LoJ: Not Ranked / 13,015' UN 13015 Formerly UN 13020 A

Range › Elks Range
Quadrangle › Maroon Bells
Summit Location › Peak Route Icon N 39° 07' 05.53", W 106° 58' 52.19" (Not Field Checked)

Peak Summary

UN13,015 is a short & sweet Class 2 ascent from a pass located between it and UN13,350 (previously UN13336) in the Maroon-Snowmass Wilderness. You can access this summit as a day-hike from Maroon Lake by way of trails that will take you to within 20 minutes of the summit. The trailhead at Maroon Lake is accessible to all passenger cars. The previous elevation of 13,020 was interpolated and Lidar has revised down five feet to 13,015 ft. Lidar has also shown it to only have 292 feet of prominence, thus removing it from the list of "ranked" 13ers.

UN13,015 North Ridge Route

Class 2
Peak Icon Peak Icon
Long Day // Back for Dinner
Climbed with UN 13350 Maroon Bells
RT From Maroon Lake TH: 12.4 mi / 5,270'
From UN 13350 Maroon Bells: 0.70 mi / 320' (One-Way)
  • Trailhead
    • Maroon Lake TH

      For quite a few years now, in order to regulate and reduce the vehicle traffic flow to Maroon Lake, the Forest Service has restricted vehicle traffic to Maroon Lake. Go to this link to search for detailed information: fs.usda.gov/whiteriver, but generally speaking, you can only drive a vehicle in before 9:00 AM or after 5:00 PM. Limited parking is available and can fill up rapidly on summer days. If arriving between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, you'll be required to ride a shuttle bus that runs every 20 minutes up to the lake.

      From State HWY 82 on the west side of Aspen, drive through the traffic circle south heading for the Aspen Highlands Ski area and Maroon Lake. This traffic circle is about 1 mile west of Aspen on HWY82 or 40 miles SE from Glenwood Springs, and after the airport and Aspen Business Center by the airport. The road number is CR13. The so-called "welcome station" is 4.7 miles south and that's where you must pay a vehicle use fee of $10. If attempting to drive in during restricted hours, you'll have to park at the Highlands Ski area and ride a free shuttle in. The trail to Crater Lake is what you need to locate at the SW end of the parking lot. The trail goes around Maroon Lake on the north and west side.


      Camping

      Designated, fee campsites are available at the Silver Bar CG, the Silver Bell CG and the Silver Queen CG along CR13 as you drive in to Maroon Lake. These campgrounds are almost always occupied, especially on weekends. The White River National Forest website indicates that sites in these campgrounds can be reserved by calling 1-877-444-6777. There is no at-large camping allowed anywhere else along the road to Maroon Lake. Technically, vehicle camping in the parking lot at Maroon Lake is also off limits, but still practiced by many. Attempt at your own risk. The nearest other campground will be the Difficult Creek CG up HWY 82, about 4 miles east of town toward Independence Pass.

    Approach Map Photos
    • From UN 13350 Maroon Bells


      All of the five 13er summits that we have placed in the Buckskin Pass Group can be accessed as a day-hike from the Maroon Lake TH. It is possible to also backpack up Minnehaha Creek and set up a base camp from which all five summits could easily be done in about two days. UN13,350 we have sequenced with UN13,015 for a fairly long day-hike from Maroon Lake.

      From the Maroon Lake parking area, head south on the Crater Lake trail #1975. Make sure you don't get diverted over onto the scenic Maroon Lake trail. Walk 1.5 miles to Crater Lake amid hordes of dayhikers, touroids, etc., unless you've gotten a good early start. View the "Deadly Bells" warning sign. If you're going to backpack in and camp overnight, you'll also need to self-register. At Crater Lake, turn west and head up Trail #1978 toward Buckskin Pass. This trail heads up Minnehaha Gulch and begins to gain some serious altitude shortly after Crater Lake. There are/were some backpacking campsites near the lake and the trail intersection. At about 11,100 ft., there are/were some excellent campsites on the ridge to the right above the trail if camping overnight. They are located a short distance before the trail crosses Minnehaha Creek at 11,060 ft. It's about 3 miles to this location. Be sure and check recent regulations regarding backcountry camping in this area in case a designated site system has been implemented.

      From where the trail crosses over Minnehahah Creek, continue a little farther toward Buckskin Pass, but watch for the trail intersection where you turn north to head over Willow Pass at 12,580 ft. Most all of the hiking above treeline is through tundra, but the final gain to the pass will be through the typical maroon sedimentary rock. On the north side of the pass, drop down on a few switchbacks into Willow Basin. The trail leads down to Willow Lake passing through a vast tundra basin dotted with maroon boulders and colorful orange lichen. Just below 12,000 feet in elevation, watch for a trail that heads off to the west. Follow this trail as it regains altitude to an unnamed pass that we will call East Snowmass Creek Pass. The trail passes through some of the white rock rubble that characterizes UN13,015 which will be just left of the trail as you head up to the pass. UN13,350 will be visible the entire time you're crossing Willow Basin. It has a distinct, split personality geologically, with half of the peak comprised of the maroon, metamorphosed sedimentary mudstone, and the whitish, intrusive granite.

      Once you gain the pass, you will be at a dividing line between the two major rock types. There is/was a post here to mark the trail as it heads down into East Snowmass Creek. In climbing 13ers, when given a choice, our rule was to always climb the highest summit first, so head north from the pass on soft maroon dirt and maroon rocks and scree.

      Follow mostly on the west side of the ridge staying below the crest most of the time. We found this to be the easiest path. There are some small cliff bands lower down to work through, but nothing difficult. Higher up, you leave behind the maroon rock and get onto the broken, boulder rubble of the whitish rock. It becomes mostly just slugging it out with minor obstacles at various places to search around and overcome until you arrive at the summit. Along the way and on the summit, you'll enjoy a panoramic view of the Snowmass Mtn. massif and Snowmass Lake to the west. Capitol Peak is also in view. From here on out, even if you go on over to UN13,015, you'll basically be working your way back to the beginning of the hike at Maroon Lake.

      Open This Route in a New Window
    Peak Icon Route Map Photos

    Route Info UN13,015 North Ridge

    Route Description

    Year Climbed: 2007

    UN13,015 (which is no longer ranked per Lidar) is sequenced with UN 13350 (previously UN13,336) as a day-hike from Maroon Lake. The mileage and elevation gain are measured from the summit of UN13,350.

    From the summit of UN13,350, descend back to the pass we call East Snowmass Creek Pass that separates UN13,350 and UN13,015. From the pass, walk up and west along the ridge, over smaller and more manageable whitish rubble, scree and talus. When you hit the summit ridge, walk south to the highest, rocky point to enjoy the views, especially of the vast, Willow Lake Basin.

    To descend, if you've had enough of the talus for the day, you can drop ESE from the summit on mostly tundra back to the trail from the East Snowmass Creek Pass, then head back on the Willow Pass Trail.


    Additional BETA

    Links to other information, routes & trip reports for this peak that may be helpful.
"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month." Theodore Roosevelt
Warning! Climbing peaks can be dangerous! By using this site and the information contained herein, you're agreeing to use common sense, good judgement, and to not hold us liable nor sue us for any reason. Legal Notice & Terms of Use.
x
Donate to Climb13ers.com ›