The Stage 3 fire and access restrictions to the San Juan National Forest have been rolled back to a Stage 2 condition which means access to the forest is once more open to the public. However, fire conditions still remain high and we are currently in the middle of a strong heat wave. Consult current regulations with the San Juan NF before planning any trips. Fines for violations are significant.
LoJ: #370 (G & M: #369) / 13,328' Cinnamon Mountain
N 37° 55' 47.22", W 107°32' 45.18"
(Not Field Checked)
UN 13535
Peak Summary
Cinnamon Mtn East Ridge Route
-
-
Cinnamon Pass Trailhead
From Lake City, proceed south on HWY 149 and take the turnoff to the right for Lake San Cristobal. Continue south around the lake and follow CR3 (BLM 3306) past the Williams Creek and Mill Creek campgrounds to the intersection at Sherman. (On Trails Illustrated, this is CR30) Road to here is drivable for standard passenger cars. Take the right fork and begin a steeper ascent into the upper valley. Higher clearance vehicles now advisable. It's a little over 3 miles to the Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch trail heads used for accessing Sunshine, Redcloud and Handies. Continue just about one more mile to the trailhead for Cooper Creek. There is some parking on the west side just after crossing the creek or continue a little further to these coordinates (N 37° 56' 37.57" W 107° 28' 18.36") for another parking spot and the beginning of an old roadbed that leads north, then east to gain a bench above Cooper Creek. Drop one vehicle here, then continue driving on to the summit of Cinnamon Pass. After the turnoff for American Basin, the road begins to climb more steeply and becomes rougher. Park just on the west side of the pass.
Camping
There are designated, forest service campgrounds at Williams Creek and Mill Creek CG. There's also some primitive sites around Sherman. Once above Sherman, additional primitive sites may be found at the TH for Sunshine, Redcloud and Handies and again near the TH for Cooper Creek. You may even be able to find some other primitive sites or just road pull-outs further up the road past Cooper Creek and up into American Basin, but be aware of some private property issues.
Route Description
Year Climbed: 1996If doing Cinnamon Mountain alone from the pass, total roundtrip distance will be no more than 1.5 and elevation gain will amount to only 700 feet. If you include UN13,535, total mileage will increase to 4.5 total and 1,450 total elevation gain.
From Cinnamon Pass, walk south across tundra following a well-used trail that passes by some old, collapsed mining structures. This trail will then veer west as it climbs up to the saddle east of the summit of Cinnamon Mtn. As it heads for that saddle, it cuts across a very rocky slope and you may encounter just a little talus scrambling just before gaining the saddle. Once on the ridge, head west for an easy walk-up on rock, soil and tundra to the summit. Return by the same route or continue over to UN13,535 by following the ridge back east to intersect the ridgeline that generally heads south to UN13,535. Total roundtrip time for Cinnamon alone 1.5 hours. If you include UN13,535, 2.5 to 3 hours.
Bonus points: For those wishing to make this peak a more "sporting" climb, try starting down around Animas Forks and hike up the west side of this mountain on mostly steeper, tundra slopes for a 2,500 foot gain.
-