Please read our note on the Home page about adjusting maps to reflect Lidar elevations.
LoJ: #270 (Pre-LiDAR #273) / 13,486' UN 13486 Formerly UN 13472
N 38° 56' 03.11", W 106° 25' 28.73"
(Not Field Checked)
UN 13513 [Formerly UN 13,517]
Huron Peak
Peak Summary
UN 13,486 (Lidar) was previously considered an unranked summit laying on the ridge between Huron and UN 13,513 (Lidar) On the Winfield quad, it's marked as PT. 13,472. Depending on route taken, this is a Class 2 or Class 3 summit. We have sequenced this summit with UN 13,513 to the south along a 3rd class ridge, but there's an easier approach if you don't mind losing some elevation. The two summits combined make a good day hike that should return you by middle afternoon or earlier depending on start time and weather.
UN 13486 via east side access Route
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Clear Creek/Winfield/Apostles TH
From Leadville, drive south a little over 19 miles on HWY 24 to the turnoff for Clear Creek Reservoir (CR390) and head west. The turn is less than 2 miles south of "Granite." From Buena Vista, drive north just under 15 miles to the same turnoff. Drive west on graded dirt road 11.7 miles to Winfield. As the road approaches Winfield, it will become a little more narrow and likely to have some potholes. Because of heavy use, this road is often washboarded badly. At Winfield, turn south and cross the creek and continue south, then SW on CR390.2B. About 100 yards after crossing the creek, passenger cars may want to park because the road greatly deteriorates beyond there. Higher clearance vehicles may continue. 4WD is not really required for the remainder of the drive to the end of the road. At a little over .7 mile after crossing Clear Creek, just south of Winfield is the turnoff for the blocked road to Lulu Gulch, UN 13,471 (formerly UN 13,462 A) and Browns Peak. From Winfield it's about 2.25 miles to the end of the road and some limited parking. This trailhead is used for both Huron Peak and routes to the Apostles.
If using this general trailhead description for access to peaks up the Lake Fork of Clear Creek (Clohesy Lake), then do not drive all the way to Winfield. Instead, you'll need to turn left at 9.8 miles in from US24 and drive down through the few cabins that comprise "Rockdale," ford Clear Creek and drive to the Clohesy Lake trailhead with a starting elevation of 10,880 ft. 4WD required for this access, otherwise, walk it and enjoy the frigid and sometimes dangerous crossing of Clear Creek. Before summer runoff subsides (usually around July 4 or a little later) a vehicle crossing of Clear Creek can be difficult. We strongly advise only attempting this with high clearance, 4WD. We've done it twice in a Jeep Cherokee Sport and had water above the bottom of the door panels and washing up onto the hood.
If you are unable to drive to the trailhead, you will need to start at Rockdale. This will add appx. 3 miles one way ( 6 miles RT) to the mileage estimate we provide and nearly 4,500 total elevation gain if completing both UN 13,513 and UN 13,486.
Camping
For the access to Huron and the Apostles, best camping opportunities are along the final two miles to the trailhead from Winfield. There are several at-large spots available. Camping before Winfield can be difficult because of private property and the large number of people coming to climb Belford, Oxford and Missouri.
There are good campsites for backpackers in the vicinity of "Hamilton" along the Huron Route and the trail up toward the Apostles. There are also good campsites in the meadow just north of the rock glacier at about 11,400 feet or a little lower.
If heading up the Lake Fork toward Clohesy Lake, there is at-large camping at the trailhead which is at a large, open meadow area that's relatively flat. Coordinates are: N 38° 57' 15.48" W 106° 24' 32.64"
Route Description
Year Climbed: 2001We have sequenced UN 13,486 with UN 13,513. Round trip mileage and elevation gain assumes completion of the sequence. If you begin at Rockdale, add 6 more miles to the round-trip mileage for this day and an additional 950 feet of elevation gain, making this a much longer day. Please note that if you want to take the direct ridge connect between these two summits, there is an excellent report with useful photos by MtnMan200 on 14ers.com. Please consult that report for details about that ridge traverse, rated Class 3. In 2001, we could not locate any reliable information about that traverse, so we elected to descend UN 13,513, going back down the way we had come up from the basin east of the connecting ridge. At the time, we thought that ridge appeared rather daunting, difficult and exposed to weather which was a higher probability this day.
We descended off UN13,513 as we had come up, back to the bottom of the cliffs. Then you can contour north over large boulders below a prominent, protruding ridge at the 12,600 ft. level and then swing back to the NW. After a little more boulder hopping, you'll reach firmer ground as you gain back about 800 feet of elevation on a mostly tundra slope. Aim for the far north end of the summit ridge where it splits. The higher up you go, the less stable things will become, but it should not exceed Class 2+. As you near the summit ridge, a small ramp to the left (west) will lead up to a notch in the ridge. Complete your ascent by following the rocky ridge to the high point. There are two reports on LoJ that offer more information regarding this summit. One report gives route access from the east, the other from the west side of the ridge. Both reports confirm the difficulties of navigating the actual ridge that connects 13,486 with 13,513.
More bonus points: It is easily possible to continue north from this summit all the way to Huron. Just follow the connecting ridge. If you do climb 13,486, there are two possible descent routes. One would be to return as you ascended. The other possibility is to hike north from the summit as though heading for Huron. When you reach the low point between the two summits at 13,060, you can drop NNE into the basin that holds Lois Lake. The descent will start out on steep talus that eventually turns to steep tundra. After losing 700 feet, you'll enter an extensive boulder field of very large rocks. Work your way over to Lois Lake then pick up a trail that first leads NNE and then switchbacks down an avalanche gully that terminates at the outlet for Clohesy Lake. Ford the stream and follow a trail that avoids the private property and takes you back to the trailhead. This descent route is described by Gerry Roach as a possible ascent route for Huron Peak in his 14er guide book.
Additional BETA
Links to other information, routes & trip reports for this peak that may be helpful. -