Northwest Ridge over UN 13,350

Overview

UN 13,220 is a rugged point near El Punto, above Porphyry Basin off the Middle Fork of the Cimarron. The trail into the basin is lovely, but the summit block is steep and complex.

From the Middle Fork trail, a side path climbs into Porphyry Basin. A loose scree gully leads to UN 13,350. From there, drop back down the gully about 500 feet, contour, and climb slick boulders to a saddle south of UN 13,220. The direct line through the summit cliffs is technical, so you contour across very loose scree below the west cliffs to the north ridge, then scramble up ledges and short chimneys to the top. It is Class 3, maybe Class 4.

The round trip with UN 13,350 is about 10.2 miles with 4,000 feet of gain. From UN 13,350 it is about 1 mile and 700 feet one way. The ridge between the two peaks may be a shorter link, but it was not tested.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

Leave US 50 about 2.7 miles east of Cimarron (coming from Montrose) and head south on County Road 858 (Forest Road 858) toward Silverjack Reservoir. From Gunnison, this turn comes up about a mile after the County Road 864 turn. The graded dirt road runs about 22 miles and is fine for cars, though it can be dusty and rough with washboard.

Roughly a mile beyond the reservoir, turn right to cross the creek, then turn left almost at once onto Forest Road 861.1. If you miss that left you end up climbing toward Owl Creek Pass. From Ridgway or the south, you can instead come over Owl Creek Pass (County Road 8, which becomes Forest Road 858, leaving US 550 about 2 miles north of Ridgway) and find the same turn. Follow 861.1 about 4.6 miles to its end. Small stream crossings have washed out parts of this road before, so high clearance is wise.

The trailhead was once a campground. There is a vault toilet and plenty of flat, primitive sites in the trees, plus more near a meadow just up the trail. There are three Forest Service campgrounds north of Silverjack Reservoir and a big primitive area near the 861.1 turn. The 2026 Gold Mountain Fire closed some campgrounds and trailheads on the Cimarron side. Check current Forest Service closures before you go.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Middle Fork trailhead 10,050' · 0 mi

   Walk south on Trail 227 past willows and meadows. The climb is gentle at first.

2. 2

   Porphyry Basin path 10,500' · 2.2 mi

   Before you cross the Porphyry Basin creek, take a well-used path up its north side. It climbs steeply, then makes a long switchback north and swings back south to the creek near 11,200 feet.

3. 3

   Cabin at the fork 11,400' · 3.2 mi

   At a fork in the drainage, a small cabin sits on the hill south of the creek. Above it you leave the trees for a mile-long tundra basin.

4. 4

   UN 13,350 13,350' · 4.2 mi

   Where the basin bends east, head south for the saddle between UN 13,350's east and west summits. Climb about 600 feet of loose scree and dirt in a shallow gully. Past the saddle, contour the north side across another steep gully head and climb to the ridge and the summit.

   Watch for: Very poor footing. An ice axe helps.

5. 5

   Saddle south of UN 13,220 12,900' · 4.8 mi

   Plunge-step about 500 feet back down the gully, contour, and climb a long stretch of slick, medium boulders to the saddle south of UN 13,220. Walk the ridge north past a small point to the cliffs of the summit block.

6. 6

   North ridge 13,050' · 5 mi

   A gully on this side dead-ends below a near-vertical wall. Instead, contour just below the west cliffs on very loose scree, then climb a steep scree slope (a small outcrop gives handholds) to the ridge north of the summit block.

   Watch for: Extremely loose scree.

7. 7

   Summit 13,220' · 5.2 mi

   Climb about 200 vertical feet along the ridge, working both sides: across the head of a steep couloir on the northeast side, along ledges and up short chimneys. The angle eases just below the top.

   Watch for: Class 3 to 4 with exposure.

Getting down

Reverse the scramble to the easier ridge, then descend scree straight west into the basin. It turns to tundra, and the cabin is about 20 minutes farther. Take the Porphyry Basin path back down to Trail 227.

If things go wrong

Before the summit block, the scree west of the ridge drops quickly to the basin.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up UN 13,220 (near "El Punto") we list, with its class.

• UN13,220 NW Ridge this routeClass 3 10.2 mi