South Ridge via Porcupine Creek

Overview

V 7 is a grassy, gentle summit on the divide south of Silverton, between the South Fork of Mineral Creek and Little Molas Lake. It's an easy Class 2 hike through big wildflower meadows full of elk paths.

The route follows a good trail that's part of the Hardrock 100 course. It isn't on the Forest Service, Trails Illustrated or old USGS maps, so bring a map app layer that shows it. You cross South Mineral Creek and Porcupine Creek, reach a high saddle, cross the open head of Cataract Creek, and climb tundra to the south ridge.

The round trip is about 8.8 miles with 2,565 feet of gain. Without 4WD, add at least 4 miles. You can also come from Little Molas Lake on the Colorado Trail, about 13 miles round trip, and the Twin Sisters are a good add-on.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

From the US 550 junction at the west edge of Silverton, go north on US 550 a little more than 2 miles and turn left (west) on Forest Road 585, the South Mineral Creek road. Coming from Ouray, cross Red Mountain Pass and the turn is on your right before Silverton. The graded dirt road reaches South Mineral Campground and the Ice Lake trailhead lot in about 4.7 miles. Cars can do this part; the last mile is a bit rougher.

Do not turn into the campground. Keep going straight as the road curves left and climbs southwest above it. In just under a mile it gets steep, rocky and slow, and a stock 4WD is the right tool from here; heavy summer traffic keeps wearing it down, so conditions change. Past the trees, the road crosses open, flowery slopes below Fuller Peak.

For this route, stop before the Bandora Mine split, at a small pullout on the road above the creek. A faint path, hard to see from the road, drops toward South Mineral Creek; it's part of the Hardrock 100 course. The pullout holds one car, and a blocked old road just south has room for one or two more.

The campground has about 26 first-come, first-served sites with water and vault toilets. Dispersed camping along Forest Road 585 is allowed only at designated sites, and summer weekends are crowded. The Ice Lake lot is full by dawn on weekends.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Hardrock trail at the road 10,650' · 0 mi

   Drop about 100 feet to South Mineral Creek. You may have to take your boots off and wade; some years a log jam about 100 yards downstream gives a dry crossing.

   Watch for: Creek crossing.

2. 2

   Steep forest 11,200' · 0.6 mi

   Climb a wet, muddy streambed through willows into the forest, then go steeply up beside a shallow gully, gaining close to 600 feet on rough switchbacks. In July, red reflective tags may mark the race course.

3. 3

   Rock glacier clearing 11,400' · 1.3 mi

   The grade eases. Cross a small flowery opening and wind east through trees and over a minor ridge to a clearing below a big rock glacier.

4. 4

   Porcupine Creek 11,300' · 2.2 mi

   Lose about 100 feet heading east-southeast across a flowery basin, then contour through forest and a field of huge mossy boulders to Porcupine Creek. You may cross two forks.

5. 5

   Upper meadow 12,000' · 3 mi

   Climb east, then south, through columbine and paintbrush, up a switchback and a rock band to a large, flat meadow.

6. 6

   Saddle 12,300' · 3.4 mi

   Stay on the Hardrock trail to the low point linking UN 12,584 and UN 12,609. An elk path rounds the ridge into upper Cataract Creek; the Colorado Trail is a short way south and lower.

7. 7

   Head of Cataract Creek 12,400' · 3.9 mi

   Walk east across the wide, gentle tundra basin toward V 7, now in plain sight.

8. 8

   Summit 13,043' · 4.4 mi

   Climb about 600 feet of grass and tundra to the south ridge, then follow it north to the small grassy top.

Getting down

Return the same way, or add the Twin Sisters from the pass east of Twin Sisters East.

If things go wrong

The trail is never far; turn around anywhere.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up V 7 we list, with its class.

• V.7 via Porcupine CK this routeClass 2 8.8 mi