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1271 Hits
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78.27% Score
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9 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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37.83010°N / 107.5296°W |
County:
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San Juan |
Activities:
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Hiking, Mountaineering, Skiing |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
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Elevation:
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13069 ft / 3983 m |
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Overview
UN 13069 is the rocky know in the middle of the photo
North RidgeUnnamed 13069 is a ranked peak, as the name points it is a 13er located above historic town of Silverton. Colorado has so many peaks therefore not all have a name. The peak can be approached via beautiful Minnie Gulch, which offers solitude, exploration of old mines, waterfalls and old cabins. There is a 4 WD road going at least half way up Minnie Gulch, however I am not sure about the condition of this road since I traveled there in deep snow and road was covered.
Ski touring up Minnie Gulch is spectacular, but always be aware of avalanche danger and check avalanche report prior venturing out.
*Many peak baggers in Colorado start with 14ers, once they complete those they move onto 13ers. This one is a low 13er and isolated one, so not often visited.
Colorado Rank: 597
Class: 2
Line Parent: Niagara Peak Proximate Parent: Galena Mountain
Nearby Mouuntains:
- Cuba Benchmark (unranked 13er) 0.89 miles
- Galena Mountain A 1.69 miles
- "Hardrocker" (unranked) 2.07 miles
- Canby Mountain. 2.31 miles
- "Stony Pass Peak" 3 miles
Long ski descent
Getting There
Old cabin
Minnie Gulch
Silverton is an old historic mining town located along the scenic "Million Dollar Highway". From Silverton travel north towards Eureka. There is a marked sign for Minnie Gulch just before Eureka and past Maggie Gulch.
The drive up Minnie Gulch is in and out (not possible to drive over to join another pass). There are a lot of mining ruins and old cabins along the road.
Minnie Gulch Information - here
Route
As any mountain there are many routes up it. We chose an approach via north ridge, which seemed the easiest. Again, we did this on skis with lots of snow cover, so if you follow our map (see below), you may run into scree under dry conditions.
Red Tape
There is no red tape. Driving up Minnie Gulch, parking, back country camping etc are free.
When to Climb
Summer and early fall are the easiest, winter and spring will offer a long approach and avalanche danger.
Camping
There is car camping at the turn off for Minnie Gulch and it also appeared if one would drive a little bit up the road, there are places to car camp. Back packing offers plentiful camping.
Silverton area has several established campgrounds.