San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 72 of the 13ers
South Face Couloir and South Ridge
Grizzly Peak, 13,753'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip7.2 mi
Elevation gain2,600'
TrailheadDurango Ski Mtn. - Cascade Creek
Trailhead elevation11,230'
Conditions on the summit
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—Summit temp now
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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 Face Couloir and South Ridge
Overview
This Grizzly Peak stands at the head of Cascade Creek, northwest of Durango Mountain Resort, next to V 10. Its summit has a fine view of the Needles, Grenadiers, La Platas and the Wilson group.
A trail leads past rock glaciers to a lake at timberline. From there you climb grassy slopes to a couloir, then an open scree slope and the south ridge to the blocky top. It is Class 2 on lots of rubble, with a little scrambling near the end. Families with young teens have done it.
The round trip is about 7.2 miles with 2,600 feet of gain.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 7 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the couloir by 11 a.m.
Crux
The loose couloir, or snow in it early.
Route-finding
Moderate. Find the right couloir from the lake and stay off the rock glaciers.
From Durango, drive about 28 miles north on US 550 to the Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory); from Silverton it's about 22 miles south. Turn west on Hermosa Park Road (Forest Road 578). Where it meets a paved resort road, turn sharply right, go a short way, and continue straight onto dirt. The road switchbacks up above the resort. Go right at the next junction, where signs point to a campground, Ebert Creek Road and the Hermosa Creek trail.
About half a mile later, turn right onto the Relay Creek road. Stay left after a quarter mile; 1.5 miles farther, turn right onto the Cascade Divide Road, Forest Road 579. A few miles on it passes a gate, and the last 8 miles beyond are much rougher and slow, with two pairs of switchbacks near the end. High clearance is best; some crossovers with good clearance get there. Plan on well over an hour for the 15-plus miles. Older maps don't show most of the end of this road, so use a current Forest Service map.
The road ends suddenly at about 11,230 feet. You can car-camp there, at the switchbacks just below, or at spots along the drive.
Trail in the treesTalus and screeTundraScramblingExposed 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
End of Forest Road 579 11,230' · 0 mi
Take the trail heading northwest from the end of the road. In about 0.2 mile it meets the Colorado Trail just above a fork of Cascade Creek.
2
Creek and side trail 11,250' · 0.5 mi
Cross the creek (harder early in the season) and follow the Colorado Trail east. A less-used trail splits off uphill to the left; take it as it climbs through open ground and turns north onto a bench near timberline.
Watch for: Creek crossing.
3
Rock glacier 11,500' · 1.2 mi
Cross a small scree patch and the tongue of a big rock glacier, then a second rockslide. Willows lie below it, so the bottom of the rocks may be easier.
4
Unnamed lake 11,560' · 1.8 mi
The trail ends at a lake with good camp spots. Look up at Grizzly: follow the left skyline down past a rocky buttress to a large couloir. That's your target. Avoid the rock glacier to the west.
5
Small basin 12,140' · 2.3 mi
Climb northwest by the best line you see to a small basin.
6
Couloir 13,100' · 3 mi
Climb grassy slopes and rock outcrops to the couloir and up it. Early on it holds snow; later it's all loose rubble.
Watch for: Loose rubble or snow.
7
Summit 13,753' · 3.6 mi
Above the couloir, cross a broad scree slope to the south ridge, past a false summit. A short scramble down and up a small bump near the end leads to the top of big blocks.
Getting down
Return the same way, or follow the south ridge on past the top of the couloir over big blocks and tundra ledges. Skirt a small pinnacle on its east side, drop south on a broad grassy slope back to the ascent route, and stay off the rock glacier.
If things go wrong
The couloir and grassy slopes lead back to the lake and trail.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
The route leaves the side trail at an unnamed lake and is trailless above. 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 Grizzly Peak we list, with its class.
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.