Essence: I have been on five routes to or from T8. This post describes the recommended route, an out-and-back via Richmond Pass. I highly suggest climbing unranked Point 13,011' ("Richmond Peak") but the tempting ridgeline beyond quickly becomes technical. For those who wish to return via Spirit Gulch, I have explored three exceedingly
steep lines on the headwall. I will discuss the safest route through the high basin for sure-footed mountaineers. The standard route via Richmond Pass provides a sublime and idyllic passage on a steep trail through a haven of light-infused aspen that yield to a band of dark spruce timber. Emerge from the trees onto an expansive swath of tundra with a diverse array of wildflowers in mid-summer. From the pass hike southwest on a straightforward, off-trail finish to the boundless summit ridge that literally spans half a mile. The continuous panorama is framed by the indomitable Mount Sneffels Wilderness to the west and the brilliant Red Mountain trio to the east. The hike is within the Uncompahgre National Forest.
Travel: For those driving north, measure distance from the top of Red Mountain Pass, mile marker 80.1. A shuttle is required for the return through Spirit Gulch. As you straighten after
the second hairpin, 1.7 miles from the top of the pass, get in the left turn lane at the sign for the Red
Mountain Mining Overlook (Idarado Mine). Drop a vehicle in the paved circular
lot. The turnoff for Richmond Trailhead is 4.4 miles from the top of the pass at mile marker 84.5. Turn west on an unsigned road. For hikers coming from Ouray, look for the turnoff after the road pitches up south of the Ironton flats. Plentiful parking is a short distance up the graded dirt road.
Distance and Elevation Gain: 8.0 miles, 3,650 feet roundtrip from Richmond Trailhead. The descent through Spirit Gulch is a total of 7.5 miles, 3,550 feet.
Total Time: 5:00 to 7:00
Difficulty: Trail, off-trail; navigation moderate; Class 2+ with no exposure; ultra steep and rubbly on the Spirit Gulch headwall.
Map: Ironton, Colorado 7.5' USGS Quad
Latest Date Hiked: July 26, 2025
Quote: The greatest beauty of Colorado mountains comes when one is among them, a part of the ever-changing mosaic of rock, trees, flowers, streams, snow, meadows, clouds, sky, and particularly, the variety of colors at different times of day and under different weather conditions. William M. Butler, Roof of the Rockies
The massive summit ridge of T8 is a world of its own and that is a great deal of its charm. If weather permits, linger on top and walk from one end to the other. This image was shot from
T7, Peak 13,359'. The neighbors share Spirit Gulch, shown, but T7 is climbed from Commodore Gulch or Imogene Pass.
Route: From the Richmond Trailhead on the north side of Red Mountain Pass, hike northwest to Richmond Pass. Go over the pass and immediately swing southwest passing under Richmond Peak, an optional climb. Once past Point 13,063', ascend through a draw to the summit ridge of T8. Explore the mountaintop and return as you came. To descend through Spirit Gulch (blue-line route), hike southwest until you are in the vicinity of the 12,820-foot saddle. Slide south down the headwall and intersect an old mining road. Walk south to your shuttle vehicle, visiting Barstow Mine along the way.
The Richmond Trailhead sign is not terribly helpful. It faces drivers traveling south on US 550 but it is located past the turnoff. The trail is open to hikers and equestrians. Walk around the gate closing the road to vehicles.
From the
Richmond Trailhead, elevation 9,900 feet, the trail climbs for 2.7 miles to Richmond Pass and drops northwest through Richmond Basin to Camp Bird. We have hiked on this trail many times over the years and wish to thank the
Ouray Trail Group for maintaining this important corridor trail. Founded in 1986, volunteers are dedicated to the preservation and safe
public use of regional hiking trails.
Cross the power line road and transition to a singletrack. The beautifully crafted, smooth, dirt-surface trail pitches up straightaway. The footpath climbs an average of 1,000 feet per mile to the pass. We ran into a couple of young women in a state of endorphin-induced euphoria who claimed they were "huffing and puffing" all the way up the hill.
The hike begins in the aspen biozone. The range for quaking aspen, Colorado's only native, deciduous tree, is between 6,500 and 11,500 feet. Beneath the fluttering green canopy, wildflowers were at peak bloom. In particular, pearly everlasting was having a banner year. See the end of this post for a complete list of flowers recorded on this hike. (Thomas Holt Ward, photo)
By 11,200 feet the aspen yielded to Engelmann spruce. Small sunny glades expanded into meadowlands. This hike offers a complete tour of the elements comprising Colorado's high country.
Red Mountains No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 are the variegated,
color-saturated rock piles east of Red Mountain Pass. The anomaly of their scarlet hues contrast with both earth and sky.
The trail passes through volcanic boulders as it flanks Point 12,170' on the south. A succession of volcanic explosions racked the San Juan Mountains from about 35 to 28 million years ago. The entire hike is within the San Juan volcanic field.
It was tempting to wander jubilantly for the entire day on this magnificent, rolling, tundra-covered bench. In 2015, the trail was faint and we hopped from one cairn to the next. The path is obvious now and the pass, unmistakable. The image below spans from Point 13,150' on the south ridge of T8, followed by a hint of the T8 summit, abrupt Point 13,011' (Richmond Peak), and Hayden Mountain, South residing north of the pass. (THW, photo)
Two north-south running divides, remarkably equal in stature, thrust up abruptly 3,000 feet from Red Mountain Creek. This hike explores a small portion of the T7, T8, Hayden Mountain divide. East of the creek is
Brown Mountain, traversed in one day, from Peak 13,339' (Duco Benchmark) to Abrams Mountain, the pride of Ouray. (THW, photo)
The Class 1 trail tops out on Richmond Pass, elevation 12,657 feet, after 2,757 feet of climbing over 2.7 miles.
(THW, photo)
Inevitably, reaching the top of a hard-won pass is a heart-stopping moment. Look out over a whole new world. Mount Sneffels, 14,150' (LiDAR 14,155'), holds down the center of this image and remains visible, along with its companion peaks, from here on. The trail splits on the west side of the pass. The Richmond Trail branches right and descends to Camp Bird. For T8, bear southwest on a social trail.
Note that
Hayden Mountain, South, Peak 13,206', is only half a mile north of the pass. Strong hikers could consider climbing it on their return from T8.
Point 13,011', "Richmond Peak," Optional
In 2015, we climbed Point 13,011' (informally named Richmond Peak), a spectacular unranked summit to the immediate south of the pass. It looked like the shortest route to T8. And while we got turned back by insurmountable obstacles on the ridgeline (for us, anyway), Point 13,011' was enchanting and not at all difficult. So if the weather holds and you have the energy, consider climbing it on your return. From the
pass follow the social trail southwest for just 0.15 mile. Then climb south up a lovely
green slope to the crest. (THW, photo)
The peak was literally covered
with my favorite alpine flower, dotted saxifrage. They grow amongst stones. "Saxifraga" in Latin means rock breaker. Check the flowers out with a hand lens and you'll be blown away. Each tiny pedal is covered with red, orange, and yellow dots. Remarkable.
ed, orange, and
From Richmond Peak, T8 is so close! It looked feasible so we descended west on the ridgeline which grew ever more turbulent and exposed.
As we closed in on Point
13,063' we were turned back by a 15-foot tower.
T8
The west portion of the summit ridge of T8 can be seen from the social trail heading southwest from the pass. The trail holds elevation as it crosses the tundra and a dirt slope. And then it disappears.
But by that time you will see an abandoned road that is an assist on the route to the peak.
Pass over sheets of glaciated stone in the process of giving up some elevation. During the most recent ice age the Last Glacial Maximum occurred 20,000 to 26,500 years ago. By 13,000 years ago the ice cap covering the San Juan Mountains had largely retreated. I love to ponder the juxtaposition of ice cutting and grinding away at rock born out of fire.
We contacted the road at 3.1 miles, 12,540 feet. Make a mental note of this important location for the return trip.
In about 0.2 mile, we left the road and headed south on a green ramp in front of the knoll, shown.
As we proceeded the landscape folded into a subtle draw and took us through a pleasant gap.
This off-trail segment of the hike was simply delightful with no obstacles to contend with. Complete the ascent on an open slope enlivened with alpine flowers. (THW, photo)
Contact the summit ridge at about 3.8 miles, 13,180 feet. The view from here is partial, but nevertheless, already shattering looking into the Mount Sneffels Wilderness to the northwest. The half-mile-long summit platform is covered with little plates and chips of volcanic rock. The crest is 0.2 mile to the northwest (THW, photo)
If you have time check out the southeast end. (THW, photo)
There is so much to peruse from the vantage point hovering over Point 13,150'. Below, the road to Corkscrew Pass winds up through the Reds. Fearsome
Storm Peak with the knobby ridgeline is horizon-center. We could even make out the microwave reflector on bucolic
McMillan Peak.
I was surprised to find uncommon snowlover plants on the ridgecrest. The blossom is unforgettable with its cream-colored fan. (THW, photo)
Ramble northwest on the curvature of infinity.
Looking north you can see down into the access draw, and along the divide to Richmond Peak and Hayden Mountain, South. We were fortunate to have a crystal clear day. In the distance we could actually make out Courthouse Mountain and follow the horizon line to the incomparable
Uncompahgre Peak, 14,309' (LiDAR 14,318'), the tallest summit in the San Juan Mountains.
If you go straight to the highest point with no exploring, you will top out at 4.0 miles after 3,550 feet of vertical. Given the rise of 497 feet and its location, the view is even more astounding than the vista from T7. This image takes in Gilpin Peak, Mount Sneffels, Cirque and Teakettle mountains, and Potosi Peak.
Lists of John has an alternate name for T8, "Mountain Lion Peak." We didn't see any cougars on this hike but we did see deer, elk, and a bear.
I walked out to the roundoff on the northwest end. To flush out the view in the Sneffels group, to the right of Potosi is
Mount Ridgway followed by Whitehouse Mountain and Corbett Ridge. (THW, photo)
From there I could see into Yankee Boy Basin below Sneffels. Chicago Peak is image-left.
I highly recommend you return as you came. All conceiveable routes down the headwall into Spirit Gulch are exceedingly steep. The explosive volcanics I mentioned earlier are poised at the angle
of repose. Humans and rubble slide down together.
Spirit Gulch Return Route
I have been on the headwall three times. This is the best I've got. It is about 3.3 miles to parking at the Idarado Mine. From the highpoint bear southwest. It takes awhile for the ridge to develop. Meanwhile, in the image below, T7 holds up the other side of Spirit Gulch, Lizard Head is resting over Imogene Pass, the Wilson group powers over the vicinity, and Lone Cone lives up to its name.
One way or another, using your best judgement, deal with the many obstacles on the ridgeline. The preferred route bails into the basin shortly before the 12,820-foot saddle (LiDAR 12,818'). The first outcrop was easy. We went right over it.
There's more to negotiate.
These three hikers have a ways to go.
My field notes from 2011 state, "We worked our way down to the saddle, tricky." This image gives you a good idea of where we turned off the ridge (shortly before the saddle) to "slide down into the basin."
In 2011, we intended to traverse over to T7. However, when we got into the saddle area it looked sketchier than it
did from afar, weather was closing in, and we abandoned the idea. In 2025, there are trip reports on the web documenting the link between the peaks.
This image looks back at the throat of the basin and the shallowest possible drop.
Continue down Spirit Gulch, intersecting the
abandoned mining road at about 12,000 feet. The road crosses to the southwest side of the basin and then descends to the
Barstow Mine in Commodore Gulch. Please
see the T7 post for information on this mine, and the road down to US 550 and your shuttle vehicle at the Idarado Houses. (THW, photo)
Routes To Avoid
In 2011, a friend argued for a shortcut up the south-facing wall of Spirit Gulch. We left the basin at 12,200 feet and climbed north. It turned out to be a dangerous route with no option to turn around and no possibility of self arrest. From my field notes:
"Betsey and I started the 1,100 foot climb up through rotten rubble and gravel-covered hardscrabble in a tiny gully, maybe three feet wide. The confinement was comforting and we stair-stepped our way until it petered out all too promptly, abandoning us on an extremely steep slope that at first had some bedrock nodules sticking out from the rubble for slim holds. We worked together, taking turns in the mentally taxing lead. We talked constantly about nothing but the next move. We were both calm, didn't ever look down and vanquished fear. At one point my entire body was shaking and I stopped it with a force of will.
The bedrock disappeared under the young, volcanic material and the slope steepened. We searched for occasional firm rocks and trusted them implicitly. They bore us. Our minds held as well and that is a testament to our warrior spirits in Spirit Gulch that day. We came to a place where the mountain gave way underfoot and we
couldn't make progress. I propelled myself
with immense force until my quads felt shattered. We crawled to the ridgecrest. What a concept."
Betsey snapped this photo of me on the summit ridge of T8, relieved to be alive and on top of the mountain.
(Betsey Butler, photo)
In 2025, we left the ridge shortly after going over the first outcrop. The headwall slope looked doable but the early escape was a mistake. The pitch of the slope was steeper than it had been in the vicinity of the saddle. (THW, photo)
We had a nifty idea to return on FSR 895. It runs from Spirit Gulch to US 550, contacting the highway half a mile south of the Richmond Trailhead. We intersected it in the basin at 12,040 feet where a large cairn marked the upper end of the road and followed it over the south ridge of T8.
FSR 895 makes a sharp turn to the south in Spirit Gulch and proceeds to the Barstow Mine. (THW, photo)
After our taxing experience on the headwall we were blissing out on the road as it wound down to the highway. It flanks Point 13,150' on the south ridge of T8.
Even more startling was the perspective on Richmond Peak.
The Reds were an envelope of incandescent light. At 10,940 feet we came to a locked gate with a private property, no trespassing sign facing people coming up the road. Apparently we'd unknowingly passed through an inholding surrounded by Uncompahgre National Forest. It was disappointing because the road was a key element in an amazing loop. That explains why the road isn't shown on the map I built for this post and why hikers coming out through Spirit Gulch are required to exit via the Barstow Mine.
The runout zone in Spirit Gulch proved once again the tenacity of flowers. Our hike coincided with peak bloom in the San Juan Mountains.
Following is a list of the 56 flowers I recorded. I could have easily
missed many more. In order of appearance they are: pearly everlasting,
Indian paintbrush, fireweed, parrot beak lousewort, harebell, solidago,
orange sneezeweed, mountain gold, osha, burnt orange agoseris, Coulter's erigeron, mountain parsley, delphinium, pussy toes, rayless
senecio, yarrow,
geranium, old man of the mountain, potentilla, alumroot, strawberry,
alpine avens, American bistort,
veronica, alpine sandwort, rosy paintbrush (plus sulfur and hybridized),
snow buttercup,
Jacob's ladder, mountain bluebell, moss campion, alpine clover,
sibbaldia,
snowball and dotted saxifrage, deep rooted spring beauty, marsh marigold, king's
crown, wallflower,
sorrel, candytuft, sky pilot, snowlover, Colorado ragwort, mat
penstemon, alpine fireweed, Whipple's penstemon, Grey's angelica,
elephant head, caraway, black tip and arrow leaf senecio, native
honeysuckle, and cow
parsnip.
