W0C/SR-111
South Peak
3930 m / 12892 ft
Sep 9, 2016
By KX0R
South Peak is a fun alpine SOTA peak in the Mosquito Range south of Weston Pass.
• San Isabel National Forest
• Moderate hike at high altitude
• An old road goes part way
• Off-trail route to the summit
• Superb scenery – nice alpine area
• Excellent HF site
• 4.6 miles round-trip
• ~1000 vertical feet
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- South Peak, KX0R SOTA Activation, at Summit
Driving access:
• Drive up 285 and cross Kenosha Pass
• Stay on Highway 285 past Fairplay
• Drive south on 285 from Fairplay about 5 miles, and turn west on CR 5
• Follow bumpy dirt 2WD road CR 5 for about 7 miles to CR 22
• Drive rough dirt 2WD CR 22 about 9 miles up to Weston Pass at 11921 feet
• The last lumpy mile of this road is too rough for some cars
• Park at the Pass
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- Weston Pass – East Side
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- Weston Pass Summit and Trailhead
The Hike:
• Hike south from the Pass on an old road
• The road climbs right along the ridge
• Follow the road up and across a broad hill at about 12,480 feet
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- South Peak Route, View North to Weston Pass
• Stay on the 2-rut track as it descends southwest
• Leave the track south of the willows, and head west toward the south ridge of South Peak
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- South Peak – South Ridge and Quartzite Talus
• Climb up the gentle ridge, well south of the talus slopes
• Hike north across tundra and rocks about ½ mile to the summit
Additional Details:
The hike to South Peak isn’t very steep or difficult, but it requires some time at high altitude. The entire route is across open tundra, and there’s no shelter available; this ascent is best done on a good dry day.
The peak has great views of the Buffalo Peaks, Twin Lakes, Mount Elbert, the Sawatch Range, and the Arkansas River Valley. The summit is a small high point on a vast elevated area, so it may be a bit of a surprise.
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- South Peak View West to Twin Lakes and Sawatch Range
A small solar-powered communications facility stands about 200 feet to the northeast.
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- South Peak Comm Facility
Most of the rocky summit ridge is composed of tilted Sawatch quartzite, metamorphic sedimentary rock deposited about 500 million years ago. Both white blocks and reddish layers are visible along the ridge.
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- South Peak, White Sawatch Quartzite Southeast of Summit
South Peak is an excellent radio site. It’s the highest point in the area, so it’s a fine HF summit. No trees grow so high, so bring a pole and be prepared to guy it. The HF noise level is very low, and there seems to be no interference from the communications facility nearby. VHF/UHF coverage is probably good across South Park and parts of the local Arkansas River Valley.
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- South Peak SOTA Activation – View South to Buffalo Peaks
73
George
KX0R
!! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and
bold mountaineers... there are no old-bold mountaineers.
Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required - enjoy!
