San Juan Range · Colorado 13er · No. 537 of the 13ers
East Ridge from Kendall Mountain
Kendall No 2 Benchmark, 13,073'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip4.5 mi
Elevation gain2,215'
TrailheadKendall Gulch
Trailhead elevation11,480'
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.
Kendall No. 2 Benchmark sits west of Kendall Mountain, high above Silverton. Newer survey data showed it has enough rise to count as its own ranked 13er.
From Kendall Mountain, you follow the ridge west on tundra and talus, drop to the jeep road to get past a rugged saddle, then leave the road for an old trail and a short climb on tundra and scree. It is Class 2, with views of the Grenadier and Needle mountains.
The loop over both summits is about 4.5 miles with 2,215 feet of gain from the treeline switchback.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 8 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on Kendall Mountain by 11 a.m.
Crux
Rocky spots on the ridge.
Route-finding
Moderate. Drop to the jeep road before the saddle instead of following the crest down.
Water
None reliable. Bring it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,073'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
Today
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Tomorrow
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Day three
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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.
In Silverton, turn southeast on East 14th Street (one block before the courthouse) and cross the Animas River to a fork. Passenger cars park here, out of the way, or just up the right-hand Kendall Gulch road before it starts to climb. On foot from here, Kendall Mountain alone is about 11 miles round trip with about 4,040 feet of gain.
High-clearance vehicles can drive the Kendall Gulch road, a busy jeep route. It has become rockier and slower over the years, so ask in town about current conditions. Our figures start at a switchback at treeline, about 11,480 feet, which has parking. Above it the road is 4WD only and very rocky up to another big switchback at 12,260 feet, with plenty of room to park.
There's no camping in Silverton. Try the town's Molas Lake campground, the Forest Service campground at Little Molas Lake, or primitive sites along US 550 toward Molas Pass and up South Mineral Creek (Forest Road 585). All fill up on summer weekends.
TundraRidgeTalus 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
Treeline switchback 11,480' · 0 mi
Walk up the jeep road, which gets rockier as you go. Purple fringe and king's crown line the upper road.
2
Upper switchback 12,260' · 0.6 mi
Leave the road and head straight uphill on steep, short tundra toward the first saddle west of the summit.
3
West saddle 12,900' · 1 mi
Turn right (east) and follow the west ridge. Stay on the south side at first to skip the rough bits.
4
Kendall Mountain 13,353' · 1.3 mi
Halfway up the ridge, tundra gives way to scree and rubble, but nothing is hard. About an hour from the upper switchback.
5
Road above the saddle 12,900' · 1.9 mi
Go west to southwest down talus and scree, then follow the mostly tundra ridge west, keeping south of the crest. When you can see the jeep road below, angle down tundra to it rather than taking the rocky crest to the saddle.
6
Weather station 12,850' · 2.2 mi
Follow the road over the saddle and southwest to where it bends around a broad south ridge by what looks like a weather station.
7
Summit 13,073' · 2.45 mi
Leave the road and walk north to an old trail that wraps around the west side. Where it fades, go straight up tundra and scree to the summit crest and benchmark.
Getting down
Walk north off the top toward the towers and buildings. From the saddle there, go west on a badly broken old road through big talus to the main jeep road. In mid to late July, consider dropping into the basin below the 12,260-foot switchback for flowers with Sultan and Grand Turk behind.
If things go wrong
The jeep road runs below the whole ridge.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
The route is off-trail along the ridge between the two Kendall summits. 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 Kendall No 2 Benchmark we list, with its class.
Kendall #2 Benchmark from Kendall Mountainthis routeClass 2 4.5 mi