South Slope over Coney Benchmark

Overview

UN 13,256 (once listed as UN 13,260 D) is a low-key tundra summit north of Coney Benchmark, above the old Carson townsite. It's usually done with Coney as an easy family day.

From Coney you drop north to the Colorado Trail, or use a higher side trail, and follow it toward the peak. Past a small sub-peak to the southwest, you leave the trail and walk up to the top. Expect a few boulders just below the summit; the rest is tundra. It's Class 1.

The round trip, including Coney Benchmark, is about 7 miles with 1,775 feet of gain. From Coney's summit it's about 1.5 miles and 400 feet one way.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

From Lake City, head south on Highway 149 and turn right on County Road 3 (BLM 3306, shown as CR 30 on some maps) toward Lake San Cristobal. It's paved past the lake, then turns to good gravel that any car can drive. About 2 miles beyond Williams Creek campground, turn left (south) onto the Wager Gulch road (BLM 3308 or FS 568), signed for the old Carson townsite.

From that turn, plan on 4WD with good clearance. The road climbs through aspen and evergreens, steep in spots, to the Carson ruins. Above Carson it gets rockier and runs through willows for about the last mile to Carson Pass at 12,370 feet. Recent grading has made it easier, but it is still slow, and conditions change. If the top part makes you nervous, park near Carson and walk up.

You'll find Forest Service campgrounds at Mill Creek, Williams Creek and Lake San Cristobal. Wager Gulch has a few level primitive spots; a good one is a meadow on the west side of the road just before the Carson turnoff, near 11,240 feet. Beetles have killed many trees around it, so check above your tent before you pitch it.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Carson Pass 12,370' · 0 mi

   Park at the junction of tracks just over the pass. Follow the 4WD track that goes down to the southeast a short way.

2. 2

   Uphill track 12,300' · 0.2 mi

   Turn left on another track that climbs back up to the east-northeast. If you get tired of the road, the tundra beside it is easy walking.

3. 3

   Heart Lake Road saddle 13,140' · 1.5 mi

   The track ends at a flat saddle almost straight south of the summit. The Colorado Trail runs close by if you'd rather not walk the road. Some people drive this far.

4. 4

   Coney Benchmark 13,339' · 2 mi

   Walk the last half mile of tundra, gaining less than 200 feet, to the plain summit. The west side drops off steeply.

5. 5

   Colorado Trail 12,865' · 2.5 mi

   Head down north off Coney, losing about 475 feet, to the Colorado Trail. A higher side trail goes the same way and saves some height; it makes a tight switchback just under a sub-peak southwest of the summit.

6. 6

   Past the sub-peak 13,050' · 3.2 mi

   Once you are beyond the sub-peak, leave whichever trail you're on and head for the summit.

7. 7

   Summit 13,256' · 3.5 mi

   Walk up tundra, with a few boulders near the end, to a cairn on top. You can see down to Carson and the Wager Gulch road.

Getting down

Walk back to the Colorado Trail and follow it south along Coney's east side to the saddle and the track back to the pass.

If things go wrong

The Colorado Trail is just below the ridge.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up UN 13,256 we list, with its class.

• UN 13,256 South Slope this routeClass 1 7 mi