San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 478 of the 13ers
South Ridge from La Junta Peak
Jackass Point, 13,145'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip8.4 mi
Elevation gain4,160'
TrailheadBridal Veil Basin
Trailhead elevation10,380'
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 · South Ridge from La Junta Peak
Overview
Jackass Point is UN 13,145, the northernmost of three summits lining Bridal Veil Basin's east side. It looks down on little-visited Silver Lake Basin.
From La Junta Peak you walk down tundra to the saddle, skirting a small cliff band, and stroll north over tundra and chip rock to the top. The traverse itself is Class 1. The Class 2 rating comes from the way down through Jackass Basin, where the old trail is overgrown and you may need to push through brush.
Wasatch Mountain, La Junta Peak and Jackass Point make a loop of about 8.4 miles and 4,160 feet, coming down through Jackass Basin. Strong parties do all three in about 7 hours. From La Junta it is about 0.75 mile and 325 feet. On its own, Jackass Point can be climbed from Telluride's Bear Creek trail through La Junta Basin: about 8 miles and 4,400 feet, Class 2+ for the steep climb out of Bear Creek.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6:30 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on La Junta by noon.
Crux
Finding the overgrown trail down from Jackass Basin.
Route-finding
Moderate on the way down. Keep to the north side of Jackass Basin and look for the old cabin.
From Colorado Avenue in Telluride, drive east out of town. The road becomes County Road 648, the Black Bear Pass road. It climbs five or six switchbacks above some mine ponds, then runs southeast toward Bridal Veil Falls and crosses Ingram Creek.
Next come the switchbacks up toward the falls. Some parking at the fourth one is for the via ferrata. Go two more switchbacks and finish south to the trailhead parking, just above Bridal Veil Falls and the old power plant. High clearance is best. Don't drive on past the trailhead: the road above is one-way coming down from Black Bear Pass.
There's no camping close by, and dispersed camping near Telluride is scarce and mostly not allowed. Try the Telluride Town Park campground (first come, first served) or Sunshine Campground about 5 miles south of Society Junction on Highway 145. A few dispersed spots exist south of Ilium on 63J or along 145, but watch for private land.
Trail in the treesTundraRidgeTalus 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
Bridal Veil Basin trailhead 10,380' · 0 mi
Walk the old mining road south into the basin. It stays east of Bridal Veil Creek and switchbacks up a couple of times.
2
Blue Lake fork 11,250' · 1.5 mi
At the fork, the left branch goes to Blue Lake. Take the less used right branch along the creek.
3
Creek crossing 11,550' · 2 mi
The jeep track crosses the creek and climbs the hillside toward a bench below Wasatch.
4
Twin tarns 12,190' · 3 mi
Pass a pair of small tarns; the road fades soon after. Head west uphill on the south side of the creek toward the Wasatch-La Junta saddle, over tundra benches and rock outcrops. You should meet an old road or trail.
5
Tarn at 12,815 feet 12,815' · 3.6 mi
The old track leads near the saddle and a small tarn below Wasatch's north-northeast ridge.
6
Ridge saddle 13,160' · 3.9 mi
Climb the steeper tundra slope south of the tarn, heading west to a saddle on the north-northeast ridge.
7
Wasatch Mountain 13,560' · 4.25 mi
Walk up about 400 feet, mostly on dinner-plate talus, to the summit.
8
Wasatch-La Junta saddle 12,860' · 4.75 mi
Go back down the north-northeast ridge. Stay right of the crest to skip one steep, rocky part.
9
La Junta Peak 13,475' · 5.15 mi
Climb steeply about 620 feet on loose talus and gravel.
Watch for: Loose rock.
10
La Junta-Jackass saddle 12,820' · 5.55 mi
Go down La Junta's north-northwest ridge on tundra, stepping around a small cliff band.
11
Jackass Point 13,145' · 5.9 mi
Walk straight north over tundra to chip rock on top.
Getting down
Go back a bit toward the saddle and drop east into Jackass Basin through wildflower slopes. Head northeast, keeping to the basin's north edge to stay out of the marshy parts, to the ruins of an old cabin. An old mining trail leads down toward Bridal Veil Basin, past a junction with the trail into Silver Lake Basin at Point 11,146. Below that it is easy to lose; push through the brush toward Bridal Veil Creek and the main trail.
If things go wrong
Jackass Basin is right below the saddle.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past the twin tarns the route is mostly trailless, and the descent trail is overgrown. 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 Jackass Point we list, with its class.
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.