Friday, June 15, 2018

San Bernardo Mountain, 11,861', and Black Face, 12,147', Lizard Head Wilderness

Essence: Two mountains radiate from a central point--climb one or both. Black Face is a simple trail walk that climaxes on a lengthy summit ridge. San Bernardo Mountain has an off-trail finish and is more demanding. Both mountains are low in stature compared with nearby peaks. San Bernardo in particular is neglected in spite of the fascinating rock stacks on its surface. The hike is visually rewarding with dappled light in the aspen forest and long-reaching views to colorful and disorderly mountains to the east and monochromatic towering fourteeners to the west. Wildflowers are full-spectrum. This hike lies within the Lizard Head Wilderness and Uncompahgre National Forest.
Travel: Lizard Head Pass is located on CO 145 south of Telluride. At the pass turn west and park in either the upper or lower paved parking lot. Pit toilets, no water. The trailhead is 95 miles from Durango.
Distance and Elevation Gain: San Bernardo Mountain is 8.0 miles with 2,200 feet of climbing. Black Face is 8.0 miles with 2300 feet of vertical. Climb them both: 11.4 miles, 3500 feet of gain.
Total Time: 4:00 to 5:30 for one. Add two to three hours for both.
Difficulty: Trail, off-trail (San Bernardo); navigation moderate; no exposure
Map: Mount Wilson, Colorado 7.5' USGS Quad or Apogee Mapping
Latest Date Hiked: July 9, 2018
Quote: I’ll tell you what hermits realize. If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you’ll come to understand that you’re connected with everything. Alan Watts

While San Bernardo Mountain is surrounded by much higher peaks its strong appeal is apparent from the eastern slopes of Sunshine Mountain.

Route: From Lizard Head Pass walk northeast on the Lizard Head Trail. Enter the Lizard Head Wilderness and climb west to the junction with the Wilson Meadows Trail. For San Bernardo Mountain, take the Wilson Meadows Trail to the south ridge. Climb off-trail to Point 11,822' and walk the summit ridge west to the crest. Return to the Lizard Head Trail and ascend on-trail southwest to Black Face, the blue-line route.

From the parking lot, elevation 10,280 feet, Lizard Head Trail #505 heads northeast across an open grassy hillside. It is a perfect surface--well graded, smooth and soft. In early summer the flower field is vibrant with corn husk lily, wild iris, dock, ball-head waterleaf and purple violet. In autumn tall grasses are at seed and among them are clusters of golden eye and groves of cow parsnip.

Southeast is Sheep Mountain, image-right. (THW, photo)

The east is brilliantly lit with Yellow Mountain, Pilot Knob, Golden Horn, Vermilion Peak, Fuller Peak, and Beattie Peak.

In half a mile, walk through a wall of trees and enter an old growth fir and aspen forest. Thriving in filtered light are waist-high stands of delphinium, osha, cow parsnip, mountain bluebell, and elderberry, along with columbine, strawberry, snowberry, and white violet. Brookcress crowd together beside a stream. In autumn, red is on the ground and gold in the air. Spent geranium and fireweed leaves flame and baneberry clumps are the color of rubies. 

The trail barges through talus yards, undulating gently.

The climbing begins upon crossing into the Lizard Head Wilderness at 1.6 miles. The trail switches up making for the saddle between Points 11,302' and 11,747'. Trout Lake is visible through an opening in the vertically-shafted aspen.

Large stands of spruce add a strong presence. On the forest floor are heart leaf arnica and orange sneezeweed; false Solomon's seal, yarrow, fleabane daisy, and white peavine; purple vetch, meadow rue, and death camus. A blockfield tumbles off Point 11,747'.

In springtime the saddle is covered in kittentail, buttercup, globe flower, Jacob's ladder, and western valerian, shown. (THW, photo)

Reach a signed junction at 2.3 miles, 10,900 feet. The Lizard Head Trail goes left at the shallow fork and ascends to Black Face. That pleasant trek is described later. For those climbing San Bernardo Mountain, take Wilson Meadows Trail to the right.

San Bernardo Mountain, 11,861'
Follow the Wilson Meadows Trail for half a mile. Note that it has been rerouted since the USGS topo was published in 1953. Pass an unmarked pond (down below the trail) and descend slightly to cross two creeks watering marsh marigold and Parry's primrose.

At 2.8 miles the south ridge of San Bernardo suddenly appears (but you cannot see the summit) and the trail splits. The Wilson Meadows Trail is signed and goes left. You have a choice here. Either get on the ridge immediately or follow the right-hand trail through the woods on a round-about course to the ridge.

To begin, the ridge is covered in thick clumps of grass with wallflower and chainpod thrown in. Stay just to the right of the trees and soon the alternate trail will emerge out from the forest. This helpful social trail skirts a landmark-sized washed out ravine on its east only to multi-braid and disappear. Head to the ridge crest.

Viewing opportunities of Lizard Head and companion peaks get better with every upward step. At 11,500 feet, the stone structure of the mountain breaks out onto the surface. I thought perhaps the formation was Telluride Conglomerate but a geologist friend thinks this is a conglomerate lens within Dakota Sandstone. The pebbles in the Dakota conglomerates are generally much smaller than the larger cobbles of the Telluride.

The south cliffs of the mountain are too steep and rubbly for a direct assault.

We decided to climb the east prominence, Point 11,822', first and then walk the summit ridge west to the peak. This worked beautifully. Lose a little elevation, walk past a skanky tarn, and then up an accommodating ramp, shown. 

The rocks alone make this simple climb to an unranked subsidiary summit a delight. Tucked into stone groupings are alpine flowers: minuartia, alpine avens, king's crown, candytuft, moss campion, dotted saxifrage, alpine clover, and old man of the mountain.

Top out on Point 11,822' at 3.7 miles. The eastern prominence affords a unique vantage point. Look northeast to the Ophir Needles and see the Ophir Pass Road rising out of the Howard Fork trench.

The treed summit ridge swings west to the highpoint of San Bernardo Mountain.

Above the ridge live the ragged giants: Lizard Head, Mount Wilson (South Peak), Mount Wilson (14,246'), and Gladstone Peak (THW, photo)

Initially, the ridge over to the west summit is a little slow, complicated by a krumholtz barrier and crumbly rock stacks. Once past the saddle, elevation 11,700 feet, it is easier to stay slightly north of the ridgeline. Crest San Bernardo Mountain, shown, at 4.2 miles.

We are the first to sign the peak register in 2018. Judging from the very few entries since Gerry Roach placed the register on September 26, 2004, people don't pay this fine mountain much mind. It stands in the shadow of some of Colorado's highest peaks. And yet there must be something special about this mountain because we are keeping company with people who have sojourned from distant lands: Bhutan; Columbia; Mexico City; Hamburg, Germany; and Tanzania.

Trees favor the mountain all the way to 11,800 feet but the small stone summit is wide open to the high horizon. In the image below Wilson Peak is the grey fourteener left of Sunshine Mountain, image-right. While Sunshine is in the neighborhood, its east ridge is climbed from the Lake Fork of the San Miguel River. (THW, photo)

Below, Point 11,822' is image-left and over on the right are V8 and Twin Sisters.

The safest way off the peak is to return 0.2 mile to the saddle and drop steeply toward the tarn. A large coyote charged away from the watering hole. I shot this image of Black Face from the south ridge. The mountain is a whole lot more interesting than it appears from afar so if you have the time, weather, and energy you are already most of the way there. Return on the Wilson Meadows Trail to the Lizard Head Trail junction at 5.7 miles with 2,000 feet of vertical behind you.

Black Face, 12,147'
From the signed junction, Black Face is 1.7 miles afar with 1300 feet of climbing remaining. The Lizard Head Trail switches steeply up on the northerly side of the east-northeast ridge. The earthen path is so smooth and steady, flowing upward is almost effortless. Douglass fir are good shady company. The trail is rerouted from the topo--it now skirts Point 11,747' and then gains the ridge at 11,640 feet. 

Approaching treelimit, the lookout eastward is astounding.

From the ridgecrest you can see the entire route up San Bernardo Mountain. (THW, photo)

The ridgetop and summit vista is beyond dramatic. While the San Miguel Mountains command primary attention, the relief is high enough to see clear over to Uncompahgre Peak.

Below, hikers approach the summit of Black Face. (THW, photo)

From Black Face, the Lizard Head Trail continues west and links with the Cross Mountain Trail. While this hike is an out-and-back, the thru-hike linking the Lizard Head Trailhead with the Cross Mountain Trailhead is popular. Or, create a loop by walking on the old railroad grade back to the start.

Lizard Head, a 400 foot-tall vertical pillar of exfoliating rotten rock is Colorado's most difficult and dangerous summit climb--the easiest route is 5.8+. Albert Ellingwood made the first ascent in 1920. This image was captured from the summit of Black Face under a brooding sky. (THW, photo)

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