Sawatch Range · Colorado 13er · No. 195 of the 13ers
Clohesy Lake and North Ridge
UN 13,513, 13,513'
DifficultyClass 2+
Round trip5.5 mi
Elevation gain2,655'
TrailheadClohesy Lake
Trailhead elevation10,880'
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 · Clohesy Lake and North Ridge
Overview
UN 13,513 is a half-day Sawatch climb above the Lake Fork of Clear Creek, south of Clohesy Lake. It needs a 4WD to reach the trailhead, and some route finding.
You wade the Lake Fork, climb an avalanche gully to a lovely tundra valley, and then find a way up through cliffs below the saddle with UN 13,486 on ledges and a shallow gully. It stays Class 2+ with good choices, but be ready for Class 3.
The round trip is about 5.5 miles with 2,655 feet of gain from the Clohesy Lake trailhead.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 7 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the foot of the cliffs by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
The ledges through the cliffs.
Route-finding
Moderate. Take the second of three big avalanche gullies on the west side of the valley.
Take County Road 390 west from US 24 (about 2 miles south of Granite). About 9.8 miles in, 2.3 miles past the Missouri Gulch trailhead, turn left at the Rockdale turnoff and drive down past a few cabins. Cars park near 9,940 feet.
With a high-clearance 4WD you can ford Clear Creek; there is no bridge, and the ford can be risky or impossible until mid-July. The climb out of the creek is the roughest part. It's then a slow 2.5 miles to the Clohesy Lake trailhead at 10,880 feet, a meadow with room to camp, about 0.4 mile north of the lake. Without 4WD, add about 3 miles each way and the cold wade.
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
Clohesy Lake trailhead 10,880' · 0 mi
Take the signed trail to the left (east) that skirts the lake and private land.
2
Missouri trail junction 11,080' · 0.7 mi
The trail climbs about 200 to 400 feet above the lake to the Missouri Mountain turnoff; keep straight and drop back to creek level.
3
Second avalanche gully 10,900' · 1.4 mi
About 0.7 mile farther south, cross the Lake Fork at the second big gully on the west slope.
Watch for: Wade.
4
Out of the trees 11,900' · 2 mi
Climb the narrow gully, staying just inside the forest on its south side to avoid willows; game trails help.
5
Foot of the cliffs 12,600' · 2.4 mi
Walk west-southwest up a lush valley with scattered boulders toward the saddle between UN 13,513 and UN 13,486.
6
Summit 13,513' · 2.75 mi
Turn left along a rising ledge, link ledges toward the summit, then take a shallow gully on the left to the ridge 50 yards east of the top.
Watch for: Class 2+, maybe Class 3.
Getting down
Return the same way. The ridge north to UN 13,486 is rated Class 3.
If things go wrong
Back down to the foot of the cliffs.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past the Lake Fork trail the route is trailless. 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 13,513 we list, with its class.
UN13,513 Clohesy Lake/North Ridgethis routeClass 2+ 5.5 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.