Afternoon storm risk is the line that matters. Everything else is comfort. In summer, plan to be off the ridge before the build-up starts, not as it starts. Forecast for the summit point, adjusted for its elevation · data from Open-Meteo.
Centennial 13er · Emerald and Iowa
Overview
Emerald Peak sits deep in the Sawatch, south of Missouri Mountain, in a quiet basin at the head of Pine Creek. From Missouri Gulch you follow a busy trail up to Elkhead Pass, drop into the basin on the far side, then climb Emerald's grassy and rocky slopes. Many people link nearby Iowa Peak on the same ridge.
The route is Class 2 with no exposure. What makes it hard is length. The round trip is about 14 miles with about 5,900 feet of gain, and you have to climb back over Elkhead Pass on the way home, at 13,200 feet, when you are already tired. Most of the day is above treeline.
Plan on 10 to 12 hours. This is for strong, fit hikers who move steadily and know when to turn around. Some people camp in Missouri Gulch to break it up.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 4:30 a.m. You cross Elkhead Pass twice and spend most of the day above treeline, far from shelter.
Turnaround
If you are not at Elkhead Pass by 9 a.m., do not drop into the basin. If you are not on Emerald's summit by 11:30 a.m., turn around; you still have to climb back over the pass.
Crux
The climb back up to Elkhead Pass from the basin late in the day, with bad weather cutting off your only easy way home.
Route-finding
The trail to Elkhead Pass is clear. Past a couple of junctions, stay on the trail toward the pass. Beyond the pass there is little or no trail; you cross open basin and pick your own line.
Water
Missouri Gulch creek runs beside the lower trail. Small streams and tarns in the basin south of Elkhead Pass can have water in early and mid summer. Filter everything.
From US 24 between Leadville and Buena Vista, turn west on County Road 390 toward Clear Creek Reservoir and Winfield. Drive about 8 miles on the graded dirt road to the old town site of Vicksburg. The Missouri Gulch trailhead parking is on the south side of the road.
Passenger cars can make it. The road is often washboarded. This trailhead also serves Belford, Oxford and Missouri, so the lot fills early on summer weekends.
Trail in the treesTundraRidgeTalus and screeExposed to lightning
The line is elevation, the band underneath is the ground, and the numbered dots match the steps below. Mileage and elevations are approximate.
1
Missouri Gulch trailhead 9,650' · 0 mi
Cross Clear Creek on the footbridge right away. The trail then starts climbing steep switchbacks through aspen and pine.
2
Forest switchbacks 10,100' · 0.5 mi
Many tight switchbacks climb the steep forested slope. The trail is wide and well built. You will hear the creek below.
3
Creek crossing 10,500' · 1.1 mi
The trail crosses the Missouri Gulch creek and keeps climbing up the other side. Footing near the water can be slick.
4
Cabin ruins 11,300' · 1.9 mi
You pass the ruins of an old log cabin near where the trees start to thin. The valley opens up and Mount Belford's steep slopes rise on your left.
Watch for: Last reliable shade. Put on sun protection.
5
Belford junction 11,650' · 2.2 mi
A trail splits off to the left, climbing toward Belford. Stay straight on the main trail up the gulch.
Watch for: Do not follow the crowd up the Belford trail.
6
Upper Missouri Gulch 12,300' · 3 mi
The trail climbs gently through the long, open upper gulch. Missouri Mountain's long ridge is on your right. Farther up, a trail to Missouri Mountain branches right; stay on the trail toward Elkhead Pass, the notch at the head of the gulch.
7
Elkhead Pass 13,220' · 4 mi
The trail tops out on Elkhead Pass. To the south is a wide basin at the head of Pine Creek. Emerald Peak is the big peak to the southwest, with Iowa Peak on the ridge just north of it.
Watch for: Decide here. Once you drop into the basin, the way home is back over this pass.
8
Basin floor 12,600' · 5 mi
Leave the trail and drop south into the basin. Head southwest across tundra, rocks and small streams toward the ridge between Iowa and Emerald.
Watch for: Note the landmarks behind you so you can find Elkhead Pass again in clouds.
9
Foot of the slopes 12,800' · 5.6 mi
Cross the basin to the base of the slopes below the Iowa-Emerald saddle. Grass and scattered rock lead up. Pick the line with the most grass.
10
Iowa-Emerald saddle 13,400' · 6.4 mi
Climb to the saddle between Iowa Peak and Emerald Peak. The footing turns to scree and talus near the top.
Watch for: Loose scree near the saddle.
11
Summit 13,916' · 7 mi
Turn south and follow Emerald's ridge up talus and broken rock to the summit. The views reach down the long Pine Creek valley and across much of the central Sawatch.
Watch for: Watch the clock. You still have Iowa, the basin and Elkhead Pass ahead of you.
Along the route
Emerald Peak · Photo: Jeremiah LaRocco
Landmarks to know
Footbridge over Clear Creek at the trailhead
Old log cabin ruins near treeline in Missouri Gulch
Trail junction with the Belford trail going left
Elkhead Pass, the notch at the head of the gulch
Wide basin at the head of Pine Creek south of the pass
Iowa Peak and Emerald Peak side by side to the southwest
Saddle between Iowa and Emerald
Getting down
From the summit, walk back north to the Iowa-Emerald saddle. If time and weather allow, continue north along the ridge to Iowa Peak, then drop east back into the basin. If not, descend from the saddle the way you came. Either way, cross the basin and climb back to Elkhead Pass.
The climb back to the pass is where many people run low on energy. Save some food and water for it. In clouds, the basin is easy to get turned around in; head for the low notch north of you and check with a map or GPS. From the pass, follow the trail down Missouri Gulch. Stay on the main trail at the junctions, and take the steep forest switchbacks slowly at the end.
If things go wrong
Elkhead Pass is the key. If weather turns before you drop into the basin, go back down Missouri Gulch. If it turns while you are in the basin, head back to the pass fast and get down into the gulch; there is no other easy way home, as the Pine Creek valley below leads many miles away from your car. If someone is injured, keep them warm, mark your location, and call 911. Missouri Gulch is busy on summer days, so other hikers may be able to help carry word out.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
The last 3 miles leave the trail at Elkhead Pass and go off-trail across the basin and up to the Iowa-Emerald saddle, with no set trail to follow. A flyover only works when there is a set trail to trace. Without one, the line would be a guess, and a guess could send you the wrong way on the mountain. Use the step-by-step route with a good map and GPS track instead.
See the trail on video
A climb of this route filmed by The Virtual sherpa. The video belongs to them and only plays when you press play.
Jump to
Other routes
Every way up Emerald Peak we list, with its class.
This describes the route on a dry summer day. Snow, ice, a washed-out road or an afternoon storm can make it a very different climb. Check recent conditions the week you go and turn around when the day tells you to.
