Is it right for you?
UN 13,140 sits on the west side of American Flats, north of Engineer Pass. It's the second stop on a high tundra tour that starts with Darley Mountain and can go on to Cow Benchmark.
You climb tundra to Darley's pointed top, scramble briefly to its summit, then drop on scree and contour north to a saddle before a rockier climb to UN 13,140. It is Class 2 on tundra, scree and talus.
The round trip is about 3.2 miles with 1,230 feet of gain. Darley to UN 13,140 is about 1.25 miles and 510 feet one way, a bit under an hour.
Plan of the day
By 8 a.m.
Be on Darley by 10 a.m.
The scree off Darley and the rocky final climb.
Easy in good weather. Darley is in plain view from the trailhead.
None on the flats. Sheep graze here, so filter anything you find.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
Loading Fetching the forecast for 13,140'…—
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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.
Getting there
American Flats
From Gunnison or Montrose, take US 50 to the Highway 149 junction at the east end of Blue Mesa Reservoir and follow 149 south about 45 miles to Lake City. In town, go west on 2nd Street (3rd Street also works and passes a park with restrooms), then turn left on Bluff Street onto County Road 20, the Henson Creek road and part of the Alpine Loop.
County Road 20 is good gravel that cars can drive for 9.1 miles to Capitol City. You pass the Nellie Creek road at about 5.2 miles. At Capitol City, keep left on the Alpine Loop toward Engineer Pass. Past the old Rose Cabin site there's a vault toilet on the left, roughly 1,500 feet short of the cabin site. From there it's roughly 3.6 more miles west to the trailhead, which is just a pullout above treeline at about 12,415 feet. A log cabin on a bluff with a footbridge over the creek means you still have about 1.75 miles to go. The hike starts on an old roadbed running north over American Flats. Pull well off the road to park; jeeps and ATVs use it all day. From Lake City, 4WD with good clearance is strongly advised, though a careful driver in a high-clearance 2WD may make it.
From Silverton, the other way in is County Road 2 (the Alpine Loop) up the Animas River: about 4.2 miles to Howardsville, 4.3 more to the old Eureka site, then a steeper, narrower shelf road. Follow the signs to Engineer Pass. This side needs 4WD, and conditions change from year to year. The trailhead is about 1,600 feet east of the top of the pass. There are no Forest Service campgrounds on this road, but there are plenty of primitive spots along it. Capitol City has some, mixed in with private cabins, so be careful where you set up. A side road (County Road 20X) near the creek just past Rose Cabin has more sites, but watch for private mining claims. The only toilet is the vault toilet near Rose Cabin. Weekends get busy.
Base towns and camping for this climb
Coming from out of state? See Lodging & Camping for how free camping works, what is closed this year and where to stay.
Before you go
Check these the week of your climb.
Official forecast
The National Weather Service forecast for the summit area, hour by hour. Look for thunderstorm chances and wind above treeline.
NWS point forecast →Directions to the trailhead
American Flats. Road conditions near the trailhead change after storms. Check your clearance and have a backup plan for a lower lot.
Get directions →Roads and highways
Closures, construction and winter conditions on the highways that get you there.
COtrip road conditions →Closures and fire rules
Trail closures, fire bans and other alerts from the Forest Service in Colorado. For the latest on your trailhead, call the local ranger district.
Forest Service alerts →Snow on the route?
From fall through early summer, any snow slope can slide. Check the avalanche forecast before you go.
Avalanche forecast →Cell signal
Most trailheads and many summits have little or no signal. Check coverage near the trailhead and carry a satellite messenger or beacon if you can.
FCC coverage map →