San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 207 of the 13ers
South Face Couloir from Boulder Gulch
Storm Peak, 13,495'
Class 3, loose couloir
The upper couloir is steep and full of loose rock and sand, and rocks get knocked down easily. A short Class 3 step on big blocks leads to the summit ridge. Early in the season it can hold snow that needs an ice axe and crampons or microspikes. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 3
Round trip12 mi
Elevation gain3,900'
TrailheadBoulder Gulch (Silverton)
Trailhead elevation9,570'
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,495'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
Today
—
Tomorrow
—
Day three
—
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 · South Face Couloir from Boulder Gulch
Overview
Storm Peak stands above Silverton to the northeast, between Boulder Gulch and Cement Creek. It is a big climb with a wild, remote feel, lots of wildflowers and two small lakes under the summit.
A trail climbs south-facing Boulder Gulch most of the way to treeline and beyond, then fades near a small lake. From the two upper lakes you go up talus into a big couloir west of the summit, take its right branch to a tiny saddle, and scramble a short Class 3 step to the ridge and the top.
The round trip is about 12 miles with 3,900 feet of gain. Plan on about 4 hours up, and a long, steady drop back down.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the upper lakes by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
The loose upper couloir and the Class 3 step.
Route-finding
Moderate. Find the trail across the creek, and take the right fork high in the couloir.
In Silverton, at the east end of town where the main road splits, go straight on County Road 110 toward Gladstone and head for the cemetery. The paved road bends around the town park and then turns sharply left uphill. At that bend, go straight onto the dirt road to the cemetery.
Turn left just short of the little building by the cemetery gate onto another dirt road, and follow it a couple hundred yards to its end at a pond and some town water buildings. A green metal gate blocks a road heading east, with a sign for La Chappelle Park. Park around here; on weekends you may need to park lower, near the cemetery. The old way in from County Road 2 past the Mayflower Mill tailings is no longer allowed.
Cars no longer seem to be allowed on the road past the gate, so walk it about a mile east to a locked gate near 9,600 feet, above the mill tailings. There is no legal camping close by. Try the busy open area near Howardsville across from the Maggie Gulch road, South Mineral Creek, or Molas Lake and Little Molas Lake.
ScramblingTalus and screeTrail in the treesTundraExposed 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
Water-supply gate 9,570' · 0 mi
Walk east on the old road past the power lines.
2
Boulder Gulch creek 9,600' · 1 mi
Past the locked gate, follow the roadbed to the creek. Cross it and look on the east side, where the gulch narrows near old mine workings, for a trail above the creek.
3
Lower gulch 10,400' · 2.2 mi
The trail switchbacks up, then runs up the gulch well above the creek through open trees, talus, grass and more forest. Higher up it climbs onto open slopes to skirt a steep, rocky stretch of the creek.
4
Creek fork 11,400' · 3.5 mi
Where the drainage splits, cross the main creek above the fork and head northwest toward Storm Peak. Skip a branch that cuts back east.
5
Small lake 11,880' · 4.2 mi
Follow fainter trail high on the north side to a small lake. The trail may vanish in thick flowers.
6
Upper lakes 12,400' · 4.8 mi
Follow the stream that drains the two lakes under the peak, staying out of the gorge just below them. From north and east of the lakes, find the big couloir coming down west of the summit.
7
Small saddle 13,350' · 5.8 mi
Climb the talus slope into the couloir. The narrow upper part is loose and sandy. Where it splits, go right; it ends at a tiny saddle.
Watch for: Loose rock and rockfall. Wear a helmet.
8
Summit 13,495' · 6 mi
Scramble about 20 feet up big, solid blocks (Class 3), walk along the side of the ridge, then gain the crest and stroll to the top. The north side drops far down to Cement Creek.
Watch for: Class 3 step.
Getting down
Return the same way. Take care in the couloir, and save energy for nearly 4,000 feet of downhill.
If things go wrong
From the upper lakes, the trail down the gulch is easy to rejoin.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above the small lake the trail fades out, and the upper route is a trailless talus slope and couloir. 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.
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.