Peak 12,634' (LiDAR 12,641'), Lizard Head Wilderness

Essence: Peak 12,634' is midway between Sunshine Mountain and Lizard Head on a northeast to southwest running divide between Wilson Meadows and Bilk Basin. LiDAR has elevated the ranked summit to 12,641' with a rise of 339 feet. The view of Lizard Head throughout the hike is sensational. From the summit look immediately west for mesmerizing views of Mount Wilson, Gladstone Peak, and Wilson Peak. There are other possible approaches; the one described here is the most direct. The hike begins from CO 145 near Trout Lake and takes a locals' shortcut trail west to the Lizard Head Trail. From Wilson Meadows, the demanding route is off-trail and navigation is challenging. Ascend through a forest cluttered with deadfall. Pitch up a very steep incline for 800 feet to the divide. This marvelous mountain is overshadowed by its legendary neighbor and consequently, is seldom visited. The hike is in the 41,486 acre Lizard Head Wilderness managed by the Uncompahgre National Forest. 

Travel: The shortcut trail is on the north side of Lizard Head Pass near the Trout Lake turnoff, 0.05 mile north of mile marker 61. There are several pullouts in the vicinity. The small parking areas are on a high speed turn so be very cautious pulling off and onto the highway.
Distance and Elevation Gain: 9.8 miles; 3,700 feet
Total Time: 6:00 to 8:00
Difficulty: Trail, off-trail; navigation challenging; Class 2+ with mild exposure on the summit block
Map: Mount Wilson, Colorado 7.5' USGS Quad
Date Hiked: July 31, 2024
Quote: The flower grows without mistakes. A man must grow himself, until he understands the intelligence of the flower. Deborah Love Matthiessen

 

The approach to Peak 12,634' is rather arduous but the summit ridge is playful and the scenery is without parallel. The Lizard Head monolith, a 400 foot-tall volcanic remnant visible across vast distances, is less than a mile south. 

Route: From CO 145, hike west on the "Shortcut," Lizard Head, and Wilson Meadows trails to Wilson Meadows. Off-trail, cross the bottomland and ascend west through deep timber into the alpine. Mount steeply to the Sunshine Mountain--Lizard Head divide. Climb north to the summit of Peak 12,634'.  

 

I think of the Shortcut Trail as the local's sneak route to the Lizard Head Trail. The start of the trail on the west side of CO 145 is correctly shown on the Mount Wilson quad. However, the footpath has been rerouted. Map Builder on Cal Topo shows the reroute correctly.  Look until you find the trailhead, 70 yards north of mile marker 61. The start of the unsigned trail at 9,880 feet is subtle.

The path ascends north onto an open slope. It gets a little wonky for a few yards. Search it out.

In afternoon light, Trout Lake reflects the audacious high peaks framing the west wall of the Ice Lake Basin: Pilot Knob, Golden Horn, Vermilion Peak, and Fuller Peak. Vermilion Peak, 13,909' (LiDAR), is a Colorado Centennial ranked number 72. (Thomas Holt Ward, photo)

At 0.2 mile the trail hooks west and enters a deep and dark mixed forest of old aspen, Engelmann spruce, and Douglas fir. The trail is clear, direct, and steep.

At 0.5 mile, 10,360 feet, intersect the Lizard Head Trail and turn right. In 2024, there were three logs laid across the junction to keep hikers on the Lizard Head Trail. Make a mental note so you don't blow by the turnoff on your return. 

 

Initiate a series of switchbacks mitigating the grade on the constructed trail. Igneous blocks are piled up on either side. The floral array indicated that summer, so fleeting, was winding down already. Tell-tale goldeneye (shown) was thriving with mid-summer bloomers--solidago, rayless senecio, yarrow, harebell, mountain gold, burnt orange agoseris, and withering corn husk lily.

As you close in on the saddle northeast of Black Face, the trail wanders through a talus runout. If there was any doubt of the changing season, growing among the stones was native honeysuckle with midnight purple berries and baneberry with brilliant red fruit clusters. In the saddle at 1.2 miles, 10,900 feet, the Lizard Head Trail turns south, climbs over Black Face and proceeds toward Lizard Head. Our route turns right at the "Y" following the sign for Wilson Meadows.

We had been on this trail more than once on our way to San Bernardo Mountain so it was highly familiar, including the squeeze through an outrageous display of orange sneezeweed. The central cone is covered in golden pollen that attracts butterflies. (THW, photo)

The Wilson Meadows Trail differs from what's indicated on the Mount Wilson quad. Go with it. The reroute is trodden and maintained. At 1.7 miles, bear slightly left at a signed split. (In 2024, the wooden sign had fallen off the post.) At this junction, the divide with Lizard Head, Peak 12,634' (image-center), and Sunshine Mountain is seen for the first time. Our route goes through the forest and straight up the wall, contacting the divide at the Lizard Head saddle. (THW, photo)

The Wilson Meadows Trail runs down two ridges composed of Mancos Shale. As you get toward the bottom of the first ridge watch for a cairn guiding to the right. You'll see the trail diverting into the woods. 

 

At 10,900 feet, we passed through a wet glade with star gentian. My partner is partial to this plant and he'd been on the lookout all summer. And here they were, so abundant the meadow had a deep purple cast. (THW, photo)

The stars appear to have a synergistic relationship with fringed grass of Parnassus. We hadn't seen these flowering for years and yet in this isolated meadow the two species were intertwined. I am stunned by the notion that our Earth goes about creating beauty in places so remote, few humans, if any, take notice. (THW, photo)

 

As we approached Wilson Meadows we ran into a group of young teens and staff from the Telluride Academy. They were camped out at the meadows and were on a day hike to the summit of San Bernardo Mountain. I was impressed with their excitement on the way up the mountain and their pride as they returned to camp. Now that's "Wild Learning."

The trail segment of the hike ends at mile-long Wilson Meadows, a fusion of iridescent green colors stemming from a diverse array of dense grasses, sedges, rushes, and forbs. It hadn't been raining so we didn't get our feet wet but I've heard the crossing can be a boot-soaking enterprise. The meadow bottomed out at 10,540 feet and we jumped across the rill at 2.7 miles. We'd given up 360 feet from the Black Face saddle that we'll have to reclaim on our return. Looking at the image below, Peak 12,634' is left of center on the horizon. Where you enter the timber is not critical but our optimal location was just left of image-center. 

If there is a crux on this hike, it is the 800-foot ascent through the woods riddled with fallen timber. We happened on elk trails, a significant assist in avoiding the worst deadfall tangles. The pitch undulates. It's impossible to see anything but trees, so use dead reckoning to keep pointed west.

We came alongside a running stream at about 11,000 feet. We stayed on the south side of the drainage shown on the topo. By 11,100 feet, the deadfall abated and there were periodic glades.

We broke out into the alpine at about 11,340 feet and got a visual of the next challenge, an 800-foot highly pitched incline to the divide. We paused and reconnoitered. Our plan was to stick to the green and scoot around the bands of Telluride Conglomerate. But, as it turned out, the rock wasn't a hindrance.

If anyone had been climbing Lizard Head, Colorado's most dangerous (and technical) thirteener, we would have seen them.

The slope pitches radically at 11,500 feet. Humping up the incline took a lot of physical strength and mental discipline. The footing was good on plant platforms and eventually we discovered braided game and use trails zigzagging up the pitch. I was amused that on our return we kept stepping on our own footprints. It is a big wide arena and yet going downhill, we were pretty much on our upcoming route. Landscape magic happens time and again hiking off-trail.  

As we closed in on the divide, we barged right up the rock.

We arrived on the Lizard Head--Peak 12,634' saddle at 4.6 miles, 12,300 feet. There was a heart-stopping view of the fourteeners in the San Miguel Mountains. Looking north, the ridge is a hiker's dream--softly rounded with pretty pink stone glazed with exfoliated pebbles. (THW, photo)

Looking at the topo, it looks like a simple traverse south to Lizard Head but I expect it is a trick of 40-foot contour lines. Please leave a comment if you are familiar with this passage. (THW, photo)

Walking north up the ridge was mellow and pleasant, but we weren't at all sure how we were going to deal with the 40-foot sheer wall standing between us and the summit.

From afar, it looked like we could pass through the notch on the right but a vertical cliff blocked passage to the ledge.

 

We decided to go around the base of the block on the east side staying as high as we could. The sidehill traverse was steep but the talus was stable given careful foot placement.

As soon as we rounded the corner we pitched directly up to the ridge. Consider that you are stepping on alluvium deposited in debris flows predating the most recent volcanism. 

 

The footing was slick on loose rubble but it was serviceable. I did a couple of five-point butt slides on the way down.

Past the big block, everything is a breeze, including the cap of volcanic rock on the summit.

Mount the small but comfortable crest at 4.9 miles.  

The peak register was located in the summit cairn. We were the fifth party in three years to sign. This mountain enjoys few visitors. Yes, it is a long approach, the woods are cluttered, the wall is a chore. But the summit experience is beyond words.

We climbed Sunshine Mountain with a group of friends in 2015 after admiring it for years while driving on CO 145.

This image shot from Sunshine would imply that the ridge between the two peaks is impassible for hikers. Peak 12,634' is visible right of image-center below the horizon.

The view west across Bilk Basin is so outrageous, it's a mind ripper. From the left are Mount Wilson, Gladstone Peak, and Wilson Peak. 

Looking east, in the foreground is San Bernardo Mountain. If you enjoy Telluride Conglomerate, this is a peak for you. It pairs nicely with Black Face. To the east things get complicated but if you can find the Ophir Pass Road doing its rising traverse to the pass it will help you get oriented. In the center of this image is fearsome South Lookout Peak and Ulysses S. Grant Peak.

 

Fringed gentian cheerfully blossom as our favorite early-season flowers are going to seed. There is always a tinge of sadness when the gentian appear for they signify summer is drawing to a close. (THW, photo)

Possible Alternative Routes

We are grateful to John Bregar for navigating the most efficient route to the peak from the east. There may be a good approach from Black Face via the Lizard Head Trail, or even the Cross Mountain Trail. These approaches would be longer and entail more climbing, but the snarled forest would be avoided.

As we were descending from the divide we saw a trail heading up to the east ridge of Lizard Head, shown. We are unsure whether you can connect with the Lizard Head Trail but it'd be worth exploring the possibility.

Summit Peak, 13,300', South San Juan Wilderness

Essence: Summit Peak is in a remote quarter of southern Colorado. The drive is a commitment for which the mountain amply compensates. The peak is on the Continental Divide and on the boundary between the San Juan and Rio Grande national forests. It is the tallest point in Archuleta County and the South San Juan Wilderness. LiDAR raised its elevation to 13,304 feet with a rise of 2,737 feet. Three ridges meet on the apex of the peak. The standard route approaches on the Treasure Creek Trail and pitches up tundra-clad southern slopes to the east ridge. The north and west faces of the peak are juggernauts of vertiginous walls, couloirs, and monoliths composed of friable volcanic breccia. Ascending on the east ridge cliff edge and extending the rim walk with a free-range descent on the southwest ridge was the highlight of the hike. 

Travel: Lacking driving instructions, we tried three different routes. The only reasonable approach is on FSR 380, suitable for 2WD vehicles with sturdy tires. See the end of this post for a description of two options for dedicated 4WD vehicles. FSR 380 is located off US 160 roughly midway between Wolf Creek Pass and the town of South Fork. At mile marker 178.8, turn south at the sign, "National Forest Access, Park Creek Road, Summitville," and measure distance from there. The basic instruction is simple: stay on graded and graveled FSR 380 for roughly 22 miles to FSR 243. Treasure Creek Trailhead is another 2.8 miles afar at the end of FSR 243. Just beyond US 160, Park Creek Campground is on the right. At 7.3 miles, FSR 390 comes in on the right. The Elwood Cabin is down off the road on the left at 14.5 miles. The Elwood Pass track comes in on the right at 17.8 miles. At 22.0 miles, crank sharply to the right onto FSR 243. The road narrows to 1.5 vehicle width and rock is embedded on the road surface. The road parallels Treasure Creek, popular with anglers. Our odometer tends to underestimate mileage.

Distance and Elevation Gain: 7.8 miles, 2,400 feet. The southwest ridge ramble adds 1.0 mile and 150 feet.
Total Time: 5:00 to 6:30, depending on route
Difficulty: Trail, off-trail; navigation moderate; Class 2 with mild exposure
Map: Summit Peak, Colorado 7.5' USGS Quad
Date Hiked: July 23, 2024
Quote: Alpine tundra has a beginning-of-the-world quality, a sense of sparseness and lucidity...It is a land of contrast and incredible intensity, where the sky is the size of forever and the flowers the size of a millisecond. The only objects larger than small are boulders. Ann Zwinger, Land Above the Trees

 

The approach to Summit Peak and its southern slopes present as much tundra as you can take in. When we first saw the mountain from Blackhead Peak it presented as a uniform, green ramp. We had no idea its rim was shattered, laying bare fascinating rock features. Walk along the edge to simultaneously experience two radically different worlds. (Thomas Holt Ward, photo)

Route: Walk south on the Treasure Creek Trail following a south fork of Treasure Creek. The trail cranks north and becomes sporadic for the next mile through the forest. Break out into the alpine and find the trail once again as it wraps north around an intervening ridge. Intersect the Continental Divide Trail and walk south around the east ridge of Summit Peak. Climb the southern slope to the east ridge. Walk the edge to the high point. Return as you came or descend on the southwest ridge to UN Point 13,020'. Return to the Continental Divide Trail to rejoin your upcoming track. 

 

Treasure Creek Trail #710 extends for 3.1 miles from the trailhead at elevation 10,940 feet, to the Continental Divide Trail. Drop south from the parking platform and cross a three-log bridge suspended over Treasure Creek.

Plow through a field of corn husk lily and monkshood. The forest has been ravaged by beetle-kill. It is both disheartening and aesthetically displeasing. Thankfully, the Forest Service maintains the Treasure Creek Trail but they can't keep up and you will be hopping over some fallen timber.

Open and close a green gate at 0.3 mile. (THW, photo)

The trail tracks high above the pool-and-drop south fork gorge. (THW, photo)

Bust out of the trees into a verdant, subalpine meadow. Veronica was blooming at peak. Train your eyes to see the inconspicuous, dainty blue flowers on stems about four inches tall. Robust cairns marked the thin trail. 

At 1.1 miles, 11,220 feet, the trail hooks a switchback and bears northwest, climbing gently through the decimated forest. Strangely, the footpath went from pounded to elusive. You can see our inconsistent track on the map above. We stopped frequently and searched for the trail. The image below was shot at 1.7 miles where the trail crosses the only significant drainage running east to the south fork. We saw a lot of elk droppings and occasional bear and mountain lion scat.

All the brilliant white flowers were showy: Coulter's erigeron, geranium, yarrow, and osha. Below, the pathway is hemmed in by great masses of arrowleaf senecio and mountain bluebells. 

Emerge from the timber and arrive at a landmark boulder seen below at 2.0 miles, 11,840 feet. The boulder has a clean face with lichen draped on its head. The route bypasses the intervening ridge seen below on the north. Standing at the boulder, hikers with sharp eyes will be able to see the trail materializing in the talus. Stay a little high toward the left to avoid the bog in the swale. (THW, photo)

 

The trail appears clearly once again in the rock pile as it goes over the low shoulder of the ridge. (THW, photo)

We could hear Treasure Creek running 400 feet below as we rounded the ridge. The trail is significantly braided as it turns south but eventually coalesces. There is no mistaking Summit Peak when it reveals itself at last. It is a structure of magnificent beauty, its north ramparts are raw, blunt, and broken. (THW, photo)

North of Summit on the Continental Divide is The Unicorn and Montezuma Peak. We fully intended to integrate them into a circuit on this hike but thunderheads gathered quickly so we left them for another day. Stav is Lost has an excellent description of a loop incorporating all three peaks. Meanwhile, we were swallowed by an immense span of tundra on the linear tipping point of the continent. (THW, photo)

The landscape was covered in elk prints and scat. We could smell the animals. And finally, we spotted a herd of cows and calves about 20 strong, grazing at the base of the mountain (image-lower-left).

 

Closing in on the rounded east shoulder of Summit, the Treasure Creek Trail ends at the Continental Divide Trail at 3.1 miles, elevation 12,560 feet. Turn south.

As soon as we got around the talus runout, seen below, we started mounting the south-facing slope of Summit at 12,600 feet. The east ridge is so appealing, it is a good strategy to contact it toward the east end to make it last as long as possible.

It's a 400-foot steep grunt to the east ridge but the footing is good and the views are insane. (THW, photo)

We gained the ridge at  3.7 miles, 13,000 feet. The Unicorn and Montezuma Peak were in the immediate north.

The peaks to the south present a mysterious world for us, having spent little time in the South San Juan Mountains. The air quality was poor given the wildfires burning across the American West.

Mounting the east ridge to the crest is thrilling. We stayed near the lip because the surface is flatter but hold a line that is comfortable for you. The alpine flowers pay no mind to the slant of the earth. Blooming happily on the inclined slope were sky pilot, snowball saxifrage, moss campion, alpine avens, purple fringe, and a vibrant purple mat penstemon.

All the peaks in the area are volcanic. Most of the rock was exploded out of calderas somewhere in the vicinity. Because the eruptions were so violent, lots of preexisting rock fractured and that rubble became incorporated in the massive deposits of welded debris--volcanic breccia. Be cautious climbing the final pitch. The rim is overhung in places, evaporating into (literally) thin air. Breccia nodules can break off the rim. (THW, photo)

Mount the pointed apex of Summit Peak at 3.9 miles. The southern tundra ramp is united at the tiny point with three ridges. The vertical drop on all sides save one is unusual and dramatic. Summit Peak got onto our radar on our first hike in the South San Juan Mountains to Blackhead Peak, image-left. We could see the tundra incline from there and some locals from Pagosa Springs turned us on to Summit Peak.

The Summit benchmark and two reference markers were placed in 1936. All three brass disks are cemented to the top of foot-tall pipes. The peak register was stuffed with random sheets of paper. Of note, when contemplating the best route to The Unicorn we looked at several trip reports. The majority of hikers retrace steps to the Continental Divide Trail and approach from there. There is one report of climbers descending the north ridge directly but it looked ludicrous for hikers at our skill level. (THW, photo)

 

Since we were not going on to The Unicorn and Montezuma Peak as planned, we decided to explore the southwest ridge. It was too appealing to pass up. It proved to be a mellow and joyful descent route.

The ridge is scalloped with sharp edges. Again, it's best to stay a few feet off the friable rim. Everything about this free-range ramble was thrilling. There were absolutely no obstacles to negotiate.

We walked past an isolated, free-standing monolith. (THW, photo)

Looking back at Summit, I was deeply charmed by the union of opposites displayed in this image. It's hard to process the magic our earth pulls off by its very nature. It doesn't have to be this crazy cool, and yet it is.

 

A natural turnaround location was just ahead.

We climbed 100 feet to unnumbered Point 13,020' at 4.7 miles. Clearly, we could have kept exploring out on the tundra plain.

It is 4.1 miles back to the trailhead from our turnaround. Along the way we passed a patch of queen's crown providing nourishment to a Colorado native red-tailed bumblebee. (THW, photo)

Back on the Continental Divide Trail, we were surprised to see no backpackers or even hikers. But we did see a family of ptarmigans, a female with five chicks. They are hard to pick out in this image because they are dressed in their summer plumage. Always camouflaged, these members of the grouse family will change color and turn white in winter ensuring better protection from their predators in the snowy landscape.

 

Travel Alternatives: It took us three tries to find the best route to the trailhead. Our first attempt was the Elwood Pass option for dedicated 4WD vehicles. Measure distance from the signal in the center of Pagosa Springs. Drive east on US 160 for 10 miles to mile marker 154. Just beyond the bridge over the West Fork of the San Juan River, go east on FSR 667 and reset your odometer. Pass the Silver Falls guard station and trailhead at 7.7 miles. Ford a river at 8.4 miles. At the junction with FSR 684, stay straight, following the sign for Elwood Pass, shown below. When the Elwood Pass track intersects FSR 380, turn right, 7.0 miles from the trailhead. We turned around at the bottom of Elwood Pass and reconsidered our options.

On our second attempt, we drove east over Wolf Creek Pass to Tucker Ponds, FSR 390 and measured distance from there. (I was using a map of the San Juan National Forest and it didn't cover Park Creek Road, another six miles east.) At 8.4 miles, FSR 384 goes to the right. Stay on FSR 390. It degenerates to a serious 4WD track. Drive steeply downhill on a narrow, rutted dirt road. At 11.7 miles, intersect FSR 380 and turn right. Drive another 17.5 miles to the trailhead.