San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 73 of the 13ers
South Ridge and Couloir
Storm King Peak, 13,753'
Class 3 couloir
A narrow, steep couloir near the top has Class 3 scrambling on solid rock, and some people call it Class 4. Above that it is loose talus, and it is a bad place to be in rain. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 3
Round trip14.5 mi
Elevation gain6,200'
TrailheadHunchback Pass
Trailhead elevation11,800'
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,753'…
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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.
Colorado 13er · South Ridge and Couloir
Overview
Storm King Peak is a fun, airy Class 3 summit in the northern Needle Mountains. There is no easy way in: the nearest road end is the Hunchback Pass trailhead above old Beartown, which needs a 4WD. A long single day is possible, but most people backpack in and climb several nearby 13ers. This is deep in the Weminuche Wilderness, so plan a multi-day backpack and follow wilderness rules on camping, fires and group size.
You hike over Hunchback Pass and down the Vallecito Trail, ford the Vallecito and climb Trinity Creek into the Silex Lake basin, then walk up rubble to Storm King Pass. A path climbs the south ridge to a big notch, and you finish in a tight couloir with short Class 3 moves on good rock before it opens into loose talus.
The round trip is about 14.5 miles with 6,200 feet of gain from the trailhead; from Storm King Pass it is only about a mile and 1,000 feet. Peak Seven pairs well with it the same day, and strong parties also add Mount Silex and The Guardian. Camps: the Trinity Creek meadow, spots near 11,400 feet along Trinity Creek, or a high camp by two small tarns on a bench above Balsam Lake, west of Storm King Pass.
Plan of the day
Start by
From a high camp, leave by 6:30 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the notch by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
The narrow Class 3 part of the south couloir.
Route-finding
Moderate. On the way down, leave the couloir where you entered it.
Water
Trinity Creek and the Silex Lake stream. Filter it.
This trailhead needs a high-clearance 4WD, and plan on as long as 2.5 hours of driving from Silverton. From the northeast end of Silverton, take County Road 2 up the Animas about 4.2 miles to Howardsville. Turn right up Cunningham Gulch, then take the left fork onto the Stony Pass road. It climbs steeply over the pass and down the far side. You will ford Pole Creek, then turn right at a fork and ford the Rio Grande. Both fords are harder early in the summer. Then follow the Beartown road about 4 slow, rough miles past the old Beartown site and up a rocky, rutted stretch. The Hunchback Pass trailhead is about half a mile below Kite Lake, at roughly 11,800 feet, with limited parking.
You can also reach this area from Creede or Lake City by driving to Rio Grande Reservoir, but the road west of the reservoir has very rough sections. There is some camping near the trailhead and near the old Beartown site.
Trail in the treesTalus and screeRidgeExposed 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
Hunchback Pass trailhead 11,800' · 0 mi
Walk south on the Continental Divide Trail, gaining roughly 900 feet in just under a mile through open ground and willows to the tundra of Hunchback Pass. Hunchback Mountain is an easy side trip west of the pass. Then go south down the Vallecito Trail through thick willows (soaking after rain). Where the Divide Trail turns east up Nebo Creek, stay on the Vallecito Trail heading south and west. A big campsite sits on a knoll near this junction.
2
Trinity Creek meadow 10,560' · 4 mi
The trail crosses a small side stream, then switchbacks down to Nebo Creek. That ford is fast and close to a waterfall; look upstream for rocks or logs, or wade. About 1.25 miles past the Nebo camp, a side path heads west across a meadow (a common camp) toward Vallecito Creek.
Watch for: Nebo Creek ford can be swift.
3
Bench above Silex Lake 12,400' · 6.3 mi
Wade the Vallecito just below the Trinity Creek confluence; it is cold but not usually deep here. An unmaintained trail climbs the south side of Trinity Creek and switches to the north side near 11,000 feet. Near 11,400 feet, turn south into the Silex Lake basin, staying west of a rock glacier by the outlet stream. A faint path climbs steep tundra ramps and rubble to a bench a few hundred feet above the lake on its west-northwest side.
Watch for: Cold ford of Vallecito Creek.
4
Storm King Pass 12,750' · 6.75 mi
Contour into the valley west of the lake and walk west on broken rock to the pass between Storm King and Peaks Eight and Nine. Snow patches can make this easier early in the season.
Watch for: Mountain goats here like salty gear; keep packs out of reach.
5
Ridge notch 13,300' · 7 mi
A clear path climbs the south ridge, staying on its west side. It is steep, but the footing is fairly good. After roughly 500 feet you reach a big notch you can see from far away.
6
South couloir 13,500' · 7.1 mi
Drop left (west) into the steep, narrow couloir. It soon pinches down, and you scramble on solid rock with a wall on each side. Higher, it widens and gets loose.
Watch for: Class 3. Loose rock above.
7
Summit 13,753' · 7.25 mi
After about 200 more feet, work left out of the couloir to the ridge, then go a short way west to the top.
Getting down
Go back the same way. Note the spot where you entered the couloir so you leave it there. Stay out of the gully if a storm is coming.
If things go wrong
Storm King Pass is less than half a mile below the summit.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above Trinity Creek the route leaves the trails for rubble, scree and a steep couloir. 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
No video yet
We haven’t found a good video of this route that matches the way we describe it. The route strip, junctions and 3D flyover show the way in the meantime.
Other routes
Every way up Storm King Peak we list, with its class.
Storm King South Ridge & Couloirthis routeClass 3 14.5 mi
This describes the route on a dry summer day. Most 13ers see few people, so there may be no one along behind you. Check recent conditions the week you go, carry a map, tell someone your plan, and turn around when the day tells you to.