San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 263 of the 13ers
West Couloir over UN 13,026
UN 13,408, 13,408'
DifficultyClass 2+
Round trip15.35 mi
Elevation gain4,540'
TrailheadEddiesville South
Trailhead elevation10,360'
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.
UN 13,408 sits on the east side of Canon Diablo in the La Garita Mountains, with views of Phoenix Peak, La Garita Peak, San Luis Peak and Organ Mountain. It is usually climbed the same day as UN 13,026 across the valley.
From UN 13,026 you drop about 1,500 feet into Canon Diablo, then climb about 1,900 feet up a couloir to the saddle southwest of the summit. The lower couloir is a long boulder field; the narrow upper part is steep, loose, stacked talus with poor footing. It is Class 2+. You return down the broad north ridge to Canon Diablo. Walking the ridge all the way around the valley is possible but much longer.
The loop is about 15.35 miles with 4,540 feet of gain. Plan on close to 11 hours. From UN 13,026 it's about 1.75 miles and 1,885 feet to this summit.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on UN 13,026 by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
800 feet of loose, steep talus in the couloir.
Route-finding
Moderate. Pick the northern of the two couloirs, and on the way down stay off terrain to the right of the north ridge.
Water
Cochetopa Creek and Diablo Creek. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,408'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
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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.
Take Highway 114 south from US 50, about 7.5 miles east of Gunnison. Drive 20 miles and turn right on NN14 (BLM 3083). From Saguache over North Pass, this turn is about 7.5 miles below the pass. Follow good gravel about 7 miles to the south end of the Dome Lakes and turn right. Reset your odometer here.
Follow the same roads as for Stewart Creek: County Road 2166 (15GG) around the lake, left after a mile, right at about 4.2 miles onto 14DD, then Forest Road 794 into the national forest. The Stewart Creek trailhead is just under 21 miles from Dome Lakes. The Eddiesville trailhead, with a toilet, is just under half a mile farther east. Here the road turns sharply right and runs a short way south to end at a private ranch boundary, with only a few parking spots. It's close to 30 miles of dirt in all; a crossover or higher-clearance vehicle is best.
The Colorado Trail / Continental Divide Trail (Trail 465) leaves southwest to stay off the ranch, then goes south along its fence for about a mile and a half. The trail is public, but the ranch land beside it is not; stay on the trail and leave the cattle alone. Don't camp at the road's end by the ranch. Use the Eddiesville trailhead area instead.
Trail in the treesOff-trail, no set pathTundraTalus 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
Eddiesville South trailhead 10,360' · 0 mi
Follow Trail 465 southwest, then south along the ranch fence near the forest edge.
2
End of the ranch 10,500' · 1.5 mi
The trail moves closer to Cochetopa Creek and stays on its west side. It climbs very little. Around 2.5 miles you get a view of UN 13,026, but a lower point hides the true summit.
3
Leave the trail 10,750' · 4.25 mi
Leave the trail where the open valley narrows into forest and the creek drops into a small gorge. Wade across Cochetopa Creek. It's easy to walk past this spot.
Watch for: Wet ford; deep in early summer.
4
Canon Diablo 11,000' · 5.2 mi
Find a faint old path that climbs across the slope through beetle-killed forest into Canon Diablo. Dead trees and new growth now cover much of it, so expect a bushwhack. Keep on the east side of Diablo Creek for about 45 minutes.
Watch for: Downed timber.
5
Avalanche gully 11,000' · 5.5 mi
Cross the creek and head for one of several avalanche chutes on the east face. Climb the steep, mostly open, grassy chute a little over 1,000 feet.
6
Northeast shoulder 12,000' · 6 mi
Top out on the broad, fairly flat northeast shoulder.
7
UN 13,026 13,026' · 6.75 mi
Walk up gentle tundra, with more rock higher up, to the wide, flat summit. Allow about 3.5 hours from the trailhead.
8
Canon Diablo 11,500' · 7.4 mi
Head down a shallow gully to the southeast, scree at first and then grass. Continue through open forest toward two couloirs that come down from the saddle southwest of the summit.
Watch for: Bears live here.
9
Couloir base 11,600' · 7.6 mi
Follow the small side stream, then turn into the northern couloir as you leave the trees.
10
Narrow gully 12,200' · 7.9 mi
A boulder field climbs about 600 feet, then the gully pinches in and gets much steeper. Rock spires stand on the left.
11
Southwest saddle 13,000' · 8.25 mi
Grind up about 800 feet of loose, piled talus to the ridge near the saddle.
Watch for: Loose rock. Keep spacing in a group.
12
Summit 13,408' · 8.5 mi
Walk the much easier ridge about 400 feet up to the broad summit.
Getting down
Go down the broad north ridge; don't drift right toward a small lake. The ridge turns north, then northwest, and the rock turns to tundra. Near the trees, keep to the left (south) side to stay in the open almost to the faint Canon Diablo path.
Follow the path down. It fades in the flat area near the valley mouth; cross Diablo Creek on logs, climb the bank, walk northeast between the creeks, and wade Cochetopa Creek just above the gorge. Then it's 4.25 miles back on the trail.
If things go wrong
From UN 13,026, skip the couloir and return the way you came.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past Cochetopa Creek the route is a faint old path, then 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.