Sawatch Range · Colorado 13er · No. 339 of the 13ers
Northeast Ridge from UN 13,145
Grizzly Peak, 13,309'
DifficultyClass 2+
Round trip9.15 mi
Elevation gain4,810'
TrailheadPieplant
Trailhead elevation10,300'
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.
This Grizzly Peak is north of Taylor Park, not the famous one near Independence Pass. It's the last and roughest stop on the Pieplant loop.
From UN 13,145, the crest soon gets hard; most people drop 400 feet down a steep, loose scree couloir to the south, cross a bouldery basin, and climb boulder rubble to the ridge and the summit. It's Class 2+ with relentless boulders. The descent follows a rounded ridge to the trees and the Timberline Trail back to Pieplant.
Pieplant loop: Jenkins, UN 13,145 and Grizzly Peak make a rough loop of about 9.15 miles and 4,810 feet. Allow at least an hour from Jenkins to UN 13,145 and another to Grizzly.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be on UN 13,145 by 11 a.m.
Crux
The loose couloir and endless boulders.
Route-finding
Moderate. Drop off the ridge into the couloir before the crest gets serious.
Water
Streams low on the route. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,309'…
—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.
From Gunnison, drive north on Highway 135 to Almont and turn right on Forest Road 742 up the Taylor River to Taylor Park Reservoir. At the southeast corner of the reservoir, keep north on 742 along the east side about 6.5 miles to the Pieplant Cow Camp. (From Buena Vista over Cottonwood Pass, take County Road 209 down to 742, turn right, and go about 4.35 miles.)
Turn right on Forest Road 742.3D and drive 3.8 miles north, through one gate, to the old Pieplant Mill site. No 4WD is needed, but clearance helps with potholes and mud near the end. There's plenty of primitive camping at the mill site meadow.
Trail in the treesRoadRidgeTalus 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
Pieplant Mill site 10,300' · 0 mi
Walk the old road past the mill ruins and north into the forest.
2
Pieplant Mine 10,800' · 1 mi
Continue past the mine site.
3
Leave the road 11,000' · 1.3 mi
Head northeast up a seasonal drainage, then angle southeast to a small ridge that joins Jenkins' south ridge.
4
South ridge 12,400' · 2.3 mi
Walk up the south ridge; tundra gives way to rock.
5
Jenkins Mountain 13,440' · 3.2 mi
Where it meets the east ridge, turn left and walk northwest over small chip rock and talus.
6
Saddle 13,000' · 3.9 mi
Walk the crest southeast, then east-southeast, to a saddle west-northwest of Point 13,050.
7
UN 13,145 13,145' · 4.45 mi
Follow the ridge south. Near the top it breaks into small pinnacles; drop down a steep talus gully and climb another back to the ridge, then scramble the last 100 feet of steep rock.
Watch for: Class 2+, maybe Class 3.
8
Couloir 12,700' · 4.85 mi
Follow the ridge southeast a quarter mile, then drop about 400 feet down a big, loose, scree-filled couloir to the south.
9
Boulder basin 12,600' · 5.2 mi
Head east across a bouldery basin; early-season snow can help.
10
Saddle 12,850' · 5.55 mi
Climb boulder rubble to the saddle between Point 12,882 and Grizzly.
11
Summit 13,309' · 5.95 mi
Follow the ridge southwest over boulders to the top.
Getting down
Head southeast down a rocky, rounded ridge (sometimes with a strip of snow to glissade) to trees near 11,400 feet, cross one more boulder field, and descend southwest through open forest to the Timberline Trail (Trail 414). Follow it northwest back to the mill site, about 3.2 miles.
If things go wrong
The couloir below UN 13,145 leads to the basin.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Past the old mine road 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 Grizzly Peak we list, with its class.