Wetterhorn Peak

Wetterhorn Peak is a beautiful and distinctive 14er in the northern San Juan mountains. Like its 14er neighbor, Uncompaghre Peak, it sits between Lake City and Ouray. The Southeast Ridge route (Wetterhorn Peak Trail) begins at the Matterhorn Creek Trailhead (for more information on getting to the TH, see below).

From the Matterhorn Creek Trailhead the trail reaches a junction at ~.75 miles. Go right and continue climbing as you break treeline. At ~1.75 miles from the trailhead, you reach another junction, this time go left on the Wetterhorn Peak Trail. The trail then continues through rocky alpine another 1.5 miles to 13,100 feet where you reach the southeast saddle of Wetterhorn Peak.

Once you reach the saddle, the trail will become less defined, rockier, and steeper. Follow a less defined trail weaving through the rocks on the left side of the ridge. From here its ~400 vertical feet of mostly scrambling. Keep staying just below the ridge crest until you see a rock rib at ~13,600 feet. Just before you get to the rock rib, go up and to the right through a small gulley.

At the top of the gully, you have two options: you can locate a notch on the left, climb through it, and descend slightly on the other side to continue below toward the ridge crest. Alternatively, you can scramble up the rocks to reach the ridge crest directly. Once on the ridge, turn left and continue toward the prow.

Near 13,800’, pass the right side of the Prow to reach an open area below the summit block. There are two rock ‘notches’ between the prow and the summit. Pass through the higher notch, climb over an angled rock, and turn right to see the final Class 3 pitch and crux of the route. Expect occasional loose rocks, but most of the ledges are stable . Just below the summit, you’ll reach a ledge, climb directly up or stay a few feet left for easier climbing. Gain the summit and enjoy the views!

Class: 3. Most the of the trail up Wetterhorn is well defined and easy to follow. However, after ~13,200 feet is gets much rockier and class 2 for most of the rest of the way. What is not class 2 is the chimney/gully and final rocky scramble, which are considered class 3.

Trailhead/Parking: As noted above, this route begins and the Matterhorn Creek trailhead. It is a rough and narrow road with high clearance being very important. If you do not have a vehicle with good clearance, there is another parking lot lower down. That is the area at the intersection of FS 870 (Henson Creek Road)and FS 870.2 (Matterhorn Creek Road), 0.7 miles from the official trailhead.

The stats for the hike are:

Parking at lower lots : ~8.5 miles rt, ~3,400 ft elevation gain

Parking at Matterhorn Creek Trailhead: 7 miles rt, 3,000 ft elevation gain