North Ridge from Jenkins Mountain

Overview

UN 13,145 sits on the ridge between Jenkins Mountain and Grizzly Peak, north of Taylor Park. It's usually climbed from Jenkins.

The ridge from Jenkins is easy until small pinnacles guard the summit. You can scramble over them or bypass them by gullies, then climb 100 feet of steep rock. It is Class 2+ with maybe a Class 3 move.

Pieplant loop: Jenkins, UN 13,145 and Grizzly Peak make a rough loop of about 9.15 miles and 4,810 feet. Going back over Jenkins instead is a bit shorter.

Plan of the day

Getting to the trailhead

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.

Next: the route, step by step →

The route

1. 1

   Pieplant Mill site 10,300' · 0 mi

   Walk the old road past the mill ruins and north into the forest.

2. 2

   Pieplant Mine 10,800' · 1 mi

   Continue past the mine site.

3. 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. 4

   South ridge 12,400' · 2.3 mi

   Walk up the south ridge; tundra gives way to rock.

5. 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. 6

   Saddle 13,000' · 3.9 mi

   Walk the crest southeast, then east-southeast, to a saddle west-northwest of Point 13,050.

7. 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.

Getting down

Continue to Grizzly Peak (see that page), or return over Jenkins.

If things go wrong

Head back north to Jenkins.

3D flyover

See the trail on video

Other routes

Every way up UN 13,145 we list, with its class.

• UN13,145 North Ridge this routeClass 2+ 9.15 mi