The east face climb is short rock steps and narrow grassy ledges above a cliff of about a thousand feet. Some call it Class 3, others Class 4. There is little to anchor a rope to. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 4
Round trip11 mi
Elevation gain5,815'
TrailheadNeedleton
Trailhead elevation11,625'
Conditions on the summit
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Day three
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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 East Face over Monitor Peak
Overview
Peak Thirteen is an unranked summit between Monitor Peak and Animas Mountain at the head of Ruby Creek. It doesn't rise far enough above its saddle with Animas to be ranked, but it sits right in the way when you climb the other two.
It is a hard backpack trip. From the Needleton train stop, the Ruby Creek trail is about 4.5 miles and 3,400 feet up to a flat meadow camp at about 11,625 feet. The trail is hard to find at the start, brutally steep in places and choked with willows near Ruby Lake. The usual line goes over Monitor first, back across the Monitor-Thirteen saddle, then traverses onto the east face and climbs straight up very exposed ground to the top.
From Needleton, it is about 11 miles and 5,815 feet with Monitor. Monitor, Peak Thirteen and Animas make a loop from camp of about 2 miles and 2,800 feet; from Needleton the whole trip is about 11 miles and 6,215 feet. Mileage and gain are our estimates.
Plan of the day
Start by
Leave camp by 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on Monitor by 10 a.m.
Crux
The exposed east face.
Route-finding
Moderate. Traverse near saddle height and go up where you are below the summit.
There is no road to these peaks. Ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad from Durango and get off at the Needleton flag stop. Check the railroad's current schedule and rules, reserve ahead, and know which train will pick you up. Boarding in Silverton for a Needleton drop may not be offered.
At Needleton, cross the Animas River on the footbridge. The cabins by the bridge are private. You can camp past the last cabin to the south toward Needle Creek, or north in the meadows after you cross Pigeon Creek. This is the Weminuche Wilderness; follow its rules.
TundraTalus and screeScramblingRidgeExposed 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
Upper Ruby Creek camp 11,625' · 0 mi
Hike the Ruby Creek trail from Needleton to the flat meadow camp (see the approach in the overview). Bold marmots live here: hang your food and keep gear packed away.
2
Basin below Peak Thirteen 12,400' · 0.3 mi
From camp, walk a bit north, then head northeast into the big basin under Monitor, Peak Thirteen and Animas. Climb steep grass with some willows toward Peak Thirteen.
3
End of tundra 12,800' · 0.5 mi
Follow a tundra slope just west of Peak Thirteen until it ends, then climb loose talus below the cliffs.
Watch for: Rockfall from above.
4
Upper ramp 13,100' · 0.65 mi
Two ramps cut up and right across Peak Thirteen's southwest face. Bear a little left to the upper, gentler one, a huge ledge at least six feet wide with loose rock and sand. The lower ramp is steeper Class 3.
5
Monitor-Thirteen saddle 13,350' · 0.75 mi
The ramp ends at the left side of the saddle. Spires and crags fill the crest, so drop a bit on the west side.
6
Couloir crossings 13,350' · 0.85 mi
Cross three or more steep sand-and-gravel couloirs. Between them, short rock ribs take Class 4 moves of about 10 feet. Follow whichever cairned line looks best.
Watch for: Class 4 moves.
7
Monitor Peak 13,707' · 0.9 mi
Past the couloirs, scramble the ridge over broken Class 3 rock to the top.
8
Back to the saddle 13,350' · 1.05 mi
Climb down Monitor's north ridge and cross the Class 3 to 4 saddle again to its north end, below Peak Thirteen's south ridge.
Watch for: Class 4 moves.
9
East face traverse 13,350' · 1.15 mi
From the tundra at the foot of the south face, traverse onto the east face, staying near saddle height.
10
Peak Thirteen 13,725' · 1.2 mi
When you are below the summit, go straight up about 350 to 400 feet of short outcrops and narrow, grassy ledges. Below you, the face drops off a cliff of about a thousand feet. It is solid Class 3 to Class 4 and slower than it looks.
Watch for: Severe exposure.
Getting down
Continue north to Animas Mountain's 13,500-foot saddle (see that page). Return to the 13,500-foot saddle below Animas and go down the wide gully to the south on sand and talus. Lower, pick a line across sloping granite and gravel ledges, avoiding the heads of side gullies, back into the basin under the three peaks. Tundra leads to camp.
If things go wrong
Retreat to the Monitor-Thirteen saddle and the upper ramp.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above the Upper Ruby Creek meadow the route is off trail, on ramps, couloirs and steep rock. 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 Peak Thirteen we list, with its class.
Peak Thirteen South Ridge/East Facethis routeClass 4 10.5 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.