Trip report
Aug 2, 2020 — To wrap up my hikes in the La Sal Mountains, I decided to save South Mountain for last. It's the high peak at the far end of the La Sal group, and it ended up being one of the more pleasant hikes in the range. Almost any car can make it to the Medicine Lakes Trailhead, a shallow stream crossing being one possible barrier.
The largest of the Medicine Lakes is really pretty, surrounded by the peaks and wildflowers. It's a fairly popular spot, so I didn't linger. I set out on the official Medicine Lakes Trail, which was in great condition, until it brought me to a junction with the South Mountain Trail. The South Mountain Trail started off much more steeply, but soon mellowed out and traversed the eastern slopes of South Mountain. The views became nicer, and the trail alternated between aspens and meadows. This trail wouldn't lead all the way to the summit, despite its misleading name, but instead to the saddle between South Mountain and a lower unnamed peak to its southeast, Peak 11142. I would head up to this peak after.
Once at the saddle, I headed to the right, first walking through some trees and then skirting the edge of treeline. A social trail led me along the slope, really nice views to the south as I went. I left the social trail when it became clear it wouldn't take me higher, choosing instead to ascend the steep and grassy southeast ridge of South Mountain. There are some rocky sections and a few tree obstacles, but all can be avoided. The view from the summit to the north was really something to remember, especially if you've done the other La Sal peaks. It gives a good perspective of pretty much all the major peaks of the group.
I made it back to the saddle and located a good spot to begin ascending to Peak 11142 via its west ridge. This included a bit more bushwhacking, but nothing that I'd call unpleasant. Just the occasional downed tree or shrub to avoid. Keeping to the right meant sometimes leaving the trees to enjoy the open slopes of Peak 11142's south side, while keeping to the high point of the ridge meant staying within the trees and likely being slightly more efficient. The summit had some rockiness and a tree-obscured view of the other La Sal peaks.