Sangre de Cristo Range · Colorado 13er · No. 175 of the 13ers
Southwest Slope and South Ridge
UN 13,543 (near "Obstruction Peak"), 13,543'
Technical climb: Class 3 with a short Class 4 option
UN 13,543 has steep slabs, a narrow scrambling gully and a Class 4 section if you stay on the ridge crest. A fall in several places would be serious. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 3
Round trip13 mi
Elevation gain4,665'
TrailheadWillow Lake
Trailhead elevation8,850'
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,543'…
—Summit temp now
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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 · Southwest Slope and South Ridge
Overview
This UN 13,543 sits above the upper Willow Creek basin, south of a second UN 13,543 and near Obstruction Peak and Kit Carson. It is not a family peak.
From Willow Lake you head up the basin toward the upper lake and climb 1,000 feet of tundra and talus to a saddle. The ridge north soon hits Class 4 rock. The usual way drops west to a tundra ramp, then climbs a steep, narrow gully of good rock and scrambles to the summit ridge.
The round trip from the trailhead is about 13 miles with 4,665 feet of gain. Most people backpack to Willow Lake and climb from there. Two 14ers are close by.
Plan of the day
Start by
Leave camp by 6:30 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the saddle by 10 a.m.
Crux
Slabs to reach the ramp, then the steep gully.
Route-finding
Hard. Leave the basin a quarter mile below the upper lake, aim for the saddle south of the summit, and find the ramp on the west side.
Water
Willow Creek, the lake and side streams. Filter it.
Take Colorado 17 to Moffat in the San Luis Valley. At the south edge of town, follow the sign for Crestone and turn east on County Road T. Drive about 11.5 miles to Crestone. Go straight into town, turn left on Alder Street, then right on Galena Avenue.
Galena leaves town and turns to dirt as Forest Road 949. The trailhead is about 2 miles up this road, at about 8,850 feet. The road is rough in places but most vehicles can make it when it is dry. The route enters the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, which has its own rules on group size, camping, fires and dogs; check with the Forest Service before you go.
Trail in the treesTundraTalus and screeScramblingExposed 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
Willow Creek trailhead 8,850' · 0 mi
Cross Crestone Creek (logs, or wade in high water). The trail climbs an open hill, switchbacks through forest, crosses a ridge and contours high above Willow Creek.
2
Waterfall 10,900' · 3.8 mi
Switchback more steeply south, cross Willow Creek below a big waterfall and climb a rubbly slope as the trail swings east.
3
Willow Lake 11,564' · 4.75 mi
A waterfall pours into the far end of the lake. Camp in the signed sites away from the shore, mostly above the north side. It's busy on weekends.
4
Above the waterfall 11,850' · 5.25 mi
Follow the climbers' path along the lake's north shore and cross the stream above the waterfall. Keep heading southeast into the upper basin, past the Challenger turnoff.
5
Below the upper lake 12,200' · 5.9 mi
Cross back to the east side of the stream at a break in the willows about a third of a mile below the upper lake.
6
Saddle 13,200' · 6.35 mi
About a quarter mile before the upper lake, turn northeast and climb tundra, then rock, then talus to the saddle between UN 13,543 and Point 13,398.
7
Ramp and gully 13,350' · 6.55 mi
Walk north on the crest about 100 yards to Class 4 rock. Back off and drop 100 feet or more to the west, making a few delicate moves on steep slabs to reach a sparse tundra ramp. Follow it north to a steep, narrow gully and climb its good rock.
Watch for: Class 3; Class 4 if you stay on the crest.
8
Summit 13,543' · 6.75 mi
About 100 feet below the top, work a little north of the summit, scramble onto the ridge, and walk south to the high point.
Getting down
A steep couloir drops south from near the summit for several hundred feet. Leave it lower down for steep tundra to the valley floor. Or keep going north along the ridge to Point 13,517 and the other UN 13,543.
If things go wrong
Back down to the saddle and the basin.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above Willow Lake the route is trailless 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 UN 13,543 (near "Obstruction Peak") we list, with its class.
Southwest Slope/South Ridgethis routeClass 3 13 mi
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.