Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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37.92000°N / 107.64°W |
Route Type:
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Mountaineering |
Season:
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Summer |
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Time Required:
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Most of a day |
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Difficulty:
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Walk-up |
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Approach
See "Getting There".Route Description
Trailhead Elevation: 9750 ftOne Way Distance per my GPS: 4.15 miles to the top of Peak 13288, for the official summit, add another 0.5 miles
Approximate Hiking Time (one way uphill): 3:15 hours
NOTE: Brown Mountain Road is a fairly rough 4WD Rd. but with a Jeep, you can drive it up to treeline saving yourself a lot of time and energy.
From the start of 4WD, cross the stream and hike the Brown Mountain Road 0.3 miles until you reach a 3-way. Do not go left or right (I went right and soon ended up at a gate with Private Property/No Trespassing sign). Take the road that makes a 180 degree turn forming a switchback.
Follow the road in the forest and up the many switchbacks. You will have great views of Red Mountain #1 and the 13ers to the west of Route 550. At around 11600 ft, you will reach a pond near treeline. To the left of the pond, you will see a road that seems to go in the direction of Abrams Mountain but this road is gated and has a Private Property/No Trespassing sign.
After the pond, the road goes above treeline and quickly deteriorates into a rough two-track/trail that goes up a scree slope. The trail makes it much easier to hike the scree than it would have been otherwise.
At around 12300 ft, the trail comes to a sudden end somewhere below the ridgeline between Peak 12982 and Peak 13288. You will not be able to see these peaks. They will come into view 200-300 ft farther up. For Peak 13288, go directly up the slopes veering a little to the south. For the true summit, you will probably want to go up the slopes diagonally going 0.5 miles south. The slopes will be steep but mostly grassy with occasional fields of scree.