Southeast Ridge over Darley and UN 13,140

Is it right for you?

Cow Benchmark (also called Amphitheater Mountain) is a remote summit high above the Ouray Amphitheater. It is the far end of a long tundra traverse that starts with Darley Mountain and UN 13,140.

From UN 13,140 you follow a winding chain of broad ridges and saddles for nearly four miles, skirting rocky points on the way. It is Class 2, but routefinding is moderate and the ridges can be confusing in cloud.

The round trip with Darley and UN 13,140 is about 10.45 miles with 3,090 feet of gain. From UN 13,140 it's about 3.9 miles and 1,140 feet of gain one way. Only go on past UN 13,140 with an early start and steady weather.

Plan of the day

This week on the summit

Getting there

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.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   American Flats trailhead 12,415' · 0 mi

   Start north on the old roadbed across the flats, on the east side of Darley Mountain.

2. 2

   Leave the roadbed 12,450' · 0.35 mi

   About a third of a mile out, bear left off it, climb a small rise to a bench, and head northwest up a fair slope of tundra and rock.

3. 3

   Saddle south of Darley 13,000' · 0.6 mi

   Walk north along the ridge from the saddle.

4. 4

   Darley Mountain 13,275' · 0.7 mi

   Near the pointed top, follow a use path left beneath the summit rocks, then scramble up from the north side.

5. 5

   Scree on the east side 12,640' · 1.4 mi

   Leave Darley to the north, cross some scree on its west side, and join the north ridge. Follow it down a bit, then drop about 400 feet of scree on the east side to flatter ground. Contour north across a wide slope near 12,640 feet.

6. 6

   Saddle 12,700' · 1.7 mi

   Turn west toward the ridge that leads to UN 13,140. You'll pass odd pink and then green rock on the way up from the saddle.

7. 7

   UN 13,140 13,140' · 1.95 mi

   The last climb is rockier, but a rough path leads up it. Look west down into upper Bear Creek.

8. 8

   Broad saddle 12,580' · 2.4 mi

   Go back down the east-southeast ridge, then turn north to a wide, grassy saddle a little under 12,600 feet.

9. 9

   Rocky ridge 12,800' · 3.4 mi

   Walk north along a broad ridge that narrows into a long rocky stretch bending west.

10. 10

    Second saddle 12,580' · 3.9 mi

    Before you reach Point 12,835, contour north below a higher part of the ridge to another saddle a little under 12,600 feet.

11. 11

    Point 12,976 12,900' · 4.8 mi

    Climb about 200 feet onto an easy ridge heading northwest. After about two-thirds of a mile, pass the cliffy Point 12,976 on its east side, and keep below the crest to skirt other rocky bits.

12. 12

    Cow Benchmark 13,116' · 5.85 mi

    Finish up a few hundred feet of steep tundra studded with buried rocks. Ouray lies about a vertical mile below.

Getting down

Retrace the ridges to the broad saddle northeast of UN 13,140, then head east down to the American Flats roadbed and follow it back. Track your position carefully if clouds roll in.

If things go wrong

From the first broad saddle, drop east to the flats roadbed.

Last step: check in before you go →

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up Cow Benchmark we list, with its class.

• Cow Benchmark SE Ridge this routeClass 2 10.45 mi

Check in before you go

Send someone your peak, route, trailhead and when you’ll be back. If you’re late, they know where to send help.