Is it right for you?
Monitor Peak is a rugged Needle Mountains summit at the head of Ruby Creek in the Weminuche Wilderness, with a huge sheer east face. It is usually climbed with Peak Thirteen and Animas Mountain.
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. Most parties take the first day to get to camp and climb on the second. From camp, the route climbs the west basin, follows a big ledge to the Monitor-Thirteen saddle, crosses couloirs and rock ribs past the spires, and scrambles the north ridge.
From camp, Monitor alone is about 1.8 miles round trip with 2,050 feet of gain. From Needleton, it is about 10.8 miles and 5,465 feet. 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.
Plan of the day
Leave camp by 6 a.m.
Be on top by 10 a.m.
Class 4 rock ribs between the couloirs.
Difficult. Find the upper ramp, then pick a cairned line past the spires.
Ruby Creek in the upper meadow. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
Loading Fetching the forecast for 13,707'…—
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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.
Getting there
Needleton
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.
Base towns and camping for this climb
Coming from out of state? See Lodging & Camping for how free camping works, what is closed this year and where to stay.
Before you go
Check these the week of your climb.
Official forecast
The National Weather Service forecast for the summit area, hour by hour. Look for thunderstorm chances and wind above treeline.
NWS point forecast →Directions to the trailhead
Needleton. Road conditions near the trailhead change after storms. Check your clearance and have a backup plan for a lower lot.
Get directions →Roads and highways
Closures, construction and winter conditions on the highways that get you there.
COtrip road conditions →Closures and fire rules
Trail closures, fire bans and other alerts from the Forest Service in Colorado. For the latest on your trailhead, call the local ranger district.
Forest Service alerts →Snow on the route?
From fall through early summer, any snow slope can slide. Check the avalanche forecast before you go.
Avalanche forecast →Cell signal
Most trailheads and many summits have little or no signal. Check coverage near the trailhead and carry a satellite messenger or beacon if you can.
FCC coverage map →