West Ridge from the South Fork of the Animas

Overview

Dome Mountain sits up the Animas valley northeast of Silverton, between the South Fork of the Animas and Stony Pass. It's a pleasant Class 2 hike with lots of wildflowers and a deep view down the Animas.

A trail heads up the South Fork valley and fades after about a mile. You cross the creek near 11,200 feet, follow game trails up steep, flowery slopes into a flat basin, and climb rocky ground to a saddle just west of the summit. The last part goes east up steep rock and small ledges.

The round trip is about 6 miles with 2,800 feet of gain. Tower Mountain connects by ridge if you want a second summit.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

From Silverton, drive east through town and bear right at the fork one block past the courthouse onto County Road 2 (labeled 110 on some maps). Pavement ends after about 2 miles, and good gravel continues 4.2 miles to Howardsville. Go north another 4.3 miles to the Eureka townsite. Past there the road crosses the Animas River to its west bank and gets rockier as it climbs a shelf. About half a mile past the crossing, turn sharp left up Eureka Gulch on BLM 4508 (County Road 25).

After 1.2 miles, take a road branching left. This spur contours 0.7 mile, lower than the main gulch road, and fords Eureka Creek a little above the point where it joins the South Fork of the Animas. A few yards past the crossing it ends at an old mine site, where a trail heads southwest up the valley. A high-clearance vehicle is best. Maps call this the Boulder Gulch trailhead; it is not the Boulder Gulch near Silverton.

There are no Forest Service campgrounds up here, and summer weekends are crowded. There's a lot of private land, so watch for signs. Popular open camping areas are near Howardsville across from the Maggie Gulch road, and at Eureka on the east side of the river, which is now a pay campground. Bring everything you need. There may be primitive spots on the spur road and at the mine site, but the mine site could now be posted No Trespassing; if so, camp elsewhere.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Old mine site 10,565' · 0 mi

   Follow the old road track to a switchback; it narrows to a trail heading southwest up the north side of the valley.

2. 2

   Trail fades 11,000' · 1 mi

   The trail gets lost in plants. Keep going up the open valley toward the highest trees.

3. 3

   Creek crossing 11,200' · 1.4 mi

   Cross the South Fork (look for a log), pass through a small stand of trees, and turn uphill to the south-southeast.

4. 4

   High basin 11,900' · 2 mi

   Game trails climb the steep, flowery slopes into a nearly flat basin northwest of the summit.

5. 5

   West saddle 12,900' · 2.6 mi

   Hike south and up rocky, steep ground, maybe with snow early on, to the saddle just west of the top.

6. 6

   Summit 13,379' · 3 mi

   Turn east and climb steep rock and rocky ledges. Nothing hard, just a lot of rock.

Getting down

Return the same way; snow in the gully below the saddle may make a quick glissade. The northeast ridge is another option: past the rocky top part it is open tundra.

If things go wrong

Drop back north into the basin and the valley.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up Dome Mountain we list, with its class.

• Dome Mtn. West Ridge this routeClass 2 6 mi