San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 235 of the 13ers
South Face from Whipple Creek
S 6, 13,455'
DifficultyClass 2+
Round trip11 mi
Elevation gain4,300'
TrailheadSheep Ck-Deep Ck
Trailhead elevation9,100'
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.
S 6 is the peak just east of Mears Peak, on the ridge north of Telluride. It is a hard, rubble-covered climb, but it starts in a quiet basin where elk are common.
From the camp area in the Whipple Creek basin, you walk up the valley through trees and tundra benches to a high basin, then climb boulder rubble to a hidden gully behind a rock rib on the south face. A higher couloir off that gully leads near the summit. It is Class 2+ on unstable rock. A guidebook route by the S 5 saddle and the south and east ridges also exists.
From the trailhead the round trip is about 11 miles with 4,300 feet of gain. From camp it is about 3.5 miles and 2,600 feet. The approach to the basin is about 3.75 miles each way with about 1,700 feet of gain; many parties camp there.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m. from camp
Turnaround
Be in the upper basin at 12,300 feet by 10 a.m.
Crux
Unstable rubble in the hidden gully and couloir.
Route-finding
Moderate. The key gully hides behind the rock rib and can't be seen from below.
Water
The creek up to about 12,000 feet. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,455'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
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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 Society Turn on CO 145, about 4 miles west of Telluride, go just a little east and turn left (north) on the Airport Road. Maps call this the Last Dollar Road (638).
Climb the road and round a sharp bend at the head of a drainage, then pass the Aldasoro Ranch entrance. Stay right where the road to the Telluride airport turns off. In less than a mile more, the trailhead lot with a small corral is on the right. A passenger car can get here.
There is private land across from the parking, and camping at the trailhead is not allowed. Campsites are scarce near Telluride. Try the town park at the east end of Telluride or Sunshine Campground south of Society Turn, or look for dispersed spots west on CO 145 near the Silver Pick Road, or south on County Road 63L/63J past Ilium.
Trail in the treesTundraSnow or couloirExposed 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
Sheep Ck-Deep Ck trailhead 9,100' · 0 mi
Take Trail 418.1B (signed for Deep Creek and Whipple) north across an open slope. After a short switchback it joins an old road beside an irrigation ditch in the aspens.
2
Sheep Creek 9,250' · 1 mi
Follow the ditch about a mile to Sheep Creek. Past the creek the trail heads west, then turns sharply north. Keep following the ditch and ignore a signed trail that goes downhill.
3
Whipple Creek 9,350' · 1.6 mi
About half a mile later the ditch meets Whipple Creek, which drains the basin below Mears Peak and S 7. Cross on a bridge and follow the creek about ten minutes until the trail turns sharply left. About ten minutes past that turn, look for a grassy old road going uphill on the right. This is the Iron Mountain trail (418.1C).
4
Old mine 10,862' · 3.6 mi
Follow this little-used trail north almost 2 miles to an old mine site. Below the mine dumps, contour up the valley over rock and grass to the next trees.
5
Camp 10,900' · 3.75 mi
Good camping is in the grassy openings among scattered trees on the south side of the creek, a short way up a small ridge. Many people backpack in and climb several peaks from here.
6
Treeline 11,700' · 4.3 mi
Hike up the valley, keeping south of the stream, on game trails through the trees.
7
Upper basin 12,300' · 4.9 mi
Walk tundra along the stream to a bench just under 12,000 feet, then up another tundra step to a higher basin. This is the last grass. The summit is the high point to the north-northeast.
8
Rock rib 12,700' · 5.1 mi
Two shallow couloirs drop from the summit; aim for the right one. Cross 200 to 300 feet of boulder rubble to the left end of the rock rib that cuts across the center of the face. Behind it is a gully that slants up to the right.
Watch for: Snow can stay behind the rib early in the season.
9
Couloir 13,100' · 5.35 mi
Climb the gully, using the wall of the rib as a handrail. Where the gully fades, turn left into the higher of two couloirs. It is steep and slow but a bit more stable.
10
Summit 13,455' · 5.5 mi
At the head of the couloir, turn right to the true summit.
Getting down
Return the same way. The west ridge toward Mears has a big, near-vertical drop that looks technical.
If things go wrong
Drop back to the upper basin and the stream.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above the old mine at the end of the Iron Mountain trail the route is trailless. 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.