San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 109 of the 13ers
South Couloir via Ruby Basin
Peak Fifteen, 13,671'
Technical climbing
This route has Class 4 steps, an exposed slab traverse, a low fifth-class pitch (up to about 5.4) and two rappels of 20 to 25 meters on the way down. A rope, harness and rock skills are needed. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 5
Round trip16 mi
Elevation gain6,000'
TrailheadNeedleton
Trailhead elevation11,625'
Less traffic, less margin
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.
Peak Fifteen is a sharp, hard summit at the head of Ruby Creek, between Turret Peak and Peak Sixteen. Its easiest way up is a true rock climb.
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. From the meadow, you cross a snowy couloir into New York Basin, climb a south-facing couloir with two Class 4 steps, traverse slabs and climb a short fifth-class pitch to a ledge, then follow a gully, ramp and ridge to the top.
The full trip is about 16 miles with 6,000 feet of gain. Plan on at least three days with the train.
Plan of the day
Start by
Leave camp before 5:30 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the slab traverse by 11 a.m.
Crux
The slab traverse and the low fifth-class pitch.
Route-finding
Difficult. Several couloirs and ledges look alike.
Water
Ruby Creek in the upper meadow. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,671'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
Today
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Tomorrow
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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.
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.
Talus and screeScramblingExposed 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
Little Finger couloir 12,200' · 0.6 mi
Go south past the willows, then bear southeast toward the steep couloir just east of Peak Fifteen, between Little Finger and Point 13,290. It keeps snow into late summer. When dry, climb steep loose rock and sand on its east side.
Watch for: Ice axe may be needed in August.
3
New York Basin saddle 12,620' · 1 mi
Top out at the saddle, then go down south on grass and southwest on boulders and sand. Traverse about a quarter mile under Little Finger and Peak Sixteen, down to about 12,500 feet, to the foot of the south-facing couloir that leads to the Peak 15-16 saddle.
4
Chockstone 13,000' · 1.9 mi
Climb the couloir. It is largely Class 3, with two steep Class 4 walls; anchors sit above each. Just below a big chockstone, exit left (west) and climb ledges until you are roughly 50 feet under the Peak 15-16 saddle.
Watch for: Class 4 steps.
5
Slab traverse 13,150' · 2.3 mi
Follow ledges west until they end at slabs, then cross about 50 meters of exposed slabs. Many parties rope up here.
Watch for: Exposed.
6
Grassy ledge 13,350' · 2.7 mi
Climb a low fifth-class pitch, no harder than about 5.4, up and left to a belay ledge. Walk carefully up loose gravel to a wide, sloping grassy ledge.
Watch for: 5th class.
7
Summit ridge 13,600' · 3.4 mi
Near the middle of the ledge, climb a narrow, steep Class 3 gully northwest (anchors at its top), then follow a ramp northeast to the ridge.
8
Peak Fifteen 13,671' · 3.5 mi
Walk the ridge about 80 meters southwest to the top. A few spots are exposed but not hard.
Getting down
Reverse the ridge, ramp and gully to the grassy ledge, then follow the ledge northeast toward Peak Sixteen. A short downclimb leads to a slung boulder; rappel 20 to 25 meters to a second slung boulder, then about 20 meters to the Peak 15-16 saddle. Go down ledges west of the couloir and rejoin it; two anchors help on the steep steps. Reverse the approach to camp.
If things go wrong
Rappel the couloir steps using the anchors in place, after checking them.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past the Upper Ruby Creek meadow the route climbs couloirs, ledges and slabs with no trail. 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 Fifteen we list, with its class.
South Couloir via Ruby Basinthis routeClass 5 16 mi