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Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
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37.63240°N / 107.6189°W |
County:
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La Plata |
Activities:
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Hiking, Mountaineering |
Season:
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Summer, Fall |
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Elevation:
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13140 ft / 4005 m |
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Overview
Peak Twelve
Peak TwelvePeak Twelve is a low 13er located in a beautiful Weminuche Wilderness. Peak Twelve is surrounded by other giants and one would easily missed it on horizon, howerver it is a ranked 13er and a trail connecting Ruby Basin with Noname Basin and another trail leading over Twin Thumbs Pass to Chicago basin, contour just along its base.
The access involves a long backpack in (> 18 miles via the shortest trail) or taking in historic Durango Silverton Train and still at least 8 miles hike in. Expect solitude, great scenery, overwhelming amount of scrambling peaks and mountain goats.
Colorado Rank: 536 (one the lower 13ers)
Quad: Storm King Peak
Parent Lineage: Line Parent Mount Eolus. Proximate Parent: Monitor Peak
Class: 2+
Nearby Peaks:
- Monitor Peak 0.46 miles
- North Eolus 14er 0.50 miles
- Glacier Point (unranked) 0.51 miles
- North Twin Thumbs (unranked) 0.61 miles
- Peak Thirteen (unranked) 0.63 miles
- Eolus 14er 0.75 miles
- Peak Eleven 0.77 miles
- Peak Sixteen (unranked) 0.83 miles
- "West Eolus" (unranked) 0.92 miles
- Animas Mountain 0.92 miles
- Peak Fifteen 0.96 miles
- Turret Peak 1.19 miles
- Sunlight Peak 14er 1.32 miles
- Knife Point 1.40 miles
- Pigeon Peak 1.51 miles
- Windom Peak 1.68 miles
- Peak Four 1.99 miles
- Jupiter Mountain 2.02 miles
- Peak Five 2.10 miles
- Jagged Mountain 2.12 miles
Weminuche Wilderness: At 3/4 the size of Rhode Island, the Weminuche Wilderness is the largest wilderness area in Colorado. The Weminuche spans the Continental Divide, North America's geological backbone, with its headwaters diverted to both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. With an average elevation of 10,000 feet above sea level, the Weminuche is rugged country.
Getting There
Wildflowers
Ruby LakePeak Twelve is typically accessed via historic narrow gauge Durango Silverton Train, and then hiking into Ruby Basin. An alternative approach is from Durango Mountain ski area and it is about 17 miles long to Ruby Basin. I have been to Ruby Basin on two different occasions and the train did not operate: 2018 closed due to extreme drought and fire hazard, and 2020 closed due to Covid pandemic.
As mentioned above, I have always hiked from Durango Ski Area - Purgatory Trailhead. The trail is beautiful and easy to follow up to Ruby Lake, but it is long. You have to drop first to Animas River, cross it on a nice pedestrian bridge and hike on the east side of the river towards the Needleton train station. There are really nice campsites along the Animas River and if you have time, consider staying there overnight.
Once you reach the turn off for Chicago Basin (access to three 14ers and a much more popular basin than Ruby), continue towards the Needleton train station, but do not cross the bridge. Instead continue on a small trail past some private cabins while staying on the east side of the Animas River. The trail weans away from the river and you enter into a large meadow. Continue on small trail to the second meadow and look to your right - there should be a small trail leading into the forest. There is a small cairn marking the turn off and an old campsite. This is your access trail into the Ruby Basin, and can be easily missed if you are not looking for it. The trail is steep and not in a great shape - fallen trees higher up etc. It is relatively easy to follow all the way to Ruby Lake - another great place to camp.
The trail gets really confusing above the Ruby Lake. There are cliffs and lots of vegetation. I was never able to follow it completely. The section from Ruby Lake to the Ruby Basin drags and expect loosing and finding the trail and battling willows. See below my Gaia GPS for some guidance.
Route
There is a faint trail leading all the way to the saddle between between Monitor Peak and Peak Twelve. Monitor Peak looks really impressive from here. The east ridge/slopes up Peak Twelve are easy to follow. Just below the summit there is a little notch, which give the route class 2+ rating, otherwise it is easy class 1-2 walk up. There was no summit register, only a small cairn. The views are stunning, unfortunately I summited in drizzle and clouds.
Red Tape
Peak TwelveALL VISITORS
-- Group size is limited to no more than 15 people per party. -- Camping is prohibited within 100 feet of any water source. -- Camping and all campfires are prohibited at the following locations: 1. within 200 feet of Archuleta Lake, Fourmile Lake, and West Ute Lake 2. within 1/2 mile of the north shore and 1/4 mile of other shores of Emerald Lake 3. within 1/4 mile of Little Emerald Lake 4. between the shore and Flint and La Osa Trails at Flint Lake; and within 200 feet of the west and north shores 5. in Needle Creek drainage at Twin Lakes 6. in the hot springs area at West Fork (Rainbow) -- Campfires are also prohibited in all of Needle Creek Drainage (including Chicago Basin) and Vestal Basin. -- Do not shortcut switchbacks. -- Pets must be under verbal control or leashed at all times. -- Disposal of human waste and wash water is prohibited within 100 feet of any water source. -- As with all designated Wilderness areas, mechanical transportation (including wagons, game carts, wheelbarrows, bicycles, or other vehicles) is prohibited.
When to Climb
The approach is hard and obviously the easiest time to climb Peak Thelve is in the summer or early fall. Other seasons provide difficult and long approach and winter there is a high avalanche danger.
The train between Durango and Silverton operates only seasonally during the summer and early fall, winter means at least 18 miles of backpacking in.
Camping
There are wonderful campsite in the wilderness. I have camped twice in Ruby Basin, which provides great access to a multitude of peaks including Peak Twelve.
External Links