San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 488 of the 13ers
South Ridge over Hayden Mountain South
Hayden Mountain North, 13,131'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip8.3 mi
Elevation gain4,700'
TrailheadIronton Park
Trailhead elevation9,750'
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.
Colorado 13er · South Ridge over Hayden Mountain South
Is it right for you?
Hayden Mountain North is one of two ranked summits on the long Hayden Mountain massif on the west side of Ironton Park, south of Ouray. Newer survey data cut its height by 8 feet. It is usually climbed together with Hayden Mountain South.
From US 550 you walk an old road along Ironton Park, scramble up steep, loose Full Moon Gulch into an open basin, and climb a steep gully to Hayden Mountain South. The ridge between the two summits is hard, so you drop into the head of Fall Creek, cross it, and follow a game trail up to the saddle south of the north summit. Then you go down a long avalanche path to Ironton Park. It is all Class 2 but steep.
The loop is about 8.3 miles with 4,700 feet of gain. Hayden North is 2 miles and 1,240 feet of gain past Hayden South. Reaching the south ridge from the Richmond Pass trail may be easier than Full Moon Gulch, but that trail's start is hard to find.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6:30 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on Hayden South by 11 a.m.
Crux
Loose scree in Full Moon Gulch and the long, steep descent.
Route-finding
Moderate. Find the right gully up Hayden South, and skip the connecting ridge.
Water
The creek in Full Moon Gulch and snowmelt at the head of Fall Creek. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,131'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
Today
—
Tomorrow
—
Day three
—
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 Ouray, drive south on US 550 up the switchbacks above town, through the Uncompahgre Gorge, and up four more switchbacks into Ironton Park, a wide, flat valley over 2 miles long. The Hayden summits rise on your right (west). A dirt road, hard to see from the highway, runs along the west side of the park at the foot of the mountains, in and out of the trees. You'll use it on foot.
Near the south end of the park is a big tailings pond, with a gravel road heading right toward Gray Copper and Corkscrew Gulches. About 1,200 feet past that road, park at a pullout on the west side of the highway next to an old cabin. Any car can get here.
There are no Forest Service campgrounds on US 550 between Ouray and the South Mineral Creek turnoff near Silverton, but there are primitive sites, often full on weekends. The Gray Copper/Corkscrew road leads to a wooded area with several sites, often used by trailers. About 2,000 feet south of the trailhead, a dirt road on the left drops into the river flats with many more. A few others are along the highway south of the park and near Red Mountain Pass.
Talus and screeTundraRidgeExposed 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
Ironton Park pullout 9,750' · 0 mi
Find the old road heading northeast and then north along the west side of the park, mostly inside the tree line next to the meadow. Within 15 minutes or so, turn west onto an old mining road that climbs the steep hillside. It helps for a while, then fades out near Full Moon Gulch.
2
Full Moon Gulch 10,800' · 1.2 mi
Work your way west up the gulch, staying high above the creek. The slope is very steep, loose scree. The footing gets better a few hundred feet higher.
Watch for: Steep, loose scree.
3
Full Moon basin 11,800' · 1.9 mi
Leave the trees for the open basin southeast of Hayden Mountain South. Elk and deer graze here. Head northwest to the bottom of a steep gully on the peak's northeast side.
4
Top of the gully 13,000' · 2.7 mi
Climb the gully, mostly on tundra. It comes out just south (left) of Point 13,009. In big snow years, snow may linger and an ice axe helps.
5
Hayden Mountain South 13,211' · 3 mi
Walk southwest to the summit. Don't follow the ridge toward the north summit; it gets steep and cliffy, and a pyramid-shaped point, UN 13,023, blocks the way.
Watch for: The connecting ridge is much harder than Class 2.
6
Head of Fall Creek 11,900' · 4 mi
Go a little west, then north, down into the head of Fall Creek. Early in summer this is big snowfields good for glissading; later it is probably talus. Contour northeast across snow and rock glaciers to a game trail you can see climbing out of the basin.
7
Saddle 12,800' · 4.6 mi
Follow the game trail up to the saddle south of Hayden Mountain North.
8
Summit 13,131' · 5 mi
Easy walking leads to the top, with wide views to the north. The detour from the south summit takes close to two hours.
Getting down
From the summit, head southeast into Half Moon Basin. Follow a wide avalanche path about 3,000 feet straight down to the meadow in Ironton Park; it is hard on the knees. Pick up the old road along the west side and walk about 1.5 miles south to the car.
Elk give birth in these aspens in early summer. If you see a cow elk standing her ground, back off and go around.
If things go wrong
From Hayden South, go back down the gully and Full Moon Gulch. From the Fall Creek basin, climbing out to the north saddle is about as quick as going back.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
The route leaves the old roads near Full Moon Gulch and is trailless above. 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 Hayden Mountain North we list, with its class.
Hayden Mtn North South Ridgethis routeClass 2 8.3 mi