The best Colorado 13ers, from beginner-friendly to advanced – The Know

Colorado’s thirteeners don’t get enough credit. They may not carry the same prestige as bagging a fourteener, but they often yield beautiful, challening hikes that are far less crowded than their slightly taller mountain brethren.

The following is a list of suggestions for outstanding thirteener experiences, but these thumbnails are not intended to take the place of guidebooks or hiking apps. You should consult more detailed resources before heading out on an unfamiliar peak, and bring a good topographical map.

Square Top Mountain, 13,794 feet: You can make this a fun half-day outing or do some ridge-running to the north after reaching the summit to make it a really great day. Square Top is on the opposite side of Guanella Pass from Mount Bierstadt, the busiest fourteener in the state. On Square Top, you get great views of Bierstadt and neighboring Mount Evans to the east, without having to cope with the crowds they attract, and of Grays and Torreys peaks to the west. The trailhead is about 10.5 miles south of Georgetown on the Guanella Pass Road.

Mount Meeker, 13,911 feet: When you look at Longs Peak from the Denver area, you’re actually looking at Longs (14,255 feet) and Mount Meeker, which appear to be one mountain, and most of what you’re seeing is Meeker. Located in Rocky Mountain National Park, they are connected by a saddle called The Loft (13,400 feet) and their summits are only about 0.7 miles apart. The north face of Meeker, together with the east face of Longs, form “Colorado’s greatest mountain cirque,” in the opinion of noted mountaineer and guide book author Gerry Roach. There are multiple routes to Meeker’s summit.

Mount Lady Washington, 13,281 feet: The easiest routes on Mount Meeker are rated Class 3, which means you don’t need ropes but you will use your hands — not for pulling yourself up, but for balance — to rely on four points of contact in tougher sections. Like Meeker, Mount Lady Washington is a close Longs Peak neighbor (their summits are about 0.75 miles apart), but this one you can climb with your hands in your pockets. “The views are just spectacular,” said Jeff Golden, a spokesman for the Colorado Mountain Club. “You’re right up there in the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park. Even though Mount Lady Washington is fairly gentle and you just kind of walk up it, you’re surrounded by a lot more rugged peaks, so the views and the payoff are very high.”

Mount Audubon, 13,223 feet: Visible from much of the Denver area, this humpbacked mountain just north of Brainard Lake offers outstanding views of the Indian Peaks to the south and Longs Peak to the north. Don’t be surprised if you see some trail runners scampering by you on a training run while you hike. To get there, drive about 11 miles north from Nederland on the Peak to Peak Highway, then about five miles west on the road to Brainard Lake.

North Arapaho Peak, 13,502 feet: This is the highest summit in the Indian Peaks and it has a twin, South Arapaho Peak (13,397 feet). Some hikers settle for South Arapaho because it is a worthy objective on its own, and the traverse from it to North Arapaho is more than a hike. “There are a couple or three spots where you have to put hands on (rocks) and scramble, but it’s not that bad if it’s dry, and a lot of people do it,” Roach said. The Arapaho peaks are located about seven miles northwest of Eldora — the town, not the ski area.

Mount Edwards, 13,850 feet: Like Meeker and Square Top, Edwards is a fine peak located near a fourteener (actually two, Grays and Torreys). The ridge connecting Edwards to Grays and on to Torreys is the Continental Divide, and the summits of Grays and Edwards are 1.3 miles apart. You can climb it from the same trailhead that leads to Grays and Torreys, or you can avoid those crowds with approaches from the east or south.

James Peak, 13,294 feet: This is one of the prominent peaks on the Continental Divide that you can see from the famous Buffalo Herd Overlook on Interstate 70 at Genesee. It’s also one of the peaks that dominate the view to the east when you’re skiing Winter Park. It’s usually climbed from St. Mary’s Glacier or the old mining roads above Central City. To extend your hike, run the ridge south to Mount Bancroft and then west to bag Parry Peak (13,391 feet).

Mount Sniktau, 13,234 feet: Maybe this seems like cheating, but you can park on Loveland Pass for this one and start hiking at 11,991 feet. From there, you head east for about 0.8 miles, then north for about 0.9 miles to reach Sniktau’s summit. For more fun after bagging Sniktau, head back south on the ridge and continue south past the trail that goes back down to Loveland Pass until you reach Grizzly Peak (13,427 feet), which is about 1.8 miles from the summit of Sniktau.

Jagged Mountain, 13,824 feet: The San Juans are a long way from Denver, and some of them are tucked away in places that require long approaches to reach, but peaks in Colorado’s most dramatic range are worth it. Gerry Roach ranks Jagged Mountain, 12 miles southeast of Silverton, among the five best thirteeners in the state. “I proclaimed it the best peak-bag in Colorado, regardless of altitude, because it’s way back in there. Mortals like us have to backpack to get to it, and then it’s a pretty hefty climb. That’s probably too much for a lot of people.” OK, so maybe this one isn’t as beginner-friendly, but consider yourself challenged.

Vermilion Mountain, 13,894 feet: One of the most beautiful hikes in Colorado is the trek to the Ice Lakes west of Silverton. Keep going and Vermilion is your prize. “You do the Ice Lakes hike, which is super famous, and you continue up Vermillion,” said Jeff Golden. “You’re right in the middle of the San Juans, so you get (to see) all of the Grenadiers, you can see the Sneffels Range, you can see the Wilsons (Wilson Peak and Mount Wilson, both fourteeners).”

Source for elevations: Colorado Thirteeners, second edition, by Gerry Roach and Jennifer Roach

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