Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic EvolutionSM
 Wheeler Peak, New Mexico - 13,161 ft |
13ers! Thoughts, notes, and pictures that relate to peaks between 3,962 and 4,267 metres (12,999 & 14,000 ft) in height around my favorite state, Colorado, and other interesting places in neighboring states and around the world! |
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Click Here for my 14ers page... |
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Click Here for the Ten Essentials - Don't leave home without 'em! |
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Click Here for my 12ers page... |
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Click Here for my notes on technical climbing... |
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YouTube video - climbing unranked "K2" in Colorado's Elks Range |
The most popular climbs, in Colorado, are the "14ers" - mountains over 14,000 feet high. The problem is they're used so much, by so many, that most of the trails are deeply worn and solitude that much less frequent. So, many of us "locals" (because we have easy, regular access that visitors can't make time for) enjoy the less lofty pursuit of 13ers - peaks at 13,000 feet (3,962 metres), or higher, but less than 14,000 feet (4,267 metres).
There are about 584 "official," or "ranked" (at least 300 feet of prominence) 13ers throughout Colorado - they're much less popular than the 58 ranked/unranked "big ones" (14ers) but provide plenty of solitude while giving you an equally great climb! Although the 300 foot (91.44 metres) "saddle rule" (Also known as "prominence," "saddle depth," or "rank") generaly applies to 13ers, there seems to be some flexibility in the 3,000 foot (914.4 metres) ascent requirement. This may be due to the approach, or start, being a bit closer to some of the 13er summits for obvious reasons. Admittedly these criteria are fairly arbitrary, but, the "line" has to be drawn somewhere so I think these measurements are closest to representing what it means to be a mountain in Colorado and around the American west (Alaska having exceptions of its own...) |
Oh, and don't be fooled! Some of Colorado's 13ers have some of the most difficult "standard" routes in the state - peaks like Lizard Head, Jagged, Dallas and one or two others are examples that quickly come to mind - peaks with a bit of 5th class and tough route-finding where you'd better know what you're doing!Finally, some of Colorado's neighboring states, and near-neighbors (California, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming), have a number of 13ers of their own that can be fun and challenging at times as well. No matter the location, be sure to incorporate safety into your hiking or climbing plans - mountaineering has been fun and rewarding for me but I've seen more than my share of accidents and mishaps over the years...
Centennials
This list of "13ers," combined with the 14ers (listed on my other page), comprise the Colorado Centennials - the highest 100 peaks in Colorado! Note: The summits shown in gray do not have enough prominence to be a ranked peak. Those shown in "quotes" were not officially named by the USGS at the time I created this entry...
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French Mountain, Casco Peak, and Frasco Benchmark
Led by Joe Shultes, this was a CMC trip on August 25, 2012 that took us up two Centennials (French is 13,940 feet and Casco is 13,908 feet) and the unranked Frasco Benchmark (13,867 feet).
 French Mountain |
 French Mountain glass register |
 Cascp Peak |
 Casco Peak |
 Frasco Benchmark |
 Frasco Benchmark |
Mount Ouray, Colorado (13,971 feet / 4,258 metres)
Mount Ouray is located in Colorado's southern Sawatch Range, in the San Isabel National Forest, Chaffee County. It's considered a Colorado "Centennial" since it's one of the state's highest 100 peaks. For this climb I was a Leader-in-Training for a Colorado Mountain Club outing organized by Candace. Accompanying us this early fall day were Eileen and Jay. The weather was mostly overcast, fog, and some sporadic pelting snow at times. But, as you can see from the shots below, there were a few minutes where the sky temporarily cleared to afford us some better views!
 1. Mount Ouray summit |
 2. Jay at the summit cairn |
 3. Me, Candace, and Eileen |
 4. Frost on the ridge |
 1. Coming back down... |
 1. Fall leaves near the trailhead |
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Click Here for my YouTube video on top Mount Ouray... |
Kings Peak, Utah (13,528 feet /4,123 metres)
Kings Peak is the highest point in Utah and is located in the Uinta Wilderness area of the Ashley National Forest in thenortheastern part of the state. I had the pleasure of climbing Kings Peak in late fall when the leaves were just starting to turn and I had the mountain entirely to myself (everyone was at work or in school!)! At about 30 miles (48 kilometres) roundtrip Kings Peak can be completed in one long, hard day hike from the Henry's Fork trailhead. I, however, chose to break the climb up into two overnight camps so that I could enjoy the area before winter set in. A drive through southern Wyoming is required to reach the trailhead where I spent the night sleeping near my car as it was too dark to figure out where the campsites were! Once on the trail I made way quickly and was able to set up "high camp" at about 11,000 feet (3,300 metres). From there it only took about three hours to reach the summit where I was able to enjoy beautiful weather and solitude. Unfortunately, as you can see from one of the photos, there was a bit of junk being stored on the summit where a register would normally be located. Memorials, religious materials, "geocaching" and even summit registers have no place in our nation's wilderness areas - even if the "storage" spot is on a peak. Anyway, I was able to casually make my way back down to camp after having enjoyed a couple hours of very comfortable "summit time" - I'm very lucky!
 1. Frosty car camping... |
 2. High camp... |
 3. Summit from Henry's Fork Basin |
 4. kings Peak Summit |
 6. Me on the summit! |
 6. Junk on the summit... |
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Click Here for my YouTube video on top of Kings Peak... |
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Click Here for my YouTube video at Gunsight Pass on the way to Kings Peak... |
Wheeler Peak, Nevada (13,063 ft / 3,982 metres)
Wheeler Peak is Nevada's second highest - see my note, below, about Nevada's highest point, Boundary Peak...
 1. Me |
 2. Mailbox peak register |
 3. Me and the mailbox |
 4. Summit register |
 5. Trail up |
 6. Wheeler Peak |
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Click Here for my YouTube video on top Wheeler Peak... |
Boundary Peak, Nevada (13,063 ft / 3,982 metres) and Montgomery Peak, California (13,441 ft / 4,097 metres)
Boundary Peak, located just a couple hundred metres from the California border, is the highest point in Nevada. Boundary is pretty much a sub-peak of Montgomery Peak (which is physically located on the other side of the border in California). Since the two peaks are one kilometre apart, with only a 253 foot (77 metres) drop in the connecting saddle, Boundary doesn't receive the amount of attention that Nevada's second highest peak (Wheeler) does at 82 feet less elevation (4,007 metres) in near the state's eastern border with Utah. In either case, I've climbed all three and only reached Montgomery's summit by first stopping on Boundary. All three are nice climbs and, as you can see from the accompanying videos, I pretty much had 'em all to myself!
 1. Boundary Peak |
 2. Me on Boundary Peak |
 3. Wild horses at the trailhead |
 4. Montgomery as seen from Boundary |
 5. Me on Montgomery |
 6. Montgomery Peak register |
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Click Here for my YouTube video on top Boundary Peak... |
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Click Here for my YouTube video on top Montgomery Peak... |
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Click Here for my YouTube video about the wild horses at the Boundary Peak trailhead... |
Whale Peak, Colorado (13,078 ft / 3,986 metres)
CMC leader Dave Riter took a handful of us up this delightful little peak on a comfortable summer's day in July:
 1. Dave, Gordon, Dave, Marty, Elise |
 2. Gibson Lake (3,615m elevation) |
 3. Whale Peak |
 4. Gordon, Dave, Elise, Dave, me |
 5. Me |
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Click Here for my YouTube video on top Whale Peak... |
Jupiter Mountain, Colorado (13,830 ft / 4,215 metres)
While climbing 14ers in Chicago Basin I took time out to climb Jupiter - one of Colorado's "Centennials."
 GPS with Windom and Sunlight |
 The side of Jupiter |
 5 Year old summit register |
 Me, Windom and Sunlight |
 Jupiter's summit |
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Click Here for my YouTube video on top Jupiter Mountain... |
Mt. Kelso, Colorado (13,164 ft / 4,012 metres)
Steve Farley and I climbed 13,164 foot (4,012.38 metres) Kelso Mountain on Saturday, August 2, 2003. Kelso is located in the Arapaho National Forest between Girzzly Gulch and Stevens Gulch, off I-70 west of Denver. In the first photo Steve's silhouette is standing between Grays and Torreys, two VERY popular 14ers. On that day there were well over 200 private vehicles parked at the trailhead, and along the road, yet we had all of Kelso to ourselves!
 Grays, Torreys and Steve |
 August snow field! |
 Roger loping |
 Steve is not a minor |
 Mine is over 12,000 feet |
 Mine shack |
Atlantic Peak, Colorado (13,841 ft / 4,219 metres)
Dan Kinzie led our group of 11 CMCers up Atlantic Peak on a very wintery day in October!
 Heading up |
 Dan Kinzie |
 My rear-end... |
 Ice (and gray...) in my beard |
 Small avalanche crack |
 Me on top |
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Click Here for my YouTube video of our winter experience on top Atlantic Peak... |
 Gemini Peak 1997 |
CMC Leader Ken Yarcho took us up to the top of Gemini Peak on July 20, 1997. That's Ken standng at the left. I'm next to him with the gray baseball cap. The others are Candice Skalet, Ed Wilkes, Dave Pitney, Steve Haymes, Bill Markley, Frank Kucler and Ray Miskines or Mark Mulligan (I'm not sure, so any help would be appreciated!). |
 Mt. Walter, New Mexico - 13,141 ft |
Mt. Walter, in the state of New Mexico near its border with Colorado, probably isn't a "real" 13er since it's only a few tens of metres away from that state's highest point, Wheeler Peak (0.51 kilometres to be exact...). Nevertheless, the people of New Mexico felt this prominence to be of enough importance to name it after a native son who loved the area... |
Miscellaneous 13ers
 Point 13,660 (Lackawana) |
 Lackawana Peak (Sawatch) |
 Rosalie Peak (Front Range) |
 K2 (Elks Range, Colorado) |
A list of some of the 13ers I've summitted over the years:
Manua Kea, Hawai'iExcuses, excuses: I didn't keep good records on 13ers due to a variety of reasons but mostly because I thought them to be rather common [There are about 584 of 'em in Colorado]. Also, it's sometimes difficult to obtain a full 3,000 feet of elevation gain, on some of them, while others were "summitted" on a trail that was leading to some other landmark or an even higher summit. Others were unnamed so I paid even less attention to them while others were a bit illusive with me just getting within a few minutes of the summit before being forced off by weather. [Pettingell Peak and North Star Mountain come immediately to mind as "near misses" due to really bad weather. North Star was especially interesting with Park County out looking for us, due to a heinous snowstorm that had moved in, but ending in self rescue (04/22/2000)]
My Colorado list, so far:
- Atlantic Peak (13,841 ft) - October 23, 2010 [an early winter "mini-epoch" led by Dan Kinzie]
- Bald Mountain (13,684 ft) - May 13, 2000
- Mt. Audubon (13,223 ft) - December 01, 2012 [while on Grayson Garner's CMC climb]
- Casco Peak (13,908 ft) - August 25, 2012 Sawatch Range [while on Joe Schultes' CMC climb]
- Coxcomb Peak (13,656 ft) - July 12, 1998 [with Rhonda Lew's BMS class]
- Dallas Peak (13,809 ft) - August 18, 2012 [with Uwe Sartori, Daedra Pierce, John and Renata Collard]
- French Mountain (13,940 ft) - August 25, 2012 Sawatch Range [while on Joe Schultes' CMC climb]
- Gemini Peak (13,950 ft) - July 20, 1997
- Mt. Flora (13,146 ft) - November 17, 2012 [with Linda Jagger and Sacha Bobst]
- Gray Wolf Mountain (13,602 ft) - October 16, 2011 [with Steve Farley]
- Grizzly Peak (13,427 ft) - November 08, 1997
- Hessel Peak (13,215 ft) - July 16, 2006
- James Peak (13,294 ft) - June 02, 2007 (With Linda and Georgia)
- Jupiter Mountain (13,830 ft) - July 15, 2009
- Jagged Mountain (13,824 ft) - July 15, 2012 [with Steve Gladbach, Britt Jones, and John Froshaug]
- Mt. Kelso (13,164 ft) - August 02, 2003 [with Steve Farley]
- Lackawana Peak (13,863 ft) - October 22, 2011 [I was the LIT for John Collard's CMC climb]
- Mt. Ouray (13,971) [I was the LIT for Candace's Winkle's CMC climb]
- Mt. Parnassus (13,574 ft) - November 15, 2003 [led by Linda Jagger and Donna Brockman - bitter cold with lots of "post-holing..." (also did it on 12-18-2011)]
- Peak 13010 also known as "Golden Bear Peak" - December 05, 2012 [CMC climb led by Eileen O'Leary and Candace Winkle}
- Pettingell Peak (13,553 ft) - July 10, 2012 [Dave Goldwater CMC climb up the east ridge]
- Mt. Powell (13,534 ft) - October 03, 1998
- Red Mountain (13,908) Sangre de Cristo Range - August 19 2007 [with Aidan McGuire]
- Rogers Peak (13,391 ft) - December 01, 2002 [led by Steve Bonowski]
- Rosalie Peak (13,575 ft) - October 01, 2011 [with Tom Jagger]
- Mt. Sheridan (13,748 ft) - July 20, 1997
- Mt. Silverheels (13,822 ft) - May 29, 2000 [Me, Michael Clapper, CMC leader Keith Jensen, & JoAnne - photo by Dick Yost]
- Mt. Sniktau (13,243 ft) - August 24, 1997 [Led by Steve Farley for the Sierra Club]
- Spalding Mountain (13,846 ft) - June 25, 2000 [with Doug Bloom]
- Teakettle Mountain (13,819 ft) - July 17, 2012 [with Candace Winkle (I was co-leader), Eileen, and John Aldridge]
- Whale Peak (13,078 ft) - July 29, 2011 [led by Dave Riter]
- Wheeler Mountain (13,690 ft) - July 01, 2012 [led by Dominique Hershberger for the CMC]
Other 13ers I've climbed outside my home state of Colorado:
- California - Montgomery Peak 4,097 metres (13,441 feet) - August 03, 2011
- Hawai'i - Mauna Kea 4,205 metres (13,796 feet) - February 13, 2007 [Although I don't take the statistic too seriously, Mauna Kea is considered the world's highest mountain as measured from its base (32,000 to 33,000 feet, or about 10,000 metres)]
- Nevada - Boundary Peak 4,005 metres (13,140 feet) - August 03, 2011
- Nevada - Wheeler Peak 3,982 metres (13,063 feet) - August 04, 2011
- New Mexico - Wheeler Peak 4,011 metres (13,161 feet) - June 10, 2011 [Also includes Mt. Walter, at 4,005 metres (13, 141 feet) on the same massive so not really a separate peak, in its own right, because it's only a few tens of metres away from Wheeler...]
- Utah - Kings Peak 4,123 metres (13,528 feet) - September 22, 2011 (...had the entire mountain to myself for over a day!)
Unranked Sub Peaks: (13er Points of interest that I've climbed that don't have enough prominence to be considered a peak of their own...)
- Frasco Benchmark (13,876 ft) - August 25, 2012 Sawatch Range [while on Joe Schultes' CMC climb]
- K2 (13,664 ft) - August 09, 2009 Elks Range
- Point 13,660 (13,660 ft) Sawatch Range - October 22, 2011 [I was the LIT for John Collard's CMC climb]
- Point 13,832 (13,832 ft) Elks Range - July 22, 2007 [with Aidan McGuire]
- Point 13,930 (13,930 ft) Sawatch Range - August 26, 2007 [with John Aldag]
13er Waypoints
For personal safety, and just for the fun of it, I usually take a GPS "reading" on the top of each peak, at the trailhead, or some other interesting point or curiosity along the way. WARNING: I cannot guarantee the accuracy of these waypoints as my own GPS bounces around a lot or I simply take an incorrect reading! Please rely on a more accurate source for your Waypoints! That being said, I still enjoy "cataloging" Waypoints and I keep a bunch of other locations, from around the world, on my 12ers, 13ers, 14ers, Hiking, Waypoints, and other pages...
Colorado 13ers I've climbed:
(that I could remember to record here...)
| Atlantic Peak | N 39° 24.822' | W 106° 07.556' | 13,841 feet | 4,218 metres |
| Mt. Audubon | N 40° 05.955' | W 105° 36.973' | 13,223 feet | 4,030 metres |
| Casco Peak | N 39° 06.842' | W 106° 29.633' | 13,908 feet | 4,239 metres |
| Dallas Peak | N 37° 59.294' | W 107° 49.411' | 13,809 feet | 4,209 metres |
| Mt. Flora | N 39° 48.297' | W 105° 44.131' | 13,146 feet | 4,007 metres |
| Frasco Benchmark (Unranked) | N 39° 07.528' | W 106° 29.470' | 13,876 feet | 4,229 metres |
| French Mountain | N 39° 07.707' | W 106° 29.938' | 13,940 feet | 4,249 metres |
| Gray Wolf Peak | N 39° 37.029' | W 105° 39.649' | 13,602 feet | 4,146 metres |
| Jagged Mountain | N 37° 38.739' | W 107° 35.033' | 13,824 feet | 4,214 metres |
| Jupiter Mountain (Chicago Basin) | N 37° 36.756' | W 107° 35.536' | 13,830 feet | 4,215 metres |
| K2 (Elks Range) | N 39° 09.238' | W 107° 04.609' | 13,664 feet | 4,164.5 metres |
| Lackawana (Sawatch Range) | N 39° 06.602' | W 106° 30.733' | 13,823 feet | 4,213 metres |
| Mt. Ouray | N 38° 25.364' | W 106° 13.486' | 13,971 feet | 4,258 metres |
| Mt. Parnassus, Front Range | N 39° 43.213' | W 105° 49.333' | 13,574 feet | 4,137 metres |
| Peak 13010 "Golden Bear Peak" | N 39° 41.597' | W 105° 55.206' | 13,010 feet | 3,965 metres |
| Pettingell Peak | N 39° 43.726' | W 105° 54.281' | 13,553 feet | 4,131 metres |
| Point 13660 (Sawatch Range near Lackawana) | N 39° 06.305' | W 106° 31.226' | 13,660 feet | 4,163 metres |
| Point 13930 (Sawatch Range) | N 38° 57.112' | W 106° 23.095' | 13,930 feet | 4,246 metres |
| Red Mountain | N 37° 06.741' | W 105° 10.868' | 13,930 feet | 4,246 metres |
| Rosalie Peak | N 39° 33.379' | W 105° 36.386' | 13,575 feet | 4,137 metres |
| Sniktau | N 39° 40.701' | W 105° 51.454' | 13,234 feet | 4,034 metres |
| Teakettle Mountain | N 38° 00.038' | W 107° 45.710' | 13,819 feet | 4,212 metres |
| Unknown (climbed 07-22-2007) | N 39° 01.310' | W 106° 51.602' | 13,838 feet | 4,218 metres |
| Mt. Walter, New Mexico | N 36° 33.662' | W 105° 24.871' | 13,141 feet | 4,005 metres |
| Whale Peak | N 39° 29.671' | W 105° 51.980' | 13,078 feet | 3,986 metres |
| Wheeler Mountain | N 39° 22.811' | W 106° 08.145' | 13,690 feet | 4,173 metres |
Other 13ers I've been on outside Colorado:
| Boundary Peak, Nevada | N 37° 50.767' | W 118° 21.080' | 13,140 feet | 4,005 metres |
| Kings Peak, Utah | N 40° 46.580' | W 110° 22.379' | 13,528 feet | 4,123 metres |
| Mauna Kea, Hawai'i | N 19° 49.371' | W 155° 28.152' | 13,796 feet | 4,205 metres |
| Montogmery Peak, California | N 37° 50.311' | W 118° 21.421' | 13,441 feet | 4,097 metres |
| Wheeler Peak, Nevada | N 38° 59.148' | W 114° 18.834' | 13,063 feet | 3,982 metres |
| Wheeler Peak, New Mexico | N 36° 33.413' | W 105° 25.015' | 13,161 feet | 4,011 metres |
Some Trailheads:
Mount Evans Wilderness, Colorado
Berthoud Pass trailhead - US Highway 40
Berthoud Pass summitN 39° 47.902' W 105° 46.563' 11,307 feet 3,446 metres Boundary Peak Wilderness trailhead, Nevada N 37° 52.150' W 118° 18.371' 8,728 feet 2,660 metres Chicago Lakes Number 52 trailhead, Colorado (up past the Idaho Springs reservoir and cabins) N 39° 38.391' W 105° 37.007' 10,660 feet 3,249 metres Deer Creek trailhead (for Rosalie Peak), Colorado N 39° 30.633' W 105° 34.070' 9,323 feet 2,841 metres Henry's Fork trailhead (for Kings Peak), Utah N 40° 54.548' W 110° 19.872' 9,430 feet 2,874 metres Wheeler Peak trailhead, New Mexico (Taos Ski area) N 36° 35.824' W 105° 26.944' 9,352 feet 2,850 metres
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Click Here for red, pink, and "Watermelon Snow" at the bottom of my Snow Day page... |
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| Warning! Climbing, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing are dangerous and can seriously injure or kill you. By further exploring this web site you acknowledge that the information presented here may be out of date or incorrect, and you agree not to hold the author responsible for any damages, injuries, or death arising from any use of this resource. Please thoroughly investigate any mountain before attempting to climb it, and do not substitute this web site for experience, training, and recognizing your limitations! |
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