San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 386 of the 13ers
North Face Couloir from Storm King Pass
Peak Eight, 13,252'
Class 3 with exposure and rockfall
Peak Eight's north couloir is a rockfall trap of steep talus or snow, and the summit ridge is Class 3 on blocks with moderate exposure. Bring a helmet, ice axe and traction. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 3
Round trip14.5 mi
Elevation gain5,950'
TrailheadHunchback Pass
Trailhead elevation11,800'
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.
Colorado 13er · North Face Couloir from Storm King Pass
Is it right for you?
Peak Eight became a ranked 13er after new survey data in 2022. Of the newly ranked peaks it's the hardest to reach and the most technical, sitting west of Peak Nine in the Weminuche Wilderness. Plan a multi-day backpack from the Hunchback Pass trailhead.
You follow the Vallecito Trail 4 miles to Trinity Creek, ford Vallecito Creek, and thrash up Trinity Creek through deadfall to the Lake Silex basin and Storm King Pass. From there a slanting couloir splits Peak Eight's north face; it leads to Class 3 scrambling on solid blocks to the top. Recent reports suggest the unmaintained Leviathan Creek trail, to the Peak Eight–Nine saddle, may now be easier than Trinity Creek, but we don't have details on it.
The round trip is about 14.5 miles with 5,950 feet of gain. Climbing both Peak Eight and Peak Nine from Storm King Pass is about 1.4 miles and 1,230 feet more than the approach, or about 14.9 miles and 6,430 feet in all. Mileage and gain are our estimates.
Trinity Creek low down; little water up high. Carry plenty.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,252'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
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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.
This trailhead needs a high-clearance 4WD, and you should allow as much as two and a half hours from Silverton. From the northeast end of Silverton, take County Road 2 up the Animas about 4.2 miles to Howardsville. Turn right up Cunningham Gulch, then take the left fork onto the Stony Pass road. It climbs steeply over the pass and down the far side. You will ford Pole Creek, then turn right at a fork and ford the Rio Grande. Both fords are harder early in the summer. Then follow the Beartown road about 4 slow, rough miles past the old Beartown site and up a rocky, rutted stretch. The Hunchback Pass trailhead is about half a mile below Kite Lake, at roughly 11,800 feet, with limited parking.
You can also reach this area from Creede or Lake City by driving to Rio Grande Reservoir, but the road west of the reservoir has very rough sections. There is some camping near the trailhead and near the old Beartown site.
Conditions on Stony Pass and the Beartown road change from year to year, so check before you go. Trips from here into the Weminuche usually take several days.
RidgeTrail in the treesTalus and screeScramblingExposed 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
Hunchback Pass trailhead 11,800' · 0 mi
Walk south on the Continental Divide Trail through open, willowy ground. It bends southeast, then southwest and west, up to the pass.
2
Hunchback Pass 12,490' · 0.9 mi
From the tundra pass, head south down the willow-filled fork below. The trail keeps to the west side of the drainage until just above the trees.
Watch for: Willows soak you after rain.
3
Trinity Creek camp 10,560' · 4 mi
Stay on the Vallecito Trail where the Continental Divide Trail turns east up Nebo Creek (big campsite nearby). Ford Nebo Creek near a waterfall and switchback down to a meadow on the right.
Watch for: The Nebo Creek ford is swift.
4
Leave Trinity Creek 11,400' · 5.5 mi
Wade Vallecito Creek west of camp (cold, but not as deep as lower down). The unmaintained trail runs up the south side of Trinity Creek and crosses to the north side near 11,000 feet. Recent reports say beetle-killed deadfall and thick growth have nearly erased the lower mile; plan on a couple of hours of thrashing. Watch for an old cairn on the north side and follow the faint trail west to a knoll with an old campsite.
Watch for: Hard bushwhacking in deadfall.
5
High bench 12,390' · 5.9 mi
From the knoll, the trail drops south across a small drainage and weaves southeast through willows toward a big rift west of the Lake Silex outlet stream. Climb steeply on its west side (or inside it, with an ice axe if snowy), then go south over talus and sparse tundra to a small, fairly level spot near 12,390 feet. A high camp is possible, but water is scarce.
6
Storm King Pass 12,800' · 6.75 mi
Work southwest, then west, through slow, unstable boulder talus to Storm King Pass, the Storm King–Peak Nine saddle. Old cairns help in places.
Watch for: Unstable talus.
7
Couloir base 12,650' · 6.95 mi
From the saddle the slanting couloir on Peak Eight's north face is easy to see. Drop no more than 150 feet and cross tundra and talus to the talus fan below it.
8
Summit 13,252' · 7.25 mi
Climb into the couloir. Early in summer it may be full of snow; later it's talus at its steepest angle. The rock rib on the right is a firmer Class 3–4 option. From the head of the couloir, scramble Class 3 on large solid blocks and short walls to the ridge and pick your way to the highest boulder.
Watch for: Rockfall; moderate exposure.
Getting down
Return the same way. A short rappel to the head of the couloir is possible but not needed.
To add Peak Nine, go down the couloir until it opens, then contour east to the broad slope up to the Peak Eight–Nine saddle.
If things go wrong
The couloir and the Storm King saddle lead back toward the Lake Silex basin.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past the Vallecito Trail the route is 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.