North Approach from Cuba Gulch

Overview

UN 13,179 is an unnamed peak near Half Peak, south of Lake City. It is an easy Class 2 climb over mostly tundra, and elk are often around.

You hike the Cuba Gulch trail up a deep gorge, then a fainter side trail south up an unnamed drainage. The trail gets lost in a big willow patch laced with elk trails. Above, you swing around the north-face cliffs to the west and finish up easy outcrops on the south side.

The round trip, including nearby UN 13,003, is about 7.8 miles with 2,450 feet of gain. UN 13,003 lies just west and is an easy tundra walk that adds no more than an hour.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

From Lake City, drive south on Colorado 149 a little over 2 miles and turn right toward Lake San Cristobal. Follow County Road 30 (also shown as County Road 3) along the west side of the lake, past Williams Creek and Mill Creek campgrounds. About 1.2 miles past Mill Creek you reach the fork at Sherman. The right fork goes to Cinnamon Pass. Take the left fork (County Road 35) along Cottonwood Creek about 1.5 miles to the Cataract Gulch trailhead. Most cars can get this far.

Past Cataract Gulch the road turns rocky right away, and you need 4WD with good clearance. It is about 3.5 more miles to the Cuba Gulch trailhead, where the road ends. Willows that once crowded the last stretch have been cut back. There is a good camp spot about 0.8 mile before the end and lots of room at the end, though hunting camps can fill it in late summer. You can also camp at Cataract Gulch or the Williams Creek and Mill Creek campgrounds.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Cuba Gulch trailhead 10,715' · 0 mi

   Cross the creek on a log bridge and follow Trail 477 through open forest, then through a jumble of downed trees and up a steep climb.

2. 2

   Gorge bridge 11,000' · 0.6 mi

   Cross the Cuba Gulch stream on a solid bridge over a deep, narrow gorge. Switchback up and follow the trail high above the gorge. It stays on the east side.

3. 3

   Split stream 11,400' · 1.75 mi

   Cross an unnamed stream that runs in two channels. There's a big campsite here. On the far side, find Trail 916 heading south up the drainage. It is not well kept.

4. 4

   Ridge and willows 11,900' · 2.15 mi

   The trail switchbacks steeply through trees and crosses a small ridge, then enters a large willow patch where it's easy to lose.

   Watch for: Elk trails confuse the route.

5. 5

   Leave the drainage 12,000' · 2.5 mi

   Around 12,000 feet, turn off toward the peak. The north face is a big cliff, so bear west.

6. 6

   Sheep trail 12,600' · 3.1 mi

   Meet a sheep trail marked by tall cairns, part of the Continental Divide / Colorado Trail system. Follow it a little, then climb around the cliffs on the west side of the peak.

7. 7

   UN 13,179 13,179' · 3.6 mi

   On the south side, walk up easy rock outcrops to a tundra and rock bench, then to the top, marked by a big cairn with Half Peak behind it.

Getting down

Go down the southwest ridge a short way and take a couloir northwest through the cliffs, then tundra back to the trail. On the way out, the trail rises slightly before it drops back to Cuba Gulch. Don't drift too far left (southwest) on the way down.

If things go wrong

Head back north down the drainage to the Cuba Gulch trail.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up UN 13,179 we list, with its class.

• UN 13,179 North Approach this routeClass 2 7.8 mi