San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 205 of the 13ers
Beaver Creek and the Ridgway Saddle
Whitehouse Mountain, 13,500'
DifficultyClass 2+
Round trip10.5 mi
Elevation gain4,060'
TrailheadUpper Miller Mesa
Trailhead elevation9,430'
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 · Beaver Creek and the Ridgway Saddle
Is it right for you?
Whitehouse Mountain is the big, flat-topped peak at the east end of the Sneffels Range, south of the town of Ridgway. Its summit plateau is huge, with sweeping views in every direction. This north-side route saves a lot of gain compared with starting from Ouray.
You hike trails to the Ridgway Hut, then bushwhack through deadfall and across avalanche paths to Beaver Creek. A grassy ridge and a long loose gully lead to the saddle with Mount Ridgway, and a short couloir breaks through the summit cliffs. It is Class 2+, with hard route-finding.
From the upper trailhead the round trip is about 10.5 miles with 4,060 feet of gain. Mount Ridgway is a natural add-on from the same saddle.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the saddle by 11 a.m.
Crux
The deadfall and brush between the hut and Beaver Creek.
Route-finding
Hard. Game trails come and go; mark your way for the return.
Water
Beaver Creek and its side streams. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,500'…
—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.
In Ridgway, head west on CO 62 and turn left on the last street you can, South Amelia Street. Go about three blocks south and turn right on County Road 5. Follow this graded dirt road about 5.3 miles up onto Miller Mesa to Elk Meadows, where a large parking area sits at a junction. Passenger cars should stop here.
Higher-clearance vehicles can go on south-southeast on Forest Road 852. It loops around a low hill, past a view down into Beaver Creek, along an old ditch, and down to cross a fork of Coal Creek. At a gate, 3.7 miles from the lower lot, it enters National Forest. About 0.4 mile farther, the road turns sharply east. This bend, at about 9,430 feet, is the upper trailhead, with good camping nearby. Starting from the lower lot adds about 4 miles each way and about 700 feet of gain.
There are a few primitive sites along FR 852 below the gate, but they may be on private land. The upper trailhead should be on National Forest land.
Trail in the treesTalus and screeExposed 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 trailhead 9,430' · 0 mi
At the sharp east bend, take the Dallas Trail (200) west up a bank. The sign may be down and hard to see. Contour around a wooded ridge, cross the west fork of Coal Creek, and round a broader ridge onto an old road for a short way.
2
Beaver Creek 9,600' · 1.4 mi
Cross Beaver Creek and a small side stream. In less than half a mile, the trail turns south up an old road with many switchbacks (shown as Trail 202 on some maps).
3
Ridgway Hut 10,200' · 2.3 mi
From the hut, head southeast through open forest into thick deadfall. Elk trails wind through the logs; use them to reach the ridge west of Beaver Creek, then follow that ridge south-southeast.
Watch for: Mark your way through the deadfall for the trip out.
4
Avalanche chutes 10,900' · 3 mi
Lose a bit of height and cross a pair of open avalanche paths just under 11,000 feet. Any path disappears in thick brush, logs and hidden boulders.
5
Beaver Creek forks 11,000' · 3.3 mi
Keep contouring south-southeast to where two small streams join Beaver Creek. Climb the steep, mostly grassy ridge between two streams, crossed by elk trails, until it ends.
6
Whitehouse-Ridgway saddle 12,900' · 4.3 mi
Enter the main gully to the saddle. The last 1,000 feet are loose rock and sandy gravel, helped by a game trail used by elk and bighorn.
Watch for: Very loose near the top.
7
Whitehouse Mountain 13,500' · 5.25 mi
From the saddle, go east (left) up a loose, rocky couloir that breaks the cliffs. After about 200 feet it fades; keep climbing small loose rock onto the broad, flat summit area, then walk about 3/4 mile east to the true summit.
Getting down
Return the same way, or go back to the saddle and add Mount Ridgway. A traverse to Corbett Ridge would mean a big, unknown drop off the summit.
If things go wrong
The saddle gully leads back to the Beaver Creek ridge.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past the Ridgway Hut the route is a bushwhack through deadfall and brush, then loose 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.
Other routes
Every way up Whitehouse Mountain we list, with its class.
Whitehouse Mtn. by Beaver Creekthis routeClass 2+ 10.5 mi