Sangre de Cristo Range · Colorado 13er · No. 130 of the 13ers
East-Northeast Ridge from Milwaukee Peak
Pico Aislado, 13,621'
Technical climb: Class 3 to 4 with exposure
You reach Pico Aislado over Milwaukee Peak, which has a short Class 4 wall and an exposed ledge, and then climb a steep Class 3 gully with a few Class 4 moves. A fall in several places would be serious. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 4
Round trip11.6 mi
Elevation gain3,900'
TrailheadMusic Pass
Trailhead elevation10,680'
Conditions on the summit
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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.
Colorado 13er · East-Northeast Ridge from Milwaukee Peak
Overview
Pico Aislado, "isolated peak," is a sharp summit at the head of Sand Creek with a close look at the Crestones. The old USGS map misspells it "Asilado." The usual route goes over Milwaukee Peak and along the connecting ridge.
Past Milwaukee, the ridge to a 13,220-foot saddle is easy. Then you work along the south side, climb a rock-and-tundra rib, and follow ledges and a steep gully back to the crest. Expect Class 3 with a few Class 4 moves. The west ridge from UN 13,028 is an easier Class 2 option.
The round trip from the upper Music Pass trailhead is about 11.6 miles with 3,900 feet of gain. Mileage and gain are our estimates. Most people backpack over Music Pass and camp in upper Sand Creek, then climb the next day.
Plan of the day
Start by
Leave camp by 5:30 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on Milwaukee by 10 a.m.
Crux
Milwaukee's ledge, then the steep gully below Pico's summit ridge.
Route-finding
Moderate to hard. Pick your gully carefully; there are two, both Class 3 to 4.
Head south out of Westcliffe on Colorado 69 and take Colfax Lane right after 4.5 miles. Where it ends, 5.5 miles along, go left on Music Pass Road (County Road 119). About 5.2 miles of good dirt brings you to the Grape Creek trailhead, the end of 2WD.
A 4WD can ford Grape Creek and climb almost 3 more miles of narrow, rocky road to the upper Music Pass trailhead, about 10,680 feet.
RidgeTrail in the treesTalus 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
Music Pass trailhead 10,680' · 0 mi
From the north end of the upper lot, take the trail to Music Pass.
2
Music Pass 11,400' · 1.25 mi
Enjoy the view over Sand Creek to Tijeras Peak and Music Mountain.
3
Sand Creek flats 10,950' · 2 mi
Descend about 450 feet northwest to the flats.
4
Meadow camps 11,060' · 2.6 mi
At the top of the long meadow, just before the trail enters the trees, there are good campsites. Most people base here or at Lower Sand Creek Lake.
5
Upper Sand Creek 11,700' · 3.4 mi
From the meadow camps, head north through the trees, then follow the forest edge in a wide arc to the northwest, climbing on mostly tundra. A trail now runs up the headwaters of Sand Creek.
6
Marble-Milwaukee saddle 12,900' · 4.3 mi
Cross some talus and rubble, climb more steeply into the head of the creek, and walk tundra up to the saddle.
7
False summit 13,350' · 4.7 mi
Head south-southwest up the steepening ridge on tundra and rock to the false summit north of Milwaukee.
8
Notch 13,300' · 4.95 mi
Keep to the ridge to a small saddle, then downclimb into a notch.
9
Summit 13,526' · 5.15 mi
Climb a short Class 4 wall out of the notch, then traverse south on a narrow, exposed ledge across the east face. This is the crux. A steep path zigzags up about 20 feet onto tundra ledges; another 30 feet of scrambling brings you back to the ridge and the top.
Watch for: Class 4 with real exposure on the ledge.
10
Saddle 13,220' · 5.45 mi
Follow the ridge west-southwest from Milwaukee, down on easy tundra and rock.
11
Rib 13,320' · 5.7 mi
Stay left (south) of the ridge, which may carry a cornice, and cross at about 13,300 feet to a rock and tundra rib about 300 feet below the top.
12
Summit 13,621' · 5.8 mi
Climb the rib, then follow ledges left and right around a steep wall into a gully. The gully climbs mostly solid rock to the ridge; walk big blocks to the top.
Watch for: Class 3 with a few Class 4 moves.
Getting down
Return the same way over Milwaukee Peak. You can also continue 0.6 mile west to UN 13,028, but getting back from there is long and rough.
If things go wrong
Turn back at the saddle below Pico if the weather or the gully looks wrong.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above Sand Creek the route is trailless ridge scrambling. 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 Pico Aislado we list, with its class.
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.