San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 171 of the 13ers
East Face Trough from Swamp Canyon
V 3, 13,545'
Class 4 moves
A narrow gully above the saddle is short but rated Class 4, and the gullies are loose. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 4
Round trip5.5 mi
Elevation gain3,350'
TrailheadOphir Pass (Swamp Canyon)
Trailhead elevation10,200'
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.
Colorado 13er · East Face Trough from Swamp Canyon
Is it right for you?
V 3 is a rugged San Juan summit northwest of US Grant, above Swamp Canyon on the west side of Ophir Pass. It has brief Class 3 to 4 moves, more fun than US Grant and less scary than South Lookout Peak.
An old road crosses Howard Fork and climbs into Swamp Canyon. It ends up on lush benches below a big trough on the east face. You climb about 900 feet of rubble in the trough to a saddle, then a narrow Class 4 gully and a second gully lead to an easy gravel ridge and the top.
The round trip is about 5.5 miles with 3,350 feet of gain. Allow about six hours. Linking V 3 with US Grant along the ridge is far harder and is not recommended.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the saddle by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
The narrow Class 4 gully above the saddle.
Route-finding
Moderate. Stay on the upper road at the fork, and finding a line through the tall plants on the benches can be hard.
Water
Howard Fork and the stream below the small lake. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,545'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
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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.
From Highway 145 west of Telluride, turn south at the junction about 4 miles from town and drive up past the ski area turnoff to the Ophir turnoff. Head east on Forest Road 630 through Ophir, a cluster of summer cabins. About 1.5 miles past it, a gated road goes off to the right (south). Park nearby without blocking the gate. A passenger car can make it this far.
You can also come from the east over Ophir Pass from US 550 north of Silverton. That side needs 4WD with high clearance, and conditions change. The gated road is about 2 miles below the top of the pass.
The old road into Swamp Canyon is closed to vehicles now, so you walk from the gate. There are a few primitive camp spots off Forest Road 630 east of Ophir. Watch for and respect private property signs.
RoadTalus and screeTundraScramblingExposed 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
Gated road off Forest Road 630 10,200' · 0 mi
Walk the gated road down through aspen and a small clearing, then turn right to cross Howard Fork.
Watch for: The creek crossing can be high early on.
2
Fork in the old road 10,600' · 0.8 mi
The old road climbs through open conifers. Where a lower road branches off toward the creek, stay on the upper one.
3
Basin north of V 3 11,200' · 1.4 mi
Keep on the old road as it crosses this basin and contours southeast over a talus field below cliffs.
4
Benches below the trough 11,700' · 1.9 mi
Reach a green bench under the big trough on the east face. Climb on the left side of the stream that drains a small lake higher up, past small cliff bands.
Watch for: Thick plants hide the footing.
5
Saddle 13,350' · 2.5 mi
Enter the trough from a bench around 12,200 feet and climb about 900 feet, mostly on rubble with some tundra.
Watch for: Tiring, loose rubble.
6
Narrow gullies 13,450' · 2.6 mi
Go a little west, climb a narrow gully south to a small notch, drop over it, and go left up another gully about 75 to 100 feet to a broad gravel ridge.
Watch for: Class 4.
7
Summit 13,545' · 2.75 mi
Walk around the summit blocks on their east side, then scramble a few feet to the high point.
Getting down
Reverse the route, or go south along the ridge toward US Grant to the saddle (loose scree over smooth rock for a short stretch), then east down a scree gully to the small lake and back down the benches to the old road.
If things go wrong
The trough leads back down to the benches and the road.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
The old road and trail end at the benches below the east face; the rest is off-trail rubble and gullies. 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.