffs. The route gently ascends as it contours across more scree slopes.
 
Ascent Gully A shallow gully system will become evident on your left. Ascend into the gully, staying to the right. Ascend the gully by scrambling up Class 3 rock, then angle to your left into a wider western gully, ascending loose talus and sandy scree. Do not ascend all the way up the gully. Go to the left side and ascend a crack through the rocks of your choosing (class 2 or 3). There are several choices to choose from and all are worthy routes.
Gully Exit Once out of the gully, ascend WNW over rounded, rubble covered rock, staying to the right as you approach the mountain’s final and highest minor cliff band. You are channeled onto a ledge to the right where you can backtrack to another ledge and then scramble due west to the summit plateau, which is ironically spacious and without a doubt the safest place on the mountain.
Enjoy the view and the victory. You’ve earned it.
Return the same route, retracing your steps as closely as possible. If you decide to re-climb Coffee Pot for your descent, exercise extreme care in the loose areas as rock fall potential is certain.
NOTE: Be sure to view the images attached to this page. They illustrate conditions you will encounter on this mountain, and the captions are full of helpful information. Descent RouteAs you start this descent, note where the bend in the Yankee Boy road far below is. You must position yourself directly above and due east of the curve and the orange scree mound before you can start descending from the mountain.
Refer to the photo below.
Potosi Peak Descent Route |
1. Return to the 13,000 foot saddle between Potosi and Coffee Pot, or descend a nasty climber’s trail that heads down the chute below the saddle. Either way, expect heinously loose rock and expect the mountain to move with you or perhaps carry you down the mountain. Experience with loose rock is a bonus in this descent. This is a potentially hazardous area! Descend down between two rock towers, staying close to the base of the one on the right. Once in the loose, larger talus below, DO NOT DESCEND all the way to the end of the talus.
2. Contour due south toward a tundra slope. You’ll need to cross a gully to reach this tundra. Stay high until you can ascertain the best spot in which to cross the gully. Stay high on the tundra and continue contouring south. Do not lose elevation until you are certain that it is safe to do so.
3. Cross another gully, staying on the high side of a large batch of tundra.
4. Cross yet another patch of tundra and stay high, as there are cliffs below you. Cross another gully well above a pour-off.
5. Remain on the tundra but start a cautious descent. Somewhere around this time you should be able to look down the slope and be certain your descent route lines up with the curve in the Yankee Boy road. Descend the tundra carefully as it is very steep. A grotto is to your right, which gets deeper as you descend. Avoid getting close to the grotto.
6. The tundra will give way to scree. Descend carefully to a scree covered outcrop beside the grotto slope on your right. To your left will be a gray gully descending between two walls of gray rock. Carefully descend into this gully (Class 3 move). The gully is scree covered, with hard pan rock immediately beneath it, which makes for treacherous footing. Work your way out to the center of the gully, where the scree is slightly deeper. Forget moving gracefully over this terrain, which is akin to ball bearings on a 50 degree slope. Avoid the hard pan beneath the scree whenever you can. This is a potentially dangerous area, so proceed with extreme caution.
7. Toward the bottom of the gray section, work to the right to enter an orange gully. Do not follow the gray drainage all the way down to the orange gully, as it is very loose and hazardous. About 30 feet above the end of the gray rock, traverse to the right and cautiously descend into the orange gully. Footing isn’t much better, but it’s a cozier feeling place. As you carefully descend the orange gully, you’ll approach the beginning of a white stained pour-off. DO NOT FOLLOW THIS POUR-OFF. It leads to deadly, steep terrain next to the grotto! At this point, make a hard left over a mound of orange scree for about twenty feet.
8. Descend the crest of the orange scree down to the flowers of Yankee Boy and the relative safety of the road, where you can return to your parked vehicle.
NOTE: Be sure to view the images attached to this page. They illustrate conditions you will encounter on this mountain, and the captions are full of helpful information.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLIMB THIS MOUNTAIN VIA THE DESCENT ROUTE!
Alternate Descent RouteSP member Ryan Schilling reports his group found another descent route that works well, if not better than the descent route described above.
1. Return to the 13,000 foot saddle between Potosi and Coffee Pot, or descend a nasty climber’s trail that heads down the chute below the saddle. Either way, expect heinously loose rock and expect the mountain to move with you or perhaps carry you down the mountain. Experience with loose rock is a bonus in this descent. This is a potentially hazardous area! Descend down between two rock towers, staying close to the base of the one on the right. Once in the loose, larger talus below, DO NOT DESCEND all the way to the end of the talus.
2. Contour due south toward a tundra slope. You’ll need to cross a gully to reach this tundra. Stay high until you can ascertain the best spot in which to cross the gully. Stay high on the tundra and continue contouring south. Do not lose elevation until you are certain that it is safe to do so.
3. Cross another gully, which places you on the largest patch of tundra on Potosi's west face. Carefully descend this huge tundra patch, generally staying in the center of the tundra. You will come to the end of the tundra and a series of three gullies will be presented to you. These three options join into a main gully below. Approach the center gully, probably the highest entrance option with caution and look at its entrance. A small rock horn, not visible until you reach the mouth of the gully, will be your clue that you are at the right gully.
4. Descend into this gully via a 15 foot chimney down climb (Class 3), which is surprisingly solid and safe feeling. At the bottom of this scramble is luxurious, deep scree. Descending the gully toward the left should steer you away from dangerous hardpan that is lightly covered in scree. The scree slope leads all the way to the bottom of the mountain, passing some rock towers on the right along the way. The route parallels the creek and grotto that the other descent route parallels to the south. The route ends just north of the creek and the other descent route's orange scree pile.
SP member Ryan Schilling reiterates that folks should not climb Potosi Peak until they have plenty of experience in loose San Juan climbing terrain and exposure. The alternate descent option described here also involves a mildly exposed Class 3 move. Even though the mountain is officially rated Class 2+, it is more challenging than most mountains in this range ability. Do not climb Potosi without prior experience on similar but less hazardous terrain.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLIMB THIS MOUNTAIN VIA THE ALTERNATE DESCENT ROUTE!
REFER TO THIS PHOTO:
Alternate Descent Route Illustration |
POTOSI PEAK ALTERNATE DESCENT ROUTE ILLUSTRATION
RED: Descent route as described
BLUE: A possible option, but looks perilously loose and could be dangerous in wet weather, and the entrance looks messy
GREEN: Scree sprinkled hardpan at a steep angle makes this choice iffy at best, and it could be perilous in wet conditions
Photo, annotations, and route details graciously supplied by SP member Ryan Schilling. Thanks Ryan!
Distance & Gain(All figures listed are approximate)
Returning Over Coffee Pot
GAIN: 3709 feet
DISTANCE: 3.8 miles
.88 Coffee Pot ridge (ugly descent to saddle)
1.15 Saddle (ugly ascent out of saddle)
1.44 Corner
1.57 Southwest ridge ascent
1.71 Southeast gully ascent
1.82 Summit
2.41 Saddle ( ascent to Coffee Pot is loose and dangerous)
3.20 Descent down Coffee Pot south slopes (possibly ugly depending on your route)
Utilizing Descent Route
GAIN: 3212 feet
DISTANCE: 3.52 miles
NOTE: Utilizing the Alternate Descent Route will vary mileage and landmarks
.88 Coffee Pot ridge (ugly descent to saddle)
1.15 Saddle (ugly ascent out of saddle)
1.44 Corner
1.57 Southwest ridge ascent
1.71 Southeast gully ascent
1.82 Summit
2.41 Descent route starts (loose and ugly)
2.53 Contour south
2.90 Final descent begins
3.1 Scree hardpan gully descent (loose and ugly)
3.2 Orange scree descentEssentials & ConditionsA helmet is an absolute must on this mountain.
Boots with good traction are required. Tennis shoes or low tops are a nightmare on this mountain.
A dependable 4 wheel drive vehicle and 4WD skills are essential in making this outing a short day as specified.
Do not attempt this route in anything other than dry conditions. Wet conditions on this mountain are a recipe for disaster. The loose rock will only be more loose (if that is even possible) and the mountain will have rocks coming at you from every direction above.
Snow and ice can be blessings on other mountains, but are likely additional hazards on this mountain. Icy conditions on this mountain are obviously treacherous, as a fall on ice glazed slopes would certainly be a fast trip all the way down and therefore fatal. AVALANCHE POTENTIAL ON THIS MOUNTAIN IS EXTREME! A winter ascent is not recommended.
Study the mountain before proceeding and assess conditions. The mountain cannot be underestimated. If conditions are in any way unfavorable anywhere on the mountain, do not proceed with the climb. If weather is in any way questionable, do not proceed with the climb. The mountain will wait, it’s going nowhere (although given it’s very “mobile nature,” it may believe to the contrary). Wait for the ideal day to climb the mountain. You’ll be glad you did. Images
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Sneffels Range, Colorado
