Baker Peak, 11,949' to Silver Mountain, 12,496', Via Eagle Pass

Essence: Baker Peak is most often climbed by way of Silver Mountain. This off-camber route approaches the neglected summit from the opposite direction, by way of Eagle Pass and Puzzle Pass. This is a multifaceted hike to a fine little mountain on good rock. It isn’t a ranked peak but it sure feels like one. Baker is a remote summit whether you walk or drive up the demanding Lewis Creek Road. Primarily off-trail with steep slopes and ridges, some talus. The traverse to Silver Mountain cranks the hike up a notch with more exposure and effort. This will most likely be a day of solitude.
Travel: From the US 160/550 intersection in Durango, travel 11.0 miles west on US 160 to Hesperus. Turn north on La Plata Canyon Road, CR 124, and measure from there. After passing the hamlet of Mayday the road turns to smooth dirt at 4.6 miles. In 8.5 miles the roadbed deteriorates with sharp, sizable rocks. A 2WD vehicle with sturdy tires and moderate clearance may continue to Lewis Creek Road, CR 124A, at 9.4 miles. Turn right and park just before or after the bridge crossing the La Plata River. Vehicles with 4WD Low, high clearance, and beefy tires may proceed up Lewis Creek Road. The serious track is steep, rugged, and rocky throughout. Because the road is bound by private land, parking is limited to: the beginning of CR 124A at the La Plata River, the Gold King Mine ruins 1.8 miles up the road where the land owner has granted permission, and the upper parking area at 3.1 miles, elevation 11,300 feet.
Distance and Elevation Gain from Upper Parking:
Baker Peak: 5.0 miles, 2,000 feet,
Silver Mountain: 7.0 miles, 3,200 feet
Point 11,900' and Eagle Pass, 7.05 miles, 3,320 feet
Mine Ruins Parking, roundtrip add: 2.6 miles, 840 feet
La Plata River Parking, roundtrip add: 6.2 miles, 1,860 feet 
Total Time: 
Baker Peak from upper parking: 3:30 to 4:30
Silver Mountain: add 1:30 to 2:30
Point 11,900’ and Eagle Pass: add :30
Difficulty: 4WD road, off-trail; navigation moderate; Class 2+; mild exposure for Baker Peak and moderate exposure for the traverse to Silver Mountain
Map: La Plata, Colorado 7.5' USGS Quad or Apogee Mapping
Latest Date Hiked: July 7, 2020 
Quote: You are always nearer the divine and the true sources of power than you think. The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. John Burroughs, 1908

One of the charms of Baker Peak is that it doesn't make the playbook legal summits enjoy because there is only 249 feet of prominence from the Silver Mountain saddle. Therefore, it is generally ignored. Pass through curiously named Puzzle Pass, shown, and then climb an unlikely ridge that turns out to be great fun. The traverse to Silver Mountain ups the order of difficulty. (Thomas Holt Ward, photo)

 

Route: Hike or drive east up Lewis Creek Road shown with the blue line to upper parking on public land. Flank Point 11,900' on a gated service road. Leave the track and descend on the ridge southwest to Puzzle Pass. Climb the northeast ridge of Baker Peak. For the Silver Mountain traverse, climb over Point 11,818’ and continue south to Silver Mountain. Return as you came. The old return route down Tirbircio Creek is no longer an option because it crosses private land. Visit Point 11,900' and Eagle Pass on the return.

 

In July, 2019, we walked up the Lewis Creek Road from the La Plata River and climbed Bald Knob. CR 124A was blocked by debris and a slidepath at the Lewis Creek crossing shortly before the Gold King Mine ruins, shown. For a description of this road segment, link to Bald Knob. 

Lewis Creek Road splits at 3.0 miles. Take the left branch which accesses the upper parking lot at 11,300 feet, shown. The road continues on but there is a locked gate in half a mile and no room to turn around. The mileage for this description begins here, 3.1 miles from the La Plata River. (THW, photo)

The road climbs steadily and familiar peaks in the West Block are revealed. Behind me is Burwell Peak (image-left), the ridge running over to Spiller Peak, and East Babcock Peak. (THW, photo)

Walking up the road has its share of pleasures, including an early look at fluted Baker Peak at 0.2 mile. Silver Mountain is on the left blowing clouds from its top. (THW, photo)

 

At 0.55 mile, climb around or through the gate intended to stop vehicles (but not people). As indicated on the map above, stay on the road as it sweeps under Eagle Pass and Point 11,900’. I’ll talk about visiting them both at the end of this post.

To climb Baker Peak, locate the juncture of the service road and the southwest ridge of Point 11,900' at 0.8 mile. The La Plata topo marks this elevation at 11,776 feet. The drop to Puzzle Pass is about 640 feet. To begin, the ridge is rounded and the grade gentle. The ridge splits at one mile. If you were to go straight south you’d plunge into Lightner Creek. Bear right on the southwest ridge.

Progress slows as the ridge constricts and becomes rock and tree-covered. An old burro trail materializes at about 11,650 feet. It runs parallel to the ridgeline about 50 feet off on the east side. Run it out and return to the ridge at 11,500 feet. There are several, if not many, rollers on the ridge. The steepest is the 150 foot earthen skyscraper that crashes down to Puzzle Pass. The climbing ridge is clear from here, image-center.

Puzzle Pass, 1.9 miles, 11,140 feet, is an historic miner's campsite with a stacked stone stove. Artifacts are scattered throughout the area. Please leave them in place.

The approach over, climb 800 feet up the northeast ridge. Myrtle blueberry and bear scat cover the forest floor beneath old growth spruce. The incline is steep but moderated by fragments of social trail on the ridgetop. Trees give way to small talus and grass above 11,400 feet. (THW, photo)

The ridge narrows with mild exposure. Rock is well seated as you climb the natural staircase.

Pop up onto the northwest ridge. This is a wild and dramatic moment with Silver Mountain appearing in your immediate field of vision. Baker is just three stony bumps away at 2.5 miles. The tiny summit is composed of shattered, fine-grain igneous rock poking up on angle. We love this sweet summit and so do others. There is a lot of history in the peak register, including an entry by Gerry and Jennifer Roach in 2016.

This image looks back on our access ridge. Lewis Mountain may look bulky from here but the entire ridgeline (and that's only half of it) is a delicate thread. Point 11,900’ is image-right. (THW, photo)

If you are thinking of alternate routes down from here, please note. In 2003, on my first La Plata hike I climbed Silver and then Baker. I descended on Baker's northwest ridge to the Gold King Mill, lost to fire that very summer. The ridge has its undulations, adding 100 feet or so to the total. When we reached treeline we plunged on a west ridge absurdly steep. I have since learned that there is a strip of private property at the confluence of Tirbircio Creek and the La Plata River so I have not revisited that route. If you are not going on to Silver, return as you came.

Silver Mountain Traverse

For years we tacked Baker onto our Deadwood and Silver climb. We’d start in La Plata City, climb the three peaks, return to the Silver-Baker saddle and descend Tirbircio Creek. Now that the bailout is off-limits, it requires less effort to do the traverse from the north. Roundtrip from Baker adds two miles with 850 feet of elevation gain going over and 350 feet coming back.

The image below was shot just south of Baker. The double-humped knob, image-center, is Point 11,818’. The crux of this traverse is the north face of the first knob, just beyond the small treed saddle. (THW, photo)

The south side of Baker is one big rock pile. (THW, photo)

Drop into the saddle north of Point 11,818’. The “tree crux” is the most exposed part of this hike. It’s dicey getting around the trees on the west side. (THW, photo)

There is a 1989 benchmark on the first knob. Descend on a short (and fun) razor-thin ridge, shown, and then pitch up to Point 11,818’.

The terrain is inconsequential from here on. The social trail down to the Silver saddle (2.8 miles, 11,700 feet), tracks most of the way to Silver. The krummholz gives out at 11,900 feet. A false summit is followed by a talus ball which you can charge over or skirt around on the west.

As you are topping out on the exceedingly broad, tundra-covered summit look for this reference mark placed in 1936. We couldn’t locate the actual benchmark. The voluminous, outstretched mountaintop is an ideal place for all the time you can spare. But what direction to face? Silver Mountain is visible from all the high points in Durango. You can look east and easily pick out Fort Lewis College, Raider Ridge, and Lake Nighthorse.

Or, look north to the San Miguel Mountains and the Wilson cluster of fourteeners. (THW, photo)

The five ranked La Plata thirteeners are located in the northern tier of the West Block. They are all visible in the image below as well as Baker Peak. (THW, photo)

Retrace your steps over Baker Peak, drop down through Puzzle Pass, mount the earthen skyscraper, and return to the service road. If you'd like to see Point 11,900' and Eagle Pass, it's an easy climb to the prominent knoll with a weather station, radio transmitter, and other communication towers. The lookout is only a few feet shorter than Baker. In this image, hikers are discussing Centennial Peak, the banded mountain between Mount Moss and Diorite Peak.
(THW, photo)

Note: Bald Knob and Baker Peak are accessed from different ridges radiating from Point 11,900'. Strong hikers could climb them both on the same day. They each give up a fair amount of elevation on the approach and the summit pitch is comparable. Together with Point 11,900' and Silver Mountain, they are primary contributors to the Lightner Creek watershed. To the right of Bald Knob in the image below is Durango, the Perins Peak cuesta, Barnroof Point, and Lake Nighthorse.

This image shows Eagle Pass, 11,780 feet, from Point 11,900’. Lewis Mountain may be climbed from the pass but I can’t vouch for that route since I typically approach from Columbus Basin. Plunge west from the pass and you’ll be back on the road in the vicinity of the locked gate. (THW, photo)

I'd like to thank my friend Will for turning me on to the Puzzle Pass approach to Baker Peak.