| San Luis Pk - Organ Mtn Traverse Route |
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| San Luis Pk - Organ Mtn Traverse   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 37.98690°N / 106.9308°W Route Type: Mountaineering Season: Summer Time Required: Most of a day Rock Difficulty: Class 3
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| Page By: altitude14er Created/Edited: Jul 3, 2007 / Jul 3, 2007 Object ID: 307432 Hits: 449 Loading... Page Score: 87.63% - 6 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview
This route combines an ascent of Colorado's San Luis Peak (14,014ft.) and Organ Mountain (13,801ft.). The combination makes for a fun and challenging outing, characterized by a long, 2 mile ridge walk.
- From Stewart Creek Trailhead, 4,294ft elevation gain.
- APPROXIMATELY 12.6 miles roundtrip with ascent of San Luis East Slopes route then traverse to Organ via its West Slopes & descent of Organ's North Slopes.
Getting ThereIn order to reach the Stewart Creek Trailhead take Colorado Highway 50 just East of Gunnison. Take CO114 south. Follow this highway for about 20 miles and turn right onto dirt road NN14. Pass the Dome Lakes, going about 7 miles to the intersection with dirt road 15GG (on some maps FS794)! Signs direct you to the TH from here. It is 21 more miles of dirt roads to reach the TH which is on your right. The reclusive and remote nature of this TH gives it its charm.
Route DescriptionFrom the Stewart Creek TH follow the well defined trail 4 miles to tree line at 12,000ft. Once at tree line the trail begins heading upwards to the southwest. The trail reaches the San Luis Peak - Organ Mountain saddle at 13,107ft. From here it is about a half mile to the summit of San Luis. Descend San Luis back to the 13,107ft saddle. Follow Organ Mountains West Ridge Route toward the shapely, volcanic summit.
From this saddle, bypass the rocky cliffs by sticking to the ridges left (North) side. Gain Point 13,500ft. - a gentle slope. From here, the quality of the ridge deteriorates. Follow the rotten rubble, staying on the ridge crest and descending to about 13,300ft.
It is here that you encounter the steep cliff band that is impassable without loosing elevation (photo below - taken on North Slopes).
Bypassing this cliff is the routes crux. Find an area of your choosing to descend several hundred feet on the ridges (south) right side to reach the base of the cliff. From here choose any number of options to regain the other side of the cliff & ridge crest by climbing north to 13,380ft. The scrambling in this section can be kept at Class 3 but could easily become Class 4 or 5 depending on the route variation. Route finding is critical here.
Once past the cliff the rock scrambling is over. Ascend the final half mile to Organs summit following a rock gully to the left (North) of the Organ Pipes composing the peaks South Face.
Descend Organs steep, grassy North Slopes Route to re-join the Stewart Creek drainage/trail.
Essential GearThe ten essentials, climbing helmet & boots. When in doubt, it is better to pack too much than too little.External LinksIf you are going to attempt a winter ascent I'd recommend stopping by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center website. It's an invaluable resource!! I am unsure if it is possible to get down the road all the way in the winter. This is a remote area.
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San Juan Range
