San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 394 of the 13ers
West Ridge from Half Moon Lake
Weminuche Peak, 13,240'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip23.8 mi
Elevation gain6,400'
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.
"Weminuche Peak" rises east of Half Moon Lake in the Rock Lake area of the Weminuche Wilderness. Along with Peters Peak, it is one of the easier summits here: Class 2 on mostly broken quartzite. Strong backpackers can reach Rock Lake from the Hunchback Pass trailhead in one day; others take two. This is the Weminuche Wilderness, so plan a multi-day backpack and follow wilderness rules on camping, fires and group size.
From camp you take the trail past Rock Lake to the pass above Half Moon Lake. You can climb from the pass, or drop your pack near Half Moon Lake and head east over tundra to the saddle south of the west summit. A short, steep pitch of big boulders leads to smaller rock and the west summit, then a half-hour ridge walk east over more quartzite gets you to the true top. Watch for quartz crystals in the rocks.
The round trip is about 23.8 miles with 6,400 feet of gain from the trailhead. From a camp below Rock Lake it is about 4 miles and 1,600 feet round trip, and about the same from Moon Lake.
Plan of the day
Start by
From camp, leave by 7 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on the west summit by 11 a.m.
Crux
About 200 feet of big boulders above the saddle.
Route-finding
Moderate. Keep high on the way down to avoid a cliffy band.
Water
Rock Creek and the lakes. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,240'…
—Summit temp now
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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 from Silverton the drive can last as long as 2.5 hours. 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.
Trail in the treesTundraTalus and screeRidgeExposed 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
Start on the Continental Divide Trail heading south toward the pass.
2
Rock Creek trail 10,160' · 5.75 mi
Cross Hunchback Pass and follow the Vallecito Trail down past the Nebo Creek junction and ford and the Trinity Creek meadow. Just before the trail wades Rock Creek, turn left on the Rock Creek trail, which climbs about 900 feet in its first 1.25 miles and then runs through long meadows.
Watch for: Nebo Creek ford can be swift.
3
Camp below Rock Lake 11,800' · 9.9 mi
Stay right at a fork near the top of the meadows, cross the creek and climb easy switchbacks. Good camps sit in the trees about 10 to 15 minutes below Rock Lake.
4
Pass above Half Moon Lake 12,420' · 10.9 mi
Follow the trail past Rock Lake and a small pond, through some talus, to the pass.
5
Near Half Moon Lake 12,150' · 11.2 mi
Drop toward Half Moon Lake on the trail and leave it near the lake. If you are just crossing the pass with a pack, you can climb straight from the pass instead.
6
Saddle south of west summit 12,650' · 11.45 mi
Walk east over flowery tundra. It is gentle at first; rock increases as you get close to the saddle.
7
West summit 13,180' · 11.7 mi
Head north. Scramble about 200 vertical feet of large boulders, then continue on smaller broken rock to the west summit. Most people get here in under an hour from the lake.
Watch for: Big boulders.
8
Summit 13,240' · 11.9 mi
Go east along the ridge, then up more broken quartzite to the top. You can see the Flint Lakes area and Rio Grande Pyramid.
Getting down
Go back down to the low point between the two summits, then angle down southwest across tundra and rock toward the saddle south of the west summit. Stay high to avoid a steep, cliffy area, join the west summit's south ridge above the saddle, and go back to Half Moon Lake. This way also works as a shortcut that skips the west summit on the way up.
If things go wrong
The saddle south of the west summit leads back to Half Moon Lake.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past Half Moon Lake the route crosses trailless tundra and quartzite rubble. 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.
Other routes
Every way up Weminuche Peak we list, with its class.
"Weminuche" Peak West Ridgethis routeClass 2 23.8 mi