LoJ: Not Ranked / 13,777' Fuller Peak
N 37° 47' 45.51", W 107° 49' 16.36"
(Not Field Checked)
Beattie Peak
Golden Horn
Pilot Knob
UN 13302 [Formerly UN 13300 E or "V 8"]
Vermilion Peak
Peak Summary
Though rated an "unranked" 13er summit, Fuller Peak is still a worthwhile venture and so we include it as part of a sequence that starts with V.8, goes to Beattie, then Fuller, followed by Vermilion and finally Golden Horn. Fuller is rated a Class 2 on mostly broken rubble that offers outstanding views of portions of the beautiful Ice Lake Basin. Our suggested trailhead is the Lake Hope Trail accessed from Trout Lake, near Lizard Head Pass, south of Telluride. The trailhead is accessible to cross over type vehicles with better clearance and 4WD. It may be accessible to standard passenger vehicles if the road has been recently graded.
Fuller Peak SW & NW Ridges Route
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Lake Hope TH
The following directions are provided from the National Forest Service: "From Telluride: Travel west on State Highway 145 for approximately 3 miles. Turn left at the first highway intersection, continuing south on State Hwy 145 for approximately10.1 miles. Turn left onto County Road 63A (signed as "Trout Lake"). Proceed on CR 63A for approximately 1.7 miles to Forest Service Road #627. Stay to the left on FSR #627 and continue for approximately 2.5 miles to the Hope Lake Trailhead. A high clearance vehicle is recommended for the last two miles of rough forest road that leads to the trailhead."
Our note: Measuring the distance to the trailhead on FSR #627 using the map program, we came up with 2.9 miles. The trailhead is located on a sharp switchback that will be turning back to the left.
The Forest Service site also offers this description of the trail to Lake Hope: "The Hope Lake Trail #410 begins at the Hope Lake Trailhead and ends at the forest boundary with the San Juan National Forest. This is a favorite hike for viewing wildflowers and is one of the most popular trails in the Telluride area. The trail begins to gently ascend through spruce-fir forests until it crosses rock slides and meadows filled with wildflowers. As it climbs, openings in the trees provide nice views of Trout Lake and the nearby mountain peaks. There is an elevation gain of about 800 feet in just 0.6 miles which gives way to alpine meadows where wildflowers often abound. To the east, spectacular Vermilion Peak rises 13,894 feet. As the trail tops a grassy slope between two rocky hills, Hope Lake will come into view. About 0.8 miles beyond the lake, the trail crosses into the San Juan National Forest where it continues for about a mile before intersecting with Forest Service Road #585 (South Mineral Creek Road)."
Camping
Trout Lake, where you turn off from the main highway to access the Lake Hope TH, is largely surrounded by private property so few at-large camping places exists. It has been a number of years since we have visited this area and back then, FSR #627 did not extend as far as it does now and the trailhead was found at a lower elevation. (See the old USGS map). It appears that there may be a couple spots along FSR #627 as you drive to the TH, but there is also clearly private property along this route as well, so be careful and respectful. There is a pullout just back down the road from the TH where one could perhaps car-camp overnight.
The nearest National Forest Campgrounds are: Matterhorn and Sunshine, north of Lizard Head Pass on the way in from Telluride; and Cayton on the south side of the pass toward Rico. In addition, there are two other trailhead turnouts/parking areas: one at the summit of Lizard Head Pass and the other south of the pass at the Cross Mountain TH. In general, the closer you get to Telluride, the more difficult it is to find a legal place to camp.
Campsite Locations
Matterhorn › N 37° 50' 49.19", W 107° 52' 57.49"Campground elevation 9470 ft. Well-developed campground with 28 campsites, hookups and even showers.Can be reserved.
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From UN 13302 Beattie Peak
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V.8 SW Ridge Class 2 / 4.1 mi / 2,555’ One-Way
Click thumbnail to view full-size photo + caption
Open This Route in a New WindowThe official Forest Service TH now lies close to Poverty Gulch, so the trail now leads east initially, gaining a little elevation to cross Poverty Gulch. Once across, the trail loses a little elevation before gaining more steeply. As the trail steepens, it gains elevation on several switchbacks. As the trail nears the lake, you can continue on the trail until you have a beautiful lake view, but it's best to find a place to cross the creek below the lake outlet on its north side if doing San Miguel. From the lake, San Miguel appears as a rather nondescript summit that lies to the west and appears to be so small, you may not believe that it is a ranked summit you would want to climb. It will take about an hour to reach the lake.
From the lake, the trail remains on the east shore and continues to a pass at 12,445 ft. That's the easiest part. From the pass, head NNE up the ridge. The first 150 vertical feet are okay. Then the ridge turns to the large broken rock. The rocks are loose and easy to send tumbling down off the ridge. Perhaps this ridge is now more cleaned off and a little more stable than it was in 1993. The ridge then steepens when you encounter the rock. It will finally relent some at 13,220 ft. Continue following the summit ridge to the high point at the far NE end staying mostly on the ridge crest, still with no tundra & plenty of broken rock. There is one notch that requires some care because of brief exposure and more loose rock. Kids may have some difficulty with it. When you finally arrive at the summit, the continuing climb to Beattie, Vermilion & Fuller may appear to be a little discouraging. Enjoy the view of Lake Hope, now far below, and its crystalline waters. Then continue on to the Beattie-Fuller-Vermilion saddle.
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Beattie Peak SW Ridge Class 2 / 0.75 mi / 360’ One-Way
Open This Route in a New WindowBeattie Peak is part of a sequence that begins with UN13,302 (V.8) and is followed by Fuller, Vermilion and Golden Horn. One-way mileage and elevation gain is measured from the summit of V.8. Round-trip mileage and elevation gain assumes completion of the sequence.
From V.8, follow the ridge to the NE down to the V.8/Beattie saddle. From there, continue NE on the same pronounced ridge to the summit of Beattie for a total distance of three-quarter mile. Pretty simple - except for the same large, blocky rocks, rubble, etc. There will also be more minor rock outcrops to work over or around. This is more difficult Class 2 terrain that our kids, ages 10 & 12 still managed to navigate, but under protest. Time to travel this section should be no more than about a half hour. From the summit of Beattie, chart out your best route to Fuller/Vermilion. Some trails will lead to either. Many will exclude Fuller because it is unranked, but it does have a summit somewhat worthy of the effort.
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Click thumbnail to view full-size photo + captionRoute Description
Year Climbed: 1993Fuller Peak is part of a sequence of summits that begins with V.8, proceeds to Beattie, then to Fuller, and heads on over to Vermilion and finishes on Golden Horn. This circuit hike will net four ranked, 13er summits. Fuller is unranked. One-way mileage and elevation gain to Fuller are measured from the summit of Beattie. Round-trip mileage and elevation gain assume completion of the entire sequence.
From the summit of Beattie Peak, continue north toward Fuller along the same relentlessly rocky ridge that has led to V.8 and Beattie. Before departing the summit of Beattie, you may want to make a decision as to whether or not to include Fuller and if you do, then which way you want to approach its summit. From the main cover provided, you can see two clear trails. One heads off the Beattie-Fuller ridge from just north of the saddle and angles left to intersect the Vermilion-Fuller saddle. Another trail continues directly up the SSW ridge of Fuller with numerous switchbacks showing. It would make some sense to head directly up the SSW ridge except for the steepness of the grade and the rock conditions which make this a rather less-than-pleasant ascent. There's plenty of loose, broken rock to go around, but the rock sizes diminish some from those on the lower ridge as you pass over V.8 and Beattie. The use trail will greatly assist in getting through all the rock. It took us about 40 minutes to make the traverse from Beattie. From the Fuller summit, if not too distracted by the amazing view, study the route to Vermilion. A trail should be evident that avoids most all of the ridge difficulties.
Additional BETA
Links to other information, routes & trip reports for this peak that may be helpful. -
