Sawatch Range · Colorado 13er · No. 314 of the 13ers
West Ridge from UN 13,093
UN 13,332, 13,332'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip12.9 mi
Elevation gain4,076'
TrailheadGreen Timber Gulch
Trailhead elevation10,290'
Less traffic, less margin
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.
UN 13,332 sits on a long ridge west of Mount Princeton, south of South Cottonwood Creek. It's usually climbed with UN 13,093 on a high, scenic ridge walk.
From UN 13,093 you drop about 700 feet of broken rock to a saddle, climb to a false summit (Point 13,299), and keep east on a narrower, slower ridge to a final rocky climb. There are some rock formations to step around, but nothing hard. It is Class 2. The ridge takes much longer than it looks.
The loop is about 12.9 miles with 4,076 feet of gain, using an off-trail descent through Robey Gulch.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on UN 13,093 by 10 a.m.
Crux
The slow, rocky ridge past Point 13,299.
Route-finding
Moderate. The descent through Robey Gulch needs care in the trees.
Water
Green Timber Creek low down. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,332'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
Today
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Tomorrow
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Day three
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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.
In Buena Vista, turn west off US 285 on County Road 306 toward Cottonwood Pass. After 7.7 paved miles, turn left (south) on County Road 344 toward Cottonwood Lake. It's 3.6 miles of gravel to a picnic area at the east end of the lake.
Keep west 3.35 miles to the Hope Gulch trailhead (easy to miss), then 0.95 mile more to the Green Timber Gulch trailhead (Trail 1436), also to the left. A side road drops steeply to a nice dispersed camping area; higher clearance can help. A footbridge over South Cottonwood Creek starts the trail.
Cottonwood Lake campground, west of the lake, has 28 first-come sites with water and toilets, and fills on summer weekends. There are free primitive sites farther west, including at the Hope Gulch and Green Timber trailheads. Some parcels along the road are private.
Trail in the treesTundraRidgeExposed 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
Green Timber Gulch trailhead 10,290' · 0 mi
Cross the footbridge. The trail heads south, away from the creek, into a pretty meadow with good camp spots.
2
Green Timber Creek 10,600' · 1 mi
The trail turns west, crosses the creek and starts switchbacking. It's steep at first, then eases.
3
Treeline 11,800' · 3 mi
About 3 miles in, leave the trees. The trail keeps going toward the saddle west of UN 13,093 and on to Poplar Gulch and St. Elmo.
Watch for: Watch for motorbikes and mountain bikes.
4
West ridge 12,500' · 3.4 mi
Before the saddle, leave the trail and angle up onto the west ridge.
5
UN 13,093 13,093' · 3.8 mi
Walk up the wide, grassy ridge on an informal path. It's easy all the way, with a bit of rock here and there.
6
Saddle 12,340' · 4.3 mi
Head east, dropping about 700 feet on broken rock.
7
Point 13,299 13,299' · 5 mi
Climb back up to the false summit. West of it, step around some rock formations.
8
UN 13,332 13,332' · 5.6 mi
Keep east on the narrower, rocky ridge, then make the last rocky climb to the top. Mount Princeton is close by.
Getting down
Rather than redo the ridge, go north down grassy slopes into the head of Robey Gulch. Cross the creek and work north through thick aspen, following open lines, to the slope west of the gulch. Then contour slowly down on game trails, around deadfall, until you reach the meadow you crossed in the morning, and follow the trail out.
If things go wrong
From the saddle below UN 13,093, go back over that peak to the trail.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past the main trail the route follows an open, rocky ridge with no trail. 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.