San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 468 of the 13ers
East Side via Red Mountain Creek and Piedra Pass
South River Peak, 13,156'
Hard bushwhack and loose scramble
The route drops through steep, beetle-killed forest full of fallen trees, and the summit is guarded by a cliff band you must get around on loose rock. An ice axe is recommended. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 2+
Round trip16.8 mi
Elevation gain4,690'
TrailheadSouth River Peak
Trailhead elevation11,620'
Conditions on the summit
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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.
Colorado 13er · East Side via Red Mountain Creek and Piedra Pass
Overview
South River Peak, west of Creede, is one of the hardest 13ers to do as a day hike. Private land closes one approach, so the choices are a backpack, a long hike with less gain, or this shorter route with more gain and a very rough bushwhack. Some people may want to camp in the Red Mountain Creek valley to break it up.
From the end of the logging road you cross a saddle, then drop about 1,600 feet through steep forest into the remote meadow of Red Mountain Creek. Old roads lead up past a cabin and a mine toward Piedra Pass, and the Continental Divide Trail leads east before you strike out up tundra. A cliff band blocks the south end of the summit block; you get around it on the east side and climb a loose break to the summit ridge. It's Class 2+ with hard routefinding.
The round trip is about 16.8 miles with about 4,690 feet of gain, including the long climb back out of Red Mountain Creek at the end of the day. Start early and plan on a full day.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be past the mine by 10 a.m.
Crux
The bushwhack through fallen trees, and the loose break in the summit cliffs.
Route-finding
Difficult. Many logging roads, a pathless forest descent, and faint trail near Piedra Pass.
From Creede, where Highway 149 crosses Willow Creek, head southwest about 5.1 miles until the highway bridges over to the Rio Grande's south bank. Go 1.7 miles more and, just before the highway crosses back over the river, turn left on Forest Road 523.
This graded gravel road follows the river, passes a subdivision and reaches a junction in about 4.7 miles; stay right. In 3.7 more miles, bear left to stay on 523, which now climbs away from the valley to Love Lake (vault toilet). Past the lake the road gets rougher. About 2.5 miles past it, make a sharp left to stay on 523. You're now in a maze of logging roads, and some maps show the road wrong. Go about 3.7 more miles to a junction at about 11,480 feet, turn sharply left, and go roughly half a mile more. Park where the decent road stops beside piles of old cut logs and a berm. Park here.
A car with better-than-average clearance can make it; 4WD isn't needed. You can camp at the trailhead or anywhere along the last mile, but there may be no water. Private land blocks access to the Red Mountain Creek valley from the north, so don't try to reach the route that way.
RidgeTrail in the treesTundraScramblingExposed 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
South River Peak trailhead 11,620' · 0 mi
Walk the last half mile of road southeast to its end, then follow a faint trail south into the forest briefly before heading south-southeast toward the saddle between Copper Benchmark and Point 11,895.
2
Saddle 11,800' · 1 mi
Cross grassy meadows at treeline to the saddle. Game trails lead down into a side drainage of Red Mountain Creek.
3
Red Mountain Creek meadow 10,200' · 2.5 mi
Drop very steeply, first along the north edge of an open avalanche path, then through dead forest full of fallen logs, to the north end of a wide meadow. Old flagging may help.
Walk south on an old road along the west edge of the meadow for about 3/4 mile and cross the creek on an aging bridge.
5
Mine 10,900' · 4.8 mi
Follow the road southeast. It climbs steeply on a washed-out stretch with views of two waterfalls, then eases past an old cabin to a mine site.
Watch for: The road is nearly washed out in spots.
6
Piedra Pass 11,700' · 5.8 mi
Above the mine the road fades in a meadow. Climb a faint trail up the steep slope on the right to the broad pass and the Continental Divide Trail.
Watch for: The trail fades here.
7
Leave the Divide Trail 11,700' · 6.5 mi
Follow the Divide Trail east, then leave it near 11,700 feet and climb steep tundra into a broad basin toward the peak.
8
Summit 13,156' · 8.4 mi
Climb flower-covered slopes to the trail on the east side. Don't try the cliff at the south end; traverse north below it on the east side, losing 100 feet or more, to a break. Scramble steep, loose rock to the ridge north of the top and walk south to the summit.
Watch for: Loose scrambling; the south cliff is technical.
Getting down
Return the same way, saving energy for the climb back out of Red Mountain Creek. You can also drop northwest from a saddle east of Point 12,367 into a lush basin and follow game trails down to the old road near the cabin.
If things go wrong
The old road in Red Mountain Creek is the main escape, but every way out includes the climb back to the saddle.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
The route bushwhacks steeply through dead forest and later leaves the Continental Divide Trail for open tundra. 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 South River Peak we list, with its class.
S. River Pk. via Piedra Passthis routeClass 2+ 16.8 mi
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.