Sangre de Cristo Range · Colorado 13er · No. 236 of the 13ers
Northeast Ridge from Horn Creek
Horn Peak, 13,454'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip10 mi
Elevation gain4,500'
TrailheadHorn Creek
Trailhead elevation9,100'
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,454'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
Today
—
Tomorrow
—
Day three
—
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 · Northeast Ridge from Horn Creek
Overview
Horn Peak is the pointed peak you see from Westcliffe. A trail leads from the Horn Creek trailhead along the Rainbow Trail and up the Horn Peak trail onto the long northeast ridge; above treeline you follow the ridge through rocky slabs to the summit.
It is Class 2, with a rocky crux of slabs near 12,900 feet.
The round trip is about 10 miles with 4,500 feet of gain.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 5:30 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at Point 12,665 by 10 a.m.
Crux
Rock slabs near 12,900 feet.
Route-finding
Easy. At the second junction on the Rainbow Trail, turn left onto the Horn Peak trail.
Go south from Westcliffe on Colorado 69 about 3.4 miles to Schoolfield Road and head west. In 1.7 miles go south on County Road 129; in about 2 more, go west on Horn Creek Road (County Road 130). Sky Ranch comes up 2.4 miles along; turn right there, and the big Horn Creek lot (9,100 feet) is half a mile ahead.
Trail in the treesRidgeTundraScramblingExposed 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
Horn Creek trailhead 9,100' · 0 mi
Take the trail by the restrooms up to the Rainbow Trail (or a shorter 4-wheeler path from just down the road).
2
Dry Lakes junction 9,500' · 1.3 mi
Turn right on the Rainbow Trail and pass the Dry Lakes trail.
3
Horn Peak trail 9,600' · 2 mi
About 0.7 mile farther, turn left onto the rocky Horn Peak trail.
4
Small creek 10,400' · 3 mi
Climb to a ridge at 10,000 feet, then another 400 feet to a small creek.
5
Northeast ridge 10,700' · 3.4 mi
Cross the creek, go a little way along it, turn sharply right and climb to the ridge crest.
6
Treeline 11,600' · 4 mi
Hike a long way southwest to treeline.
7
Point 12,665 12,665' · 4.4 mi
Continue on or near the crest.
8
Slabs 13,000' · 4.7 mi
Near 12,900 feet, stay just left of the crest and zigzag up through rock slabs.
9
Summit 13,454' · 5 mi
Climb the last 450 feet of steep, rocky ground to the top.
Getting down
Return the same way.
If things go wrong
The ridge leads back to the trail.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover yet
We haven’t built one for this route.
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.
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.