7 km away
Uncompahgre Peak
Climb the highest peak on the Western Slope!
Easy Alpine Climbing
- Distance
- 12 km
- Ascent
- 874 m
- Descent
- 874 m
A stunning pyramid-shaped rock formation towering over 14,000 feet!
Alpine Climbing Moderate
Wetterhorn Peak is a towering pyramid-shaped 14er in the San Juan Range that soars to 14,015 feet above sea level. This Colorado mountain is named for the Swiss peak in the Bernese Alps that it resembles.
This rocky mountain requires a technical ascent to reach the summit, "requiring 3rd class scrambling by its easiest route," according to Chicagotransplant on SummitPost.org. Thankfully, most of the scrambling is on good-quality rock that you can generally trust, without too much exposure. This Class 3 scrambling earns the route a "Moderate" FATMAP mountaineering difficulty rating.
The Southeast Ridge is the most common route to the top of Wetterhorn Peak. To complete this route, begin on the easy-to-follow approach trail, and then turn left onto the Wetterhorn trail near 12,000 feet of elevation, according to 14ers.com. This trail leads you to a saddle at 13,100 feet.
From the saddle, you'll follow the ridge toward the summit. The rest of the climb gets progressively more technical, with route-finding required. You'll have to "navigate around some towers, over a class 3 rib, and up a class 3 gully," according to Chicagotransplant. The final push to the summit requires a solid 150 feet of Class 3 scrambling.
Congratulations, you've made it to the summit of Wetterhorn Peak!
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WetterhornPeak https://www.summitpost.org/wetterhorn-peak-colorado/150331 https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=wett1&peak=Wetterhorn+Peak
Moderate
May involve slightly more complex glacier hikes, easy but possibly long rock ridges and steep snow up to 45 degrees. Equivalent to PD, PD+
7 km away
Climb the highest peak on the Western Slope!
Easy Alpine Climbing
10 routes · Alpine Climbing · Hiking
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