San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 448 of the 13ers
North Ridge over Aztec Mountain
Mount Valois, 13,173'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip24.4 mi
Elevation gain4,925'
TrailheadEndlich Mesa
Trailhead elevation10,800'
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.
Mount Valois sits in the southern Weminuche Wilderness above Lillie Lake and Trimble Pass. It is usually paired with Aztec Mountain from a camp at City Reservoir #1.
It is a backpack trip. The Endlich Mesa Trail (#534) runs about 7 miles to a camp at the northeast end of City Reservoir #1, a Durango city water lake where camping is allowed. The trail climbs gently to treeline in about a mile and rolls along open tundra on the mesa for roughly 5 miles (high point about 12,200 feet). Then a left fork drops about 1,400 feet to the lake. At the lake, walk over the dam on its south side and follow the west shore to camp. Save energy for that climb back out. From Aztec, you drop into the basin below Bullion Mountain, cross Trimble Pass, pass Lillie Lake and climb the bouldery north ridge. It is Class 2+, and the boulders are the hardest part. They are slick when wet.
The full trip is about 24.4 miles with 4,925 feet of gain. From camp, the Aztec and Valois day is about 10.4 miles with 3,925 feet of gain. In good weather you can instead follow the ridge from Aztec over Point 13,190, Bullion Mountain and Florida Mountain, but the Bullion section looks harder.
Plan of the day
Start by
Leave camp by 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on Aztec by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
Loose boulders on the north ridge.
Route-finding
Moderate. Aim for the clear notch on the north ridge.
Water
Streams near the City Reservoir #1 camp. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,173'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
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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 downtown Durango, follow Main Avenue (US 550) over the Animas River bridge and, a short way past it, turn east on 15th Street. It soon bends northeast and becomes Florida Road (County Road 240). Stay on this paved road just under 12 miles to a junction and turn left on County Road 243. In a little over 4 miles you reach Lemon Reservoir, where the pavement ends.
Drive 5.4 miles up the east side of the reservoir and past its north end to the Florida Campground turnoff. Don't turn; go straight onto Forest Road 597 (East Florida Road). It is a narrow, very rocky road that switchbacks up the mountain for nearly 10 miles to the Endlich Mesa trailhead at about 11,290 feet. The road has gotten rougher over time. Use a high-clearance AWD or 4WD vehicle, drive slowly, and plan on 2 to 2.5 hours from Durango. Conditions change, so check before you go.
There are dispersed campsites along the road and near the trailhead. Sheep graze here in summer, so you may meet livestock trucks on the road.
TundraRidgeScramblingTalus and screeExposed 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
City Reservoir #1 camp 10,800' · 0 mi
From the northeast end of the lake, take Trail 534 north. It makes a steep climb up the valley in the direction of Lake Marie.
2
Below Lake Marie 11,500' · 1 mi
Just short of the lake, the trail turns back south, wraps around a ridge to the west and climbs onto Silver Mesa.
3
Silver Mesa 12,000' · 1.8 mi
Now above the trees, the trail grows faint among granite outcrops. Look for cairns and keep heading mostly north.
Watch for: Easy to lose the trail.
4
Pittsburg Mine 12,300' · 3.5 mi
Pass the old mine, then walk about 3/4 mile north-northwest to a spot that looks down into the basin south of Aztec.
5
Aztec-Kennedy saddle 12,860' · 5 mi
It is hard to tell which bump is Aztec from here; a GPS helps. Drop about 300 feet, angle north-northwest and then west across the head of the basin, and climb grass slopes to the saddle with Mount Kennedy.
6
Aztec Mountain 13,311' · 5.25 mi
Turn right (east) and walk the ridge, going around a small false summit and finishing on loose, scree-like rock.
7
Aztec-13,190 saddle 13,000' · 5.6 mi
Walk east on the ridge to the saddle with Point 13,190. It is mostly Class 2; one report mentions short Class 3 spots.
8
Basin below Bullion 12,400' · 6.2 mi
Leave the ridge and head south, first on scree and then tundra, into the basin west of Bullion Mountain.
9
Trimble Pass 12,850' · 6.9 mi
Turn southeast, then east, and climb nearly 600 feet over tundra and rubble. At the pass, a trail runs north toward Johnson Creek.
10
Lillie Lake 12,550' · 7.2 mi
Lose about 300 feet to the lake below Florida Mountain, leaving the trail to reach it.
11
North ridge notch 12,900' · 7.6 mi
Climb the low ridge above the lake. It turns rocky fast. Work toward the obvious notch and get onto the north ridge wherever the footing is best.
Watch for: Insecure boulders.
12
Mount Valois 13,173' · 7.85 mi
Follow the ridge south over boulders to the wide, flat top. The high point is near where the east ridge begins.
Getting down
Walk south down the tundra ridge toward the saddle with Point 12,954. Find a break in the cliffs on the west side and go down it, then descend tundra into Crystal Valley. Head south to Lake Marie and take the trail back to camp.
If things go wrong
Drop off the ridge to the basin below Bullion, or head down the west side of Valois toward Crystal Valley.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past Silver Mesa the route is mostly off trail, over a basin, a pass and a bouldery ridge. 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 Mount Valois we list, with its class.