Sawatch Range · Colorado 13er · No. 275 of the 13ers
North Ridge from Deadman Gulch
Williams Mountain, 13,390'
Technical climb: Class 2+ with brief Class 3
Williams Mountain's north ridge is mostly steep rock and boulders with a few short Class 3 moves. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 3
Round trip17 mi
Elevation gain4,500'
TrailheadLost Man
Trailhead elevation10,500'
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 · North Ridge from Deadman Gulch
Overview
Williams Mountain tops the Williams Mountains, a small, rugged group north of Independence Pass in the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness. Don't confuse it with Williams Peak.
From Deadman Gulch you bushwhack to a creek, follow game trails to a high tarn, and climb to the saddle north of the peak. The last 700 feet up the north ridge is rock and boulders with brief Class 3 scrambling.
The round trip from the Lost Man trailhead is about 17 miles with 4,500 feet of gain. Mileage and gain are our estimates. Many people backpack to South Fork Pass or Deadman Gulch and climb several of the Williams Mountains over two or three days.
Plan of the day
Start by
Leave camp by 6:30 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the saddle by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
Short Class 3 steps on the upper ridge.
Route-finding
Moderate. Bushwhack west of Deadman Lake to the creek, then follow it to the tarn.
Water
Lost Man Creek, Deadman Gulch and small streams. Filter it.
The Lost Man trailhead is on Highway 82 about 14 miles east of Aspen, on the west side of Independence Pass, across the highway from Lost Man Campground. From the east, it's about 5.5 miles below the top of the pass.
The paved road is fine for any car. The highway over the pass is closed in winter, usually from early November to late May.
Trail in the treesTundraRidgeScramblingExposed 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
Lost Man trailhead 10,500' · 0 mi
Hike north on the Lost Man trail. Just over 0.3 mile in, the Midway Pass trail goes left; stay right.
2
Lost Man Reservoir 10,700' · 0.5 mi
Continue north up the valley on the fairly level trail. Good campsites are scarce.
3
Lost Man Lake junction 11,600' · 4.2 mi
Where the Lost Man trail turns east toward Lost Man Lake, keep going north.
4
South Fork Pass 11,840' · 4.5 mi
The trail steepens just before the pass. A small pond west of the trail has a few tent spots.
5
Deadman Gulch camp 11,400' · 5.25 mi
Continue north down into Deadman Gulch about 0.75 mile to rough campsites west of the trail.
6
Deadman Lake meadow 11,100' · 5.7 mi
Walk down to the big wet meadow by Deadman Lake. Follow the forest edge northwest, just west of the lake.
7
Williams creek 11,400' · 6.2 mi
Push through the trees to the creek draining Williams' northeast side and follow game trails southwest up it. Where the trees thin, cross to the creek's north bank.
8
Tarn 12,100' · 7.3 mi
Walk up the valley to a small tarn. Watch for elk.
9
Saddle 12,700' · 7.8 mi
Head for the south end of the saddle between Williams and Williams North, joining the ridge a little south of its low point.
10
Williams Mountain 13,390' · 8.5 mi
Climb about 700 feet of rock and boulder rubble, with some short Class 3 scrambling and one spot that looks worse than it is.
Watch for: Class 2+ to 3.
Getting down
Return the same way, or go on north to Williams North.
If things go wrong
Back down to the tarn and the creek.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past the Lost Man 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 Williams Mountain we list, with its class.
Williams Mtn. North Ridgethis routeClass 3 17.5 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.