East Ridge from Beartown

Overview

UN 13,318 is one of three easy summits along Ute Ridge, above the old Beartown site at the head of the Rio Grande. The hard part is the long 4WD drive; the climb itself is short.

An old trail climbs through forest to Indian Ridge, then runs south along the peak's east side to the saddle with UN 13,351. From there you walk west up the east ridge onto large rock blocks. It is Class 2, and a fit party can reach the top in about two hours.

The round trip is about 5 miles with 1,900 feet of gain. UN 13,351 is 0.8 mile and 640 feet away across the saddle, and Ute Ridge is beyond it, so all three make a good day.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

This trip needs a high-clearance 4WD, and the drive from Silverton can take over two hours. From the northeast end of Silverton, take County Road 2 about 4.2 miles to Howardsville, turn right up Cunningham Gulch, and take the left fork onto the Stony Pass road. Over the pass, the road drops down the valley to a ford of Pole Creek. In under a mile, turn right (west) at a fork and ford the Rio Grande. Both fords run higher early in summer.

Follow the Beartown road about 4 slow, pothole-filled miles past the old Beartown site to where it crosses Bear Creek. There's good camping near this crossing. Less than 0.3 mile farther, a jeep track (the Bear Town Trail, Forest Road 869) branches left and drops to cross a smaller fork of Bear Creek. Park along that track. You can also come in from Creede or Lake City by way of Rio Grande Reservoir, but the road west of the reservoir has rough stretches.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Bear Town Trail 11,400' · 0 mi

   Hike the old track east toward Indian Ridge. A couple of switchbacks not shown on maps climb through forest; the first 400 feet are the steepest.

2. 2

   Indian Ridge 12,000' · 0.8 mi

   Come out onto a broad ridge of grass and tundra. Elk are common here.

3. 3

   East flank 12,400' · 1.6 mi

   The trail turns nearly south and runs along the east side of UN 13,318, well below its north ridge.

4. 4

   Saddle 12,710' · 2.1 mi

   Stay on the trail to the pass between UN 13,318 and UN 13,351. Don't cut up the gullies through the cliffs to the right; they're loose gravel and save no time.

   Watch for: Loose gullies to the right.

5. 5

   Summit 13,318' · 2.5 mi

   Turn right and climb west up the ridge. It's harder Class 2 onto big rock blocks. The view west and south takes in the Grenadiers and the Needles.

Getting down

Return the same way, or go back to the saddle and on to UN 13,351.

If things go wrong

The trail at the saddle leads back down.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up UN 13,318 we list, with its class.

• UN13,318 East Ridge this routeClass 2 5 mi