Sawatch Range · Colorado 13er · No. 484 of the 13ers
South Ridge from Williams Mountain
UN 13,139, 13,139'
DifficultyClass 2
Round trip17.25 mi
Elevation gain5,160'
TrailheadLost Man
Trailhead elevation10,500'
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.
Colorado 13er · South Ridge from Williams Mountain
Is it right for you?
Williams North is the northern summit of Williams Mountain, 0.8 mile away across a saddle. New mapping added 31 feet to it.
From Williams Mountain you retrace the north ridge to the saddle. The crest north of there is slow and near technical, so drop a few hundred feet east below the cliffs, contour north, and take a flowery ramp back to the ridge. The rest is an easy Class 2 walk.
With Williams Mountain, the round trip from the Lost Man trailhead is about 17.25 miles with 5,160 feet of gain. 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 on Williams Mountain by 11 a.m.
Crux
The ridge between the two summits; bypass it on the east.
Route-finding
Moderate. Look for the ramp back up to the ridge north of the cliffs.
Water
Lost Man Creek, Deadman Gulch and small streams. Filter it.
This week on the summit
Conditions on the summit
LoadingFetching the forecast for 13,139'…
—Summit temp now
—Sustained wind
—Gusting to
—Freezing level
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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.
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.
11
Saddle 12,750' · 8.95 mi
Go back down the north ridge to the south end of the saddle.
12
Below the cliffs 12,500' · 9.1 mi
Drop a few hundred feet east below the cliffs and contour north on tundra and gravel.
13
Ramp 12,900' · 9.25 mi
Climb a ramp full of paintbrush back to the ridge north of the trouble.
14
Summit 13,139' · 9.3 mi
Stroll the ridge on tundra and rock to the top.
Getting down
Head back toward the saddle and drop east into the creek basin, then return to Deadman Gulch.
If things go wrong
The basin east of the saddle leads back to the tarn.
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 UN 13,139 we list, with its class.
Williams North - South Ridgethis routeClass 2 17.25 mi