Sawatch Range · Colorado 13er · No. 288 of the 13ers
North Ridge over Hancock Peak
Monumental Peak, 13,375'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip8.7 mi
Elevation gain3,140'
TrailheadHancock
Trailhead elevation11,060'
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 over Hancock Peak
Overview
Monumental Peak is a Class 2 summit south of St. Elmo, looking down into the Middle Fork of the South Arkansas. It's done with Hancock Peak and the soft-ranked Van Wirt Mountain on a long, rocky ridge.
From Hancock you follow the ridge south, first on tundra, then over rock ribs and gullies to all-talus slopes on Van Wirt. Go over Van Wirt; trying to skirt it on the east side is steep and just as rocky. Then drop to a saddle, climb the false summit (13,254), and finish over one more saddle and a rocky final climb.
The loop is about 8.7 miles with 3,140 feet of gain. Expect lots of talus and boulders; this is not a quick day.
Starting where US 285 and US 24 meet near Johnson Village, go about 5.6 miles south, then turn west on Chaffee County Road 162. From the US 285/US 50 junction at Poncha Springs, it's 15.4 miles north, then left. Follow 162 west about 16.4 miles toward St. Elmo. Just before the St. Elmo turnoff there's a big pullout with a toilet on the south side.
Where the road into St. Elmo branches right, stay left. The road becomes County Road 295, the Hancock Road. After 5.8 more miles you reach the old Hancock townsite, where there's a little parking at a bend to the west. It's 2WD gravel but has many potholes and one rough detour; careful drivers in cars make it, but an SUV is safer. The 4WD road to Hancock Lake is a rubble-filled streambed, fit only for short, high-clearance 4WDs or ATVs.
Fee campgrounds line County Road 162 (Bootleg, Mount Princeton, Chalk Lake and Cascade), plus Iron City on the road into St. Elmo; they fill on summer weekends. Near Hancock, you can camp at a pullout west of the road just before the parking area. 4WD rigs can reach open camping a short way up the Alpine Tunnel road.
RoadTundraRidgeTalus 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
Hancock trailhead 11,060' · 0 mi
Walk south up the rough road toward Hancock Lake.
2
Leave the road 11,600' · 1 mi
About half a mile before the lake, near 11,600 feet, head southwest through the last trees toward Hancock's northeast slopes.
3
Bench 11,900' · 1.3 mi
Aim for a flat bench just past the trees, then start climbing.
4
Summit ridge 13,000' · 2 mi
Climb the northeast slope on a mix of grass, tundra and rock. It's steady but not very steep. Expect about 1.5 hours.
5
Hancock Peak 13,111' · 2.2 mi
The ridge is almost all rubble. Two bumps can each look like the top; the true one has a big cairn.
Watch for: Wet rubble is slick.
6
Van Wirt Mountain 13,150' · 3 mi
Walk south on tundra for a few hundred yards, then over rock ribs and gullies that fall away east. The final climb to Van Wirt is all rubble and talus.
Watch for: Don't drop off the east side to skip it.
7
Saddle 12,900' · 3.4 mi
Drop to the saddle south of Van Wirt.
8
False summit 13,254' · 3.9 mi
Climb to Monumental's false summit. Past it, the ridge flattens a bit.
9
Monumental Peak 13,375' · 4.4 mi
Cross one more saddle and make the last rocky climb to the top.
Getting down
The simplest way is back over the ridge. Another option: from the first saddle north of Monumental, cross a boulder basin and a steep slope to Van Wirt's northeast ridge near 12,600 feet. Don't follow that ridge all the way down; it has large boulders. Instead, go north down a steep, rocky gully toward upper Hancock Lake to reach tundra, then take the trail from Chalk Creek Pass back to the road.
If things go wrong
Go back north toward Hancock Peak and its northeast slope.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past the Hancock Lake road the route is trailless until Chalk Creek Pass. 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 Monumental Peak we list, with its class.
Monumental Peak North Ridgethis routeClass 2 8.7 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.