Kendall No. 2 Benchmark, 13,066'; and Kendall Mountain, 13,340'

Essence: Climb two ranked summits presiding over the town of Silverton. Cherished as a place holder for the citizens of the hamlet, the annual Kendall Mountain Run dashes up from town to Kendall No. 2 on the north rim of Kendall Gulch. Reprise the race course, primarily on a 4WD track, finishing with 400 vertical feet on a singletrack to the summit. (LiDAR, 13,073', rise 348 feet.) The Kendall Mountain climb is off-trail. The traverse between the saddle ("Notch") and base of the southwest ridge is the highlight of the circuit. There is some exposure on the pitch to the summit (LiDAR 13,353', rise 327). The peaks are easily combined. Kendall Mountain Road extends to the Titusville Mine at the headwall of Kendall Gulch. Mentally, make the road disappear and revel in a classic high alpine basin with a rock glacier, central streamway, near vertical north-facing walls, and whimsical volcanic shapes. The peaks are on the rim of the Silverton Caldera, one of approximately 15 calderas created in fiery volcanic explosions racking the San Juan Mountains from 35 to 28 million years ago. The San Juan volcanic field covers 9,650 square miles. The hike is on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

Travel: In Silverton, at the corner of Greene Street and East 14th Street, drive southeast. Measure distance from the bridge crossing the Animas River. Immediately, turn right on San Juan CR 33, Kendall Mountain Road. 4WD and sturdy tires are recommended for the steep and rocky track. Pass a historic boxcar at 2.1 miles. I have parked and walked from there many times to avoid three tight switchbacks. This description begins from the junction with CR 33A, Deer Park Road, at 2.9 miles, elevation 10,840 feet. With a capable vehicle, you could proceed to a pullout at 11,480 feet, or even 12,220 feet. 
Distance and Elevation Gain: 8.5 miles; 3,540 feet
Total Time: 4:30 to 7:00
Difficulty: Trail, off-trail; navigation moderate; Class 2+; short pitch with moderate exposure on the southwest ridge of Kendall Mountain.
Maps: Silverton; Howardsville, Colorado 7.5' USGS Quads

History: The three Kendalls are named after James Kendall. He was among the men who explored the new mining area around Silverton in 1871. 
Latest Date Hiked: July 24, 2026
Quote: Regular maps have few surprises: their contour lines are reasonably clear. More precious, though, are the unpublished maps we make ourselves, of our city, our place, our daily world, our life; those maps of our private world we use every day. Alexander McCall Smith

This image of Kendall No. 2 Benchmark illustrates the fundamental part the mountain plays in daily life for the people of Silverton. The peak is home ground and without it, they would be irrefutably disoriented. The summit of Kendall Mountain is on the left.

Route: Mileages and elevation gain are calculated from parking at 10,840 feet but you could start much lower, or even higher on CR 33. Hike northeast on Kendall Gulch Road to 12,220 feet. Hook northwest and hike on a 4WD track to the 12,735-foot saddle ("Notch"). For Kendall No. 2 Benchmark, climb northwest on a trail to the summit. Descend on a technical 4WD track on the west and south sides of the mountain, returning to the Notch. For Kendall Mountain, traverse the west ridge and climb steeply up the southwest ridge. From the summit, hike southeast to a low point and then descend southwest back to the road at 12,220 feet. If the weather holds and you have the energy, walk east up CR 33 to the headwall near the Titusville Mine.  

   

I have done many solo adventures in Kendall Gulch. I never had the nerve to drive beyond the boxcar at 2.1 miles.

With my partner at the wheel, we parked at the junction with Deer Park Road, CR 33A. You could park further up the gulch but you'd miss some beautiful country. Our car is just beyond the Kendall Gulch creek, an east tributary of the Animas River.  

The next opportunity to park is at a switchback at elevation 11,480 feet, 0.9 mile. At tree limit the long, broad gulch is seen flowing from its headwall.

 

Admittedly, the road mitigated the charm of the high alpine basin but looking beyond the two-track was easy enough. Fascinating volcanic shapes adorned the south slope of Kendall No. 2. Green gentian were having a bomber year all over southern Colorado, and clusters of fireweed reminded us we were well into mid-summer.

Pollinators were buzzing about the fireweed. This fuzzy bee is taking its turn. (Thomas Holt Ward, photo) 

The view to the southwest was omnipresent. Below, the La Platas are in the background at skyline. The little blip above treeline is Spud Mountain. At center is Engineer Mountain. To its right is West Turk and then the Grand Turk group. Point 11,977' framing the south side of the gulch sparkles at first light. 

I love rock glaciers and the one flowing from Point 12,730' is most intriguing. It cascades in waves into the basin stopping just short of the centerline. Small trees grow in its folds. Mighty boulders are embedded within the glacier, others have tumbled more recently onto its surface. An active rock glacier contains both ice and talus. It travels downhill and deforms faster than the surrounding region. The inactive Kendall Gulch glacier has lost its ice and has been stable for a long time. When the glacier came to rest it formed a toe slope along the leading edge.  

 

The absurdly wild and enthralling nature of the glacier is even more pronounced in morning light. (THW, photo) 

 

Kendall Gulch was enveloped in silence, in sharp contrast with the deafening racket produced by mining operations in the past. A community of boulders reside on the basin floor. I love how these guys sort themselves out and have to wonder if they reshuffle at night when we aren't around to catch them in the act.  

Orange sneezeweed is a dependable bloomer even when rain is reluctant. The rather straggly blossom deserves a close look. (THW, photo)  

 

I always thought Mormon crickets were black but check out the green sheen on this bug. (THW, photo)

Kendall No. 2 Benchmark 

The road splits at 1.8 miles, 12,220 feet. CR 33 continues straight ahead to the Titusville Mine at the head of the basin. For Kendall No. 2, hang a 180 on the secondary road bearing northwest. This is the final opportunity to park.

The annual Kendall Mountain Run was scheduled for the following day and flags designed to keep runners on course turned our hike into a navigational breeze. The 12-mile race starts in Silverton, climbs almost 3,800 feet, tags the Benchmark, and returns to town. In 2007, I ran the race in 2:49. That might seem impressive to a hiker but it's always relative, right? The course record for women is a blistering 1:52.

Time and again the Grenadier Range startles even the most seasoned local when it first comes into view.

 

Gleaming quartzite Vestal (Wham Ridge) and Arrow peaks always remind me of mathematical geometrics. 

(THW, photo)  

 

The road constricts to a shelf covered in chunks of gray rock. It's comfortable walking but would be precipitous driving. (THW, photo)  

The road swings around a corner to reveal Kendall No. 2 and its saddle with Kendall Mountain, informally called the "Notch."  

This closeup illustrates a good portion of the singletrack to the summit of the Benchmark. From the Notch, continue on the road a few paces. The trail cuts up, zigs to the right at the green grass, zags left in front of highly featured outcrops, then plows up the southeast ridge. (THW, photo)  

Arrive in the Notch at 2.6 miles, 12,725 feet (LiDAR). Look abruptly down into Swansea Gulch and across the Animas River up into Boulder Gulch. Velocity Peak is the sharp ridgeline on the west wall. Macomber Peak and Tower Mountain frame the gulch on the right.  

The loop over Kendall No. 2 and back to the Notch is one mile with 400 feet of gain. The foot race goes up the singletrack and returns on the road. Continue past the Notch and begin looking for a trail breaking off and bearing northwest. 

The trail hangs a switchback under a patch of grass and makes for the outcrops image-center. I have to lean into the pitch but the steep path is never more than Class 2+. 

The hike passes by discombobulated stone features. (THW, photo)  

Trekking poles are helpful in this short, slick stretch. 

Below, I am mounting the southeast ridge, image-center. Pause and locate the social trail on the traverse to Kendall Mountain. (THW, photo)  

We were fortunate to see a pica gathering its winter food cache.  (THW, photo)  

 

Arrive on the expansive summit at 2.9 miles.  

The benchmark was placed in 1931. It is among a minority of benchmarks that record the elevation of the peak. 

(THW, photo)  

Silverton is constrained by surrounding mountains 3,768 feet below. On either side of bulky Anvil Mountain are the US 550 and Cement Creek corridors. (THW, photo)  

The view is spectacular so spend a few moments mapping your world. The full glory of the Grenadier Range and Needle Mountains arise in the south.   

There are a lifetime of mountains crammed into the Silverton region. Below, the vermilion-colored peaks in the background are the Ice Lake Group. Sultan Mountain is image-left, and South Lookout Peak is on the right. And that's just the beginning. Keep spinning and you'll see into the Mount Sneffles Wilderness, Half Peak, Snowdon Peak, the Twilights, and the La Plata Mountains.

 

We walked out to the knoll with communication equipment and a weather station. The foot race descends on the west side of the mountain. You can certainly return as you came but the exit on the west affords another fabulous vantage point. 

A singletrack soon connects with a south-bearing two-track.  

The roadbed is chopped up rock. At 12,700 feet hang a 180 degree turn and avoid a good looking road heading north. From the edge of the world, look out over Snowdon Peak and the Twilights in the West Needle Mountains. The Animas River is hidden deep in the trench.

The road swings northeast and completes the Benchmark loop at the Notch at 3.6 miles. The weather was threatening so we returned to the Notch a week later to traverse over to Kendall Mountain. 

Kendall Mountain 

The ridge traverse from the saddle to the base of Kendall Mountain is the highlight of the entire hike. You may bail down to the gulch from there if you wish. It is 700 feet and one mile from the Notch to the summit and 0.8 mile back to the road. To get started, locate a social track on the south side of the ridge, shown. Footing on shattered rick is slightly tricky for the first 20 feet or so. (THW, photo)  

We quickly gained the ridgetop and were greeted by a marmot curious at a rare human sighting. Picas joined in a chorus of alert chirping. (THW, photo)  

As we gained the ridgetop I was filled with instant elation at the seemingly chaotic arrangement of stone. There was an ominous gash edged by massive blocks.  

It was serious fun hopping from one block to the next.  

 

Boulders splintered into dispersed volcanics. Where soil was gaining ground we spotted a few flowers: old man of the mountain, moss campion, alpine avens and American bistort.

The uncomplicated route was punctuated by a faint social trail heading up to Point 12,860'.

 

Volcanic spires, deep gashes in vertical walls creating ridgeline scallops, tundra to soften the mix, and a fragmentary use trail where you need it argue for traversing the ridge between the peaks even if that is all you do. 

The ridgetop was radically rugged and continuously fascinating. One narrow gash had a splash of turquoise blue rock.

There was just one outcrop blocking our path. A use trail provided a simple, easy workaround. (THW, photo)  

Drop into a secondary saddle at 12,780 feet. If you've had enough fun or need to bail for any reason, you may descend smoothly back to the road from there, meeting it at the 12,220-foot intersection. For those climbing the southwest ridge of Kendall Mountain the route skims any obstacles to the south. The north face is oblivion.  

We followed tundra ramps for as long as we could, passing by some sweet towers.

 

The mix of grass and volcanics was pleasant, if loose. (THW, photo)  

 

 

The grass gave out, the pitch increased, and the terrain got serious above the rock band shown. (THW, photo)  

If there is a semblance of a trail up through the crux, we didn't find it. It is possible we were off route. Our line had moderate to serious tumbling exposure. I had to test every foot placement. It was not self-arrestable and the slope was perched above massive cliffs. However, Climb13ers.com, a website I deeply respect, reports no exposure. This illustrates the point that what is death defying for one may not even be noticed by another. (THW, photo)  

At 13,150 feet the grade eased and a zigzagging trail materialized.

Below, I am rounding off onto the summit platform. (THW, photo)  

There are two distinct summit candidates. The first, the northwest summit, is numbered on the Silverton topo, 13,338'.   

 

The second crest is fifteen feet higher, 13,353' (LiDAR). Top out at 4.6 miles on a mix of rock and tundra. In 2026, a peak register was tucked in the summit cairn. Visitors were infrequent. (THW, photo)  

 

The view of Silverton is truncated by the north ridge. (THW, photo)  

 There is an excellent look back at Kendall No. 2 Benchmark. I just have to believe the two Kendalls communicate with each other in ultra low voices, inaudible to humans walking on their surfaces.

Look down into Woodchuck Basin, over to Little Giant Peak, King Solomon Mountain, and Half Peak, far off in the east. 

We decided to take a gamble and descend southeast to the saddle with Point 13,268' and then drop southwest to the road. We knew cliffs armored the road above 12,220 feet so it was something of a gamble. But we loved the mystery and figured we could reclimb the peak if it failed. (THW, photo)  

 

Soon enough we could see the road. When the slope steepened we cut further southwest. It wasn't a panacea--too much sidehilling for that. But we saw more of the mountain and avoided the scary bit (for me, anyway) on the southwest ridge. 

 

We contacted the road about 100 feet above the 12,220-foot junction at 5.4 miles. (THW, photo)  

Kendall Gulch, Upper Basin 

The hike east to the end of the road in the upper basin adds 1.3 miles and 520 feet, roundtrip. 

 

A few feet up the track is a large mine opening with a steel grate barring access. 

The bulbous volcanics framing the north side of the road contrast with the verdant gulch. Of note, there were no breaks or weaknesses in the cliffs beyond 12,220 feet. If you wish to climb Kendall Peak, the southeast ridge of Kendall Mountain is troubled with cliffs so you must drop back into the gulch as we did.

The headwall is an interplay of opposites. Shiny black boulders were scattered on the surface and yet the escarpment was fractured white stone. 

The road ends at the basin headwall, 12,740 feet, near the Titusville Mine. The lead and silver mine operated within the Animas Mining District in the late 1800s. Take a look at the small gleaming rocks at your feet and you'll see the attraction. The colors are all over the spectrum: caramel, black, yellow, gray, and blue. 

It is possible to gain the south ridge of Kendall Peak from the mine. The standard route from Kendall Gulch claws up the steep gully, image-center-left. Liba Kopeckova has a good description of all three Kendalls on SummitPost. She had no trouble in the gully but others have complained of sliding on resistant soil. 

I have climbed Kendall Peak from Spencer Basin and Deer Park. The Deer Park approach was unusual and notable. In October, 2008 it was 16 degrees at the trailhead and 10 degrees and blowing hard on the snow-covered mountain. From Deer Park, elevation 11,600 feet, we located a pack trail that went to the pass with Arrastra Basin. After climbing the peak via the south ridge we created a loop by descending on the ridge straddling Kendall Gulch and Deer Park. My field notes suggest it was dramatic with exciting drops. We went over Point 12,730', shown. Upon reaching Point 12,210', we plunged south back into Deer Park. (THW, photo)  

 

On our return we ran into three kids, the youngest age nine. They were happily skipping down the road after climbing Kendall No. 2 from Silverton. There were already well on their way to generating an indelible mental map of their personal world. (THW, photo)