San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 89 of the 13ers
West Basin and North Ridge
Monitor Peak, 13,707'
Class 4 scrambling
The way past the spires near the Monitor-Thirteen saddle crosses loose couloirs and short Class 4 rock ribs, and the summit ridge is Class 3. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 4
Round trip10.8 mi
Elevation gain5,465'
TrailheadNeedleton
Trailhead elevation11,625'
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,707'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
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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 · West Basin and North Ridge
Overview
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
Start by
Leave camp by 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on top by 10 a.m.
Crux
Class 4 rock ribs between the couloirs.
Route-finding
Difficult. Find the upper ramp, then pick a cairned line past the spires.
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.
Getting down
Go back across the couloirs to the ramp and down the basin, or continue to Peak Thirteen and Animas Mountain.
If things go wrong
The upper ramp leads back down to the talus and basin.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above the Upper Ruby Creek meadow the route is off trail, on ramps, couloirs and rock ridges. 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 Monitor Peak we list, with its class.
Monitor Peak West Basin-North Ridgethis routeClass 4 10.8 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.