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San Jaun
16th
4,024' (Uncompahgre Peak - 30.1 mi NE)
Dolores County
11.5 mi SW of Telluride
39 mi NNE of Durango
1
9/9/2017
9/9/2017
Wilson & El Diente Traverse
from Kilpacker Basin (Class 4)
Description
Mt. Wilson is the 34th 14er I've climbed, in September 2017 with my friends Mike and Matt. This peak the 2nd tallest in the San Juan Mountains and the 16th tallest in Colorado. It is sometimes climbed together with neighboring El Diente Peak, an unranked 14er just 3/4 of a mile to the west, via a class 4 ridgeline traverse. This traverse, the Wilson & El Diente Traverse, is one of Colorado's Great 14er Traverses.
There are several routes to the summit of Mt. Wilson. The standard route approaches the peak from Navajo Basin to the north and is rated class 4. Another well-known but less-traveled route ascends the peak's scree-filled southwest slopes via Kilpacker Basin and is rated at class 3. My friends and I hiked Mt. Wilson in combination with El Diente Peak and the class 4 traverse. A good description of this route and others can be found on 14ers.com or in Gerry Roach's great guidebook Colorado's Fourteeners: From Hikes to Climbs*. I also provide a firsthand account of this route in a trip report that can be found via the link near the bottom of this page.
*Click here to get this book on Amazon!
Trip Reports