San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 403 of the 13ers
East Ridge from Mears Peak
S 7, 13,234'
Technical climb: Class 3 on an unstable ridge
The middle of the ridge from Mears has short Class 3 scrambling, narrow catwalks and steep drops on the north side, with very loose rubble where you bypass on the south. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 3
Round trip11.5 mi
Elevation gain4,900'
TrailheadSheep Ck-Deep Ck
Trailhead elevation9,100'
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.
S 7 is the next peak west of Mears Peak on the ridge north of the Telluride airport. It is usually climbed with Mears from a camp in the Whipple Creek basin.
After climbing Mears, you follow the connecting ridge west about a mile. The first half is easy; past the middle there is loose ground, short Class 3 scrambling and some catwalks. Stay on the crest when you can, and drop to the south side when you can't. You come down a long rubble couloir back to the valley.
The round trip from the trailhead with Mears is about 11.5 miles and roughly 4,900 feet of gain. The approach to the basin is about 3.75 miles each way with about 1,700 feet of gain; many parties camp there. Mileage and gain are our estimates.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m. from camp
Turnaround
Be on Mears Peak by 10 a.m.
Crux
The middle of the Mears to S 7 ridge.
Route-finding
Moderate. Stay high on the south side when forced off the crest.
Water
Whipple Creek near camp. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,234'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
Today
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Tomorrow
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Day three
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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.
From Society Turn on CO 145, about 4 miles west of Telluride, go just a little east and turn left (north) on the Airport Road. Maps call this the Last Dollar Road (638).
Climb the road and round a sharp bend at the head of a drainage, then pass the Aldasoro Ranch entrance. Stay right where the road to the Telluride airport turns off. In less than a mile more, the trailhead lot with a small corral is on the right. A passenger car can get here.
There is private land across from the parking, and camping at the trailhead is not allowed. Campsites are scarce near Telluride. Try the town park at the east end of Telluride or Sunshine Campground south of Society Turn, or look for dispersed spots west on CO 145 near the Silver Pick Road, or south on County Road 63L/63J past Ilium.
Trail in the treesTundraScramblingRidgeExposed 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
Sheep Ck-Deep Ck trailhead 9,100' · 0 mi
Take Trail 418.1B (signed for Deep Creek and Whipple) north across an open slope. After a short switchback it joins an old road beside an irrigation ditch in the aspens.
2
Sheep Creek 9,250' · 1 mi
Follow the ditch about a mile to Sheep Creek. Past the creek the trail heads west, then turns sharply north. Keep following the ditch and ignore a signed trail that goes downhill.
3
Whipple Creek 9,350' · 1.6 mi
About half a mile later the ditch meets Whipple Creek, which drains the basin below Mears Peak and S 7. Cross on a bridge and follow the creek about ten minutes until the trail turns sharply left. About ten minutes past that turn, look for a grassy old road going uphill on the right. This is the Iron Mountain trail (418.1C).
4
Old mine 10,862' · 3.6 mi
Follow this little-used trail north almost 2 miles to an old mine site. Below the mine dumps, contour up the valley over rock and grass to the next trees.
5
Camp 10,900' · 3.75 mi
Good camping is in the grassy openings among scattered trees on the south side of the creek, a short way up a small ridge. Many people backpack in and climb several peaks from here.
6
Grass slopes 11,900' · 4.2 mi
From camp, cross the creek and climb the farthest-right grassy slope below Mears Peak.
7
Saddle west of Mears 13,000' · 4.5 mi
Climb rubble and talus, working east and north around cliffs. A short gully may give some Class 3 scrambling.
8
Mears Peak 13,503' · 4.75 mi
Climb about 500 feet east to the summit of Mears (see that page).
9
Middle of the ridge 13,150' · 5.25 mi
Walk west along the ridge. The first half goes quickly. Past the halfway point the trouble starts: stay on the crest when you can, and when forced off, go south and contour as high as you can.
Watch for: The north side drops off steeply the whole way.
10
Summit 13,234' · 5.75 mi
Once past the hard parts, climb back to the ridge or follow the slope up to the summit ridge and the top.
Getting down
Go back east along the ridge a short way, then turn down the big, obvious couloir to the south. It drops about 2,000 feet on mostly loose rubble, with a few scree runs, and comes out just east of the old mine, west of the camp area. Then hike out the Iron Mountain trail.
If things go wrong
Before the middle section, return to Mears and descend its south slopes.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above the old mine at the end of the Iron Mountain 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.
Other routes
Every way up S 7 we list, with its class.
S.7 East Ridge from Mearsthis routeClass 3 11.5 mi