North Ridge via Wood Mountain and UN 13,708

Overview

Animas Forks Mountain is the last summit on a loop of peaks northwest of Cinnamon Pass. It was once listed as UN 13,722 B.

Climb Wood Mountain, follow the ridge west to UN 13,708, then take the narrow connecting ridge south to the top. Cliffs drop away on both sides and the ridge gets close to catwalk width, but the rock is solid and it stays Class 2. The last 200 feet is steeper, sandy rock. You come down the east ridge and walk tundra back to the pass.

The loop is about 6.5 miles with 2,250 feet of gain when you include the Class 3 side trip to UN 13,702. Without that side trip it is shorter, stays Class 2, and is a good hike for older kids.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

From Lake City, go south on Colorado 149 and turn right toward Lake San Cristobal. Follow County Road 30 around the lake. Two campgrounds, Williams Creek and then Mill Creek, come before the fork at Sherman. A normal car is fine to here. Go right; higher clearance is now wise. You pass the Grizzly Gulch / Silver Creek trailhead in a bit over 3 miles and the Cooper Creek trailhead about a mile later. After the American Basin turnoff the road gets steeper and rougher. Park at the top of Cinnamon Pass or in a pullout close by.

From Silverton, head east and keep right on County Road 2 where the paved road splits just past the courthouse. It's 4.2 miles to Howardsville, 4.3 more to the old Eureka site, 3.5 more to the Burns and Grouse Gulch turnoff, and 1.1 more to the signed Cinnamon Pass road on the right. Stay on the Engineer Pass road here; don't drift left up California Gulch.

Cinnamon Pass needs 4WD with good clearance from either side, and road conditions change, so check before you go. Without it, expect a lot of extra walking. The pass has no trees, but you could sleep in a vehicle or small tent there. Campgrounds and primitive spots are lower on the Lake City side. Private land is common all through this area.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Cinnamon Pass 12,640' · 0 mi

   Walk north-northeast up the grassy, flower-covered ridge, passing a small pond on your left. Or follow the old mining road north past the west side of the same pond.

2. 2

   Ridge bend 13,000' · 0.8 mi

   The ridge turns sharply west. To skip some rock, follow an old mining road northwest about 50 feet below the crest. (From the road option, take a fainter track right near 12,700 feet; it meets the ridge here.)

3. 3

   Wood Mountain 13,682' · 1.4 mi

   Walk west on scree and small rock with a little tundra to the easy top. Handies Peak stands out to the east.

4. 4

   13,300-foot saddle 13,300' · 1.8 mi

   Walk west on broken rock past the UN 13,702 spur and down to the saddle.

5. 5

   UN 13,708 13,708' · 2.2 mi

   Climb about 400 feet of rubble and scree west along the crest. It takes half an hour to an hour.

6. 6

   Narrow ridge 13,600' · 2.5 mi

   Head south on the dramatic connecting ridge over a few small points. It narrows a lot but the footing is good.

   Watch for: Exposure on both sides.

7. 7

   Summit 13,740' · 2.8 mi

   Finish up about 200 feet of steeper, sandy rock.

Getting down

Go down the broken-rock east ridge until it reaches tundra, or leave it after about 400 feet and take a scree gully south. Don't go too low; contour left and cross the wet, flowery tundra bowl east back to Cinnamon Pass.

If things go wrong

From UN 13,708, return east along the ridge to Wood Mountain and the pass.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up Animas Forks Mountain we list, with its class.

• Animas Forks Mtn. NE Ridge this routeClass 2 6.5 mi