San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 354 of the 13ers
Northeast Ridge from Upper Noname Creek
Peak Five, 13,291'
Class 3 summit ridge
The last part follows a narrowing ridge with slabs and a few short Class 3 moves. Finding the way through the upper basin takes care. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 3
Round trip20 mi
Elevation gain5,150'
TrailheadNeedleton Bridge
Trailhead elevation10,800'
Conditions on the summit
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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.
Colorado 13er · Northeast Ridge from Upper Noname Creek
Overview
Peak Five stands at the northeast end of upper Noname Creek in the Weminuche Wilderness, a remote area with lots of wildflowers and few visitors. There is no road; you ride the Durango and Silverton train to Needleton and backpack in.
From a camp in the upper Noname valley, you follow a fading path up past a promontory and a marshy meadow, climb ledges to a small pond and a lake at 12,552 feet, and take a green ramp to the ridge near the Peak Five and Peak Six saddle. The ridge is mostly Class 2+, with brief Class 3 near the false and true summits. Route finding is hard.
The round trip from Needleton is about 20 miles with 5,150 feet of gain. From the upper camps it's about 5.5 miles and 2,400 feet. The upper camps are about 7.25 miles from Needleton: past the old cabin and a marshy stretch (go around it on the left), to the east end of a long, flat meadow near 10,800 feet where Noname Creek forks. Peak Twelve can be added the same day, but that makes for a late finish.
Plan of the day
Start by
Camp in the upper Noname valley; leave by 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the lake at 12,552 feet by 10 a.m.
Crux
The narrow rocky ridge to the summit.
Route-finding
Hard. The path above the forks is faint and passes through willows; above the pond, ledges and benches make a maze.
There is no road access. Take the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and ask to be dropped at the Needleton stop. Train policies on where you can board and get off have changed over the years, so check with the railroad before you plan the trip. Know the pickup time for your return and do not miss it.
From the Needleton stop, cross the Animas River on the footbridge to the east side. The route starts here at about 8,235 feet. There are cabins on private land near the bridge, so stay on the trail until you are past them.
For Noname Creek, turn left (north) after the bridge and walk past the cabins. There is camping in the meadows past Pigeon Creek, beyond the private cabin land. Some years the railroad has let riders board in Silverton, but recent reports say the afternoon southbound train from Silverton only stops at Elk Park, so plan around the railroad's current rules.
ScramblingTundraTalus 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
Upper Noname camp 10,800' · 0 mi
From the camp near the east end of the meadow, walk east on the main trail. Just before the east fork of Noname Creek cascades in, a cairn marks a path that climbs left into the upper east basins.
2
Upper meadow 11,000' · 0.4 mi
Climb about 200 feet through trees to an open meadow and walk east to a junction where the path is getting faint. The straight branch heads toward Knife Point. Take the left branch.
3
Promontory 11,800' · 1.2 mi
The left branch climbs steeply through open slopes and some trees. It's vague in places and runs through willows. It ends on a flat, lightly wooded promontory above a narrow gorge of the northeast fork, with a good campsite.
Watch for: Easy to lose the path here.
4
Pond at 12,200 feet 12,200' · 1.75 mi
Head north through willows, then east along the north edge of a marshy meadow with small ponds, using boulders and a rock outcrop to stay dry. Keep going east and up to a small pond in a bowl.
5
Lake at 12,552 feet 12,552' · 2.05 mi
Turn north and pick a way up through ledges and benches to the southeast end of the lake.
6
Ridge west of the saddle 13,100' · 2.4 mi
Cross the outlet and go around the lake's west side on tundra and boulders. Take a greenish ramp north-northwest toward the saddle between Peaks Five and Six, angling west above it to reach the ridge.
7
False summit 13,250' · 2.6 mi
Follow the ridge southwest to a false summit with a big view south. A few moves may feel like Class 3.
8
Peak Five 13,291' · 2.75 mi
Turn northwest along a narrowing ridge with some large slabs. It's Class 3 at most, and one last rocky stretch leads to the top. The north face drops away steeply.
Watch for: Class 3 with some exposure.
Getting down
Go back the same way. Peak Six to the east is another option; the ridge west to Peak Four looks rough and isn't described here.
If things go wrong
Return to the lake and back down through the ledges to the meadow.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above the upper Noname camps the trail fades out and the route is off-trail. 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.