Wilson Peak via Rock of Ages Trail

Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest, CO San Juan Mountains

Trip stats

Distance
9.3 mi
Net Gain
3,800 ft
Time
4-6 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 3
Route
Out/Back
Peaks
1

Ratings out of 10

Effort
5.4/10
Personality
6/10
Beauty
5/10
Solitude
4.3/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Wilson Peak
    14,017′ elevation · 857′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

37.883350, -108.018410

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Sep 18, 2021 — Wilson Peak is the smaller neighbor of Mount Wilson in the San Miguel Mountains. It's a Colorado 14er and despite how far it is from civilization, it's fairly popular. Many people choose to hike to the summit via the Navajo Lake Trail, but I did that much longer hike to reach Mount Wilson about a month ago and was more interested in approaching Wilson Peak via the shorter Rock of Ages Trail. Any car can make it to the trailhead, but the road is a bit rocky in parts.

I started along the old forest roads that have been converted to the now Rock of Ages Trail. The trail is well-marked with signage and it's a pretty chill grade for most of it. A bit of forest hiking led south to a talus field, but being an old road meant the talus is easy to walk across. The trail then switchbacked once and continued back north to wrap around a ridge. It descended slightly toward the base of Wilson Peak, and a bunch of old mining roads lead all over the place. It's not the prettiest nor most pristine of areas, but the hike is easy and straightforward and I made quick work getting to the steeper section ahead. The old road sort of peters away and an eroded trail continues south up the slopes. It's pretty steep, and there are multiple options for ascending. I chose the most dominant social trail system, which switchbacks a few times before traversing east to Rock of Ages Saddle.

Once at the saddle, I got a nice view of Mount Wilson and Gladstone Peak to the south, as well as down into Navajo Basin. The trail continued being obvious as it headed east and wrapped around the south side of a significant obstacle along the ridge crest. Class 2 brought me to the south side of the obstacle, and then the fun begins. Wilson Peak comes into view, but the route is a little convoluted. You can either drop a hundred feet to the east and reascend on loose talus, or traverse Class 3 solid rock heading directly north. The goal is to gain the ridgeline on Wilson Peak's southwest side. The Class 3 option is what I chose to take since it was more fun than scary, and it seemed a lot more straightforward. Once past this section, there were multiple social trails leading up to the ridge, some lower and others higher. The rock can be a bit loose, but didn't exceed Class 2. Once at the ridge, the trail sticks either to the crest or just to the right of it as it progresses to a minor false summit of Wilson Peak. Gaining this false summit is no big deal, but the crux of the route lies just ahead.

I looked at the surprisingly steep-looking crux, honestly not realizing the summit would incude some light sketchy stuff, not taking the time to research beforehand. Some slow-moving Class 2+/3 led down from the false summit into a notch before Class 3 brought me most of the way up a crack with ample solid holds to just below the summit of Wilson Peak. The final section to reach the summit requires a Class 3+ move on the left using very good holds and fun movement, or taking what seems to be the standard option (based on the amount of erosion) just to the right. This second option has more exposure and is loose, but likely only Class 2+/3. I opted for the former option, which led to easy Class 2 to the summit.

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Photos

40 photos

  1. Starting along the Rock of Ages Trail.
  2. One of a few marked junctions. Keep along the Rock of Ages Trail.
  4. Emerging into a talus field. A couple of other 13ers are visible in the distance.
  5. A switchback up the talus field.
  6. Looking back.
  7. The trail wraps around a ridge and descends a tiny bit. Wilson Peak ahead.
  8. Entering a web of old mining roads, but it's clear enough where to go to stick to the Rock of Ages Trail.
  9. View back the way I came, from the trees on the side of the ridge on the left.
  10. A switchback on the mining roads.
  11. Rock of Ages Saddle visible center. The road peters away and becomes a trail.
  12. Passing some old ruins.
  13. The road disappears and becomes this trail along the slope.
  14. Looking back down into the basin. I came from the trees on the left in this photo.
  15. Higher up, view back down the steep slope.
  16. An easy section of traverse to get over to the Rock of Ages Trail.
  17. View back again at the route up the old mining roads and subsequent slope.
  18. Last bit to Rock of Ages Saddle.
  19. At the saddle, view toward the Wilson Peak ridge. The trail leads to the right around the significant obstacle in the center.
  20. The trail wraps around the right side, Class 2.
  21. View back toward Rock of Ages Trail.
  22. Class 3 traverse along the solid rock slope. You could drop down a hundred feet or so on the right.
  23. View back at some people on the Class 3 section. Gladstone and Wilson visible in the center.
  24. Finishing up the Class 3 section. Wilson Peak visible top right. The social trail leads to the ridge in the center.
  25. View back again after the Class 3 stuff.
  26. Class 2 to the ridgeline.
  27. View back, Gladstone Peak and Mount Wilson in the distance.
  28. Class 2 to the ridge.
  29. Along the ridgeline, leading to the false summit of Wilson Peak.
  30. View back from the false summit. Rock of Ages Saddle visible center.
  31. At the false summit, view toward the crux to Wilson Peak. The route heads down to the notch below, then up the crack system in the center of this photo.
  32. Vertical shot of the Class 3 route to the summit of Wilson Peak.
  33. Close-up at the short descent to the notch from the false summit.
  34. At the notch, view at the crux.
  35. View back down at the crux from the top of it, looking down to the notch I came up from.
  36. At the final section, just past the crux. You could head up the more indented section just right of center in this photo, or make some fun moves on more solid rock just left of center.
  37. Close-up at the notch from just below the summit of Wilson Peak.
  38. Just below the summit of Wilson Peak, view west.
  39. Wilson Peak, view toward the Rock of Ages Trail. It wrapped around the ridge right of center, headed through the talus field full of mining roads in the center, then traversed to the Rock of Ages Saddle on the far left.
  40. Wilson Peak, view toward the San Juans and Lizard Head.

Photo 1 of 1

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Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

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GPX track

Wilson Peak via Rock of Ages Trail GPX route and driving track

The complete GPX track is available to download, so you can load the route straight into your navigation app or device. The trip report, route info, photos and planning details stay free.

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