San Luis Peak Trip Report 09/09/2014

Peak(s):	San Luis Peak - 14,023 feet
Date Posted:	09/09/2014
Date Climbed:	09/07/2014
Author:	sarahbodhaine

San Luis Peak South Ridge
Just wanted to add a few updates/helpful hints to the directions to West Willow Creek TH and the South Ridge route of San Luis Peak! We eventually found the trailhead, but we had to meander (part in the car and part on foot) and kinda figure things out on our own, as there were many inaccuracies in the directions. Hopefully these tips will save others some time and stress The County Road leading out of Creede you want is CR 503...the TH directions identify this as Bachelor Loop, but we did not see any signage labeling it as such. There is a junction and a huge 3-part sign/billboard at the start of CR 503; head left up the hill. You will pass a mine museum/gift shop on your left. The Commodore Mine is also not labeled well (at least that we saw), but there is a large mine complex on your right soon after you start up CR 503, which I'm assuming is the Commodore Mine (but no signs to confirm that we saw). There appears to have been a lot of work done to CR 503 in the recent years, as once you climb the initial hill which is a bit rutted out, the road is GREAT....very smooth (for a dirt road) and any 2WD vehicle should be able to make it up to the Equity Mine with no issues. The directions to the TH indicate that there is a junction at 2.2 miles for East Willow Creek 4x4 Road...this does not seem to be accurate (possibly due to the recent construction in the area), at least that we saw. The only "junction" we saw was a left turn labeled Allen's Crossing (green street sign, like you'd see in a neighborhood)...mistaking this for the above "junction," we took this left turn and ended up at a dead end for "Last Chance Mine/Museum" - if you want to avoid going out of your way and having to backtrack, do NOT take this left turn Instead, continue straight/right and shortly after, you will see a small sign indicating that you are still on CR 503 and that the Equity Mine is ahead. The TH directions also indicate that there will be another junction at a hairpin curve with West Willow Creek Road; again, we encountered no junction and no hairpin curve. We just drove straight(ish) to the Equity Mine. The major bogey on these TH directions is that they do not indicate that the Equity Mine road is now gated/locked and marked with "Danger" and "No Trespassing" signs. We were very confused because the directions clearly indicate that you drive PAST the mine (which is impossible due to the locked gate). Instead, what you need to do is take a left turn up a hill just before the road closure/mine gates. It is labeled West Willow Creek 4x4 Jeep Loop. Head up this hill and you will eventually get to the trailhead, which is really nothing more than two sticks/markers in the ground, and is NOT labeled as the trail to San Luis Peak. So be on the lookout for it! The TH directions also state that the TH is at the end of the road, which is also no longer accurate. CR 503 continues on beyond the TH as it curves left and then up a hill, parallel(ish) to the walking trail. I'm not sure where it does end...but it DOESN'T end at the TH. Once you start walking from the trailhead, here are a couple of additional hints: Very soon after you start hiking, you'll encounter a cairn with a big stick coming out of the top. If you go straight here, you'll actually curve around the back (west) side of Point 12,540...and you'll add approx 1/2 mile (more??) and some elevation gain to your hike. The route on this site does not mention that you need to make a hard right at this cairn and ascend up a steep hill to get on the east side of Point 12,540. We did not know this and went straight...we ended up at a saddle between Cascade Mountain and ??? Mountain. Realizing our error, from this saddle, we then headed right on the Colorado Trail and lost some elevation to get back to Point 12,540. On your return, after you reascend the 450' coming out of the forest (blech!), you'll need to take a hard left on a trail before (east of) Point 12,540 which is marked by two small cairns...it doesn't look like a great trail from here, but once you ascend a bit more, you'll see the trail is well-defined. If you miss this, you'll be heading around the back (west) side of Point 12,540 again. The "long" way is a bit more gentle/gradual than the "shortcut" but it does add some additional (unnecessary) mileage & elevation gain. But there are also some gorgeous views, so it's up to you...but at least you'll be informed to make the decision!

San Luis Peak South Ridge

Just wanted to add a few updates/helpful hints to the directions to West Willow Creek TH and the South Ridge route of San Luis Peak! We eventually found the trailhead, but we had to meander (part in the car and part on foot) and kinda figure things out on our own, as there were many inaccuracies in the directions. Hopefully these tips will save others some time and stress

*The County Road leading out of Creede you want is CR 503...the TH directions identify this as Bachelor Loop, but we did not see any signage labeling it as such. There is a junction and a huge 3-part sign/billboard at the start of CR 503; head left up the hill. You will pass a mine museum/gift shop on your left.
*The Commodore Mine is also not labeled well (at least that we saw), but there is a large mine complex on your right soon after you start up CR 503, which I'm assuming is the Commodore Mine (but no signs to confirm that we saw).
*There appears to have been a lot of work done to CR 503 in the recent years, as once you climb the initial hill which is a bit rutted out, the road is GREAT....very smooth (for a dirt road) and any 2WD vehicle should be able to make it up to the Equity Mine with no issues.
*The directions to the TH indicate that there is a junction at 2.2 miles for East Willow Creek 4x4 Road...this does not seem to be accurate (possibly due to the recent construction in the area), at least that we saw.
*The only "junction" we saw was a left turn labeled Allen's Crossing (green street sign, like you'd see in a neighborhood)...mistaking this for the above "junction," we took this left turn and ended up at a dead end for "Last Chance Mine/Museum" - if you want to avoid going out of your way and having to backtrack, do NOT take this left turn

*Instead, continue straight/right and shortly after, you will see a small sign indicating that you are still on CR 503 and that the Equity Mine is ahead.
*The TH directions also indicate that there will be another junction at a hairpin curve with West Willow Creek Road; again, we encountered no junction and no hairpin curve. We just drove straight(ish) to the Equity Mine.
*The major bogey on these TH directions is that they do not indicate that the Equity Mine road is now gated/locked and marked with "Danger" and "No Trespassing" signs. We were very confused because the directions clearly indicate that you drive PAST the mine (which is impossible due to the locked gate).
*Instead, what you need to do is take a left turn up a hill just before the road closure/mine gates. It is labeled West Willow Creek 4x4 Jeep Loop. Head up this hill and you will eventually get to the trailhead, which is really nothing more than two sticks/markers in the ground, and is NOT labeled as the trail to San Luis Peak. So be on the lookout for it!
*The TH directions also state that the TH is at the end of the road, which is also no longer accurate. CR 503 continues on beyond the TH as it curves left and then up a hill, parallel(ish) to the walking trail. I'm not sure where it does end...but it DOESN'T end at the TH.

Once you start walking from the trailhead, here are a couple of additional hints:
*Very soon after you start hiking, you'll encounter a cairn with a big stick coming out of the top. If you go straight here, you'll actually curve around the back (west) side of Point 12,540...and you'll add approx 1/2 mile (more??) and some elevation gain to your hike. The route on this site does not mention that you need to make a hard right at this cairn and ascend up a steep hill to get on the east side of Point 12,540. We did not know this and went straight...we ended up at a saddle between Cascade Mountain and ??? Mountain. Realizing our error, from this saddle, we then headed right on the Colorado Trail and lost some elevation to get back to Point 12,540.

*On your return, after you reascend the 450' coming out of the forest (blech!), you'll need to take a hard left on a trail before (east of) Point 12,540 which is marked by two small cairns...it doesn't look like a great trail from here, but once you ascend a bit more, you'll see the trail is well-defined. If you miss this, you'll be heading around the back (west) side of Point 12,540 again. The "long" way is a bit more gentle/gradual than the "shortcut" but it does add some additional (unnecessary) mileage & elevation gain. But there are also some gorgeous views, so it's up to you...but at least you'll be informed to make the decision!

Comments or Questions

Old Hickory	Wow! 9/11/2014 4:28am So finding the access to the TH is very difficult and getting to the Class 1 trail to the summit is also not easy. Thanks for the advice. No wonder San Luis is one of the least climbed 14ers. I am planning to try this peak once I've tired of the Lake City 5, which will take at least another year. Many thanks for your recent and detailed info. All the best on your next adventure!
D Potter	You saves others from wasting time 9/15/2014 2:29am You saves others from wasting time trying to find all of this. Thanks
TalusSloth	Thanks Sarah!!! 7/18/2015 3:58pm Ascended San Luis from West Willow Creek trailhead 7/14/15. Your directions to the trailhead were invaluable and resulted in a substantial time savings(TalusSloth needs time). Having ascended most of the way from the Stewart Creek trailhead (darn thunderstorms) and now all the way from the Willow Creek Trailhead, I found the scenic beauty and the interesting nature of the route from the Willow Creek trailhead to be far superior. Thanks again.

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