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Brown Mountain (San Juan Mountains, between Ouray & Silverton)

At a glance — recommended day

8.9 mi · 3,739 ft gain · Class 2 · 1 peak · ~6.3 h drive

Researched: 2026-05-14 (rev 4 — cluster status confirmed 5/15)

NOAA weather link: Brown Mountain Weather

CalTopo research map: https://caltopo.com/m/Q2C5650

Status in your sheet: 0 ascents (unclimbed). Cluster status (Kyle confirmed 5/15): - ✓ Done: Houghton, Tuttle, UN 13078, Hanson - ✗ Unclimbed ranked 13ers nearby — pair with Brown: Bonita Pk (1.81 mi from Brown), Proposal Pk (2.74 mi from Brown). See Multi-peak link-ups below. - N/A: Hurricane, California, Emery are unranked 12ers, not tracked.

Other climbers: Emily Sharpe — not yet · Shawn D Keil — ✓ climbed

Overview map

Note: the recommended route was distilled from 6 recorded GPS tracks of real trips (14ers.com · ListsofJohn · peakbagger) — all layered on the interactive CalTopo research map.

The peak

Brown Mountain (DUCO BM)
Elevation (LiDAR) 13,347' (climb13ers + 14ers consensus); your sheet says 13,339'
Lat / Lon 37.92078, −108.63785
14ers.com peak page https://www.14ers.com/peaks/10441/13er-brown-mountain-a
Range San Juan Mountains
Class (standard) 2
Note 3-mile ridgeline; high point is "DUCO Benchmark"

Cluster status (rev 4 — confirmed):

Peak Dist from Brown In sheet? Status
Tuttle Mtn 1.66 mi ranked ✓ done
Hanson Pk 1.77 mi ranked ✓ done
Bonita Pk 1.81 mi ranked ✗ unclimbed
Proposal Pk 2.74 mi ranked ✗ unclimbed
Houghton Mtn 3.12 mi ranked ✓ done
UN 13078 nearby ranked ✓ done
Hurricane Pk 0.98 mi unranked 12er N/A — not tracked
California Mtn A 1.75 mi unranked 12er N/A — not tracked
Emery Pk 2.42 mi unranked 12er N/A — not tracked

Bottom line: Don't drive to this cluster just for Brown. There are two ranked unclimbed 13ers within easy ridge-walking distance. The whileyh 8-peak track on the research map already chains Brown ↔ Bonita ↔ Proposal — the connecting ridges are proven Class 2.

The whileyh 8-peak loop (8/2/2019, GPX on the research map) chains all three plus 5 already-done summits in one outing. For your purposes, drop the already-done peaks and just hit the three unclimbed ranked ones.

Best start: Silverton CR 25 (whileyh's TH) rather than Corkscrew Pass — the chain naturally runs east-side from Silverton.

Estimated stats (just the three unclimbed peaks; need to measure exact figures from the whileyh GPX): - ~10–12 mi RT, ~4,000–4,500 ft gain, Class 2 - Likely at or above your 4,500 ft filter depending on how much of the loop you cut - Long ridge day — early start, off the ridge before afternoon storms

Exact distance/gain TBD: measure the whileyh GPX between just the three summits to firm up the number. Could come in under 4,500 ft if the connecting ridges don't drop much between summits.

Option B — Brown + Bonita only (shorter, skip Proposal for a future trip)

If 4,500 ft is a hard cap or weather is iffy, do Brown + Bonita from the Corkscrew Pass road approach (Option A from the original route table below). Drive to the Brown saddle (~11,755 ft), hit Brown, then traverse the ridge east-southeast to Bonita. - Estimate ~6–8 mi RT, ~2,800–3,500 ft gain, Class 2 - Saves Proposal for a separate trip with whatever's still nearby - Bonita summit at ~37.9050, −107.6294 (verify against your "All" map)

Option C — Brown alone

Only makes sense if you're hitting Bonita + Proposal from a different approach in a different trip. Otherwise the per-peak driving cost is wasted.

The Corkscrew Pass / Hurricane Pass 4WD road starts off US 550 at the Ironton ghost-town area, ~7.8 mi south of Ouray. Same general direction as the Ironton TH — no driving around to Silverton needed. Three viable park-and-hike points depending on how much driving vs hiking you want:

Option Park elev Hike route Distance RT Gain When to use
A. Drive partway, park at Brown saddle (~11,755 ft) ⭐ 11,755' NE up steep grass to Brown summit ridge, deal with false summits ~3 mi ~1,600 ft Sweet spot. Skip the road-walking grind, save the technical 4WD section.
B. Drive all the way to Hurricane Pass top (~12,500 ft) ~12,500' W along ridge to Brown summit ~2–3 mi ~700–900 ft Shortest hike. Drives the hardest 4WD section (narrow switchbacks).
C. Park at Ironton, hike full loop ~9,800' Full Neapolitan loop via Corkscrew + Red No.1 + Gray Copper 10 mi 4,380 ft If you want the workout, no 4WD, or aspen color in fall.

The road itself
TH location Off US 550, ~7.8 mi south of Ouray (near Ironton) — turn left at "dam" with wood bridge and large parking
Drive from Boulder 6h 21m via Google Maps (328 mi, origin: 1162 Peakview Circle)
Length, US 550 → Hurricane Pass top ~7.1 mi (4.8 mi to Corkscrew Pass at ~12,200', +2.3 mi to Hurricane Pass at ~12,500')
Difficulty "Easy 2" / Moderate. Wide and graded most of the way.
Crux Narrow switchbacks at the top approaching Hurricane Pass — intimidating but not technically hard
Vehicle High-clearance 4WD recommended. Stock 4WD fine, no lockers. Your high-clearance vehicle handles this.
When wet Significantly harder — slippery clay soil. Don't go right after rain.
Season June–September. Impassable winter.
  1. From US 550 / Ironton, take the Corkscrew Pass road east up Corkscrew Gulch
  2. Drive ~3-4 miles up the road to the saddle area at 37.91106, −107.65022 (~11,755 ft) — there are some small ponds here. Park off the road (room for a vehicle)
  3. Hike NE up the steep grassy slopes about 1.5 miles to Brown's summit ridge — ~1,600 ft of gain
  4. Beware multiple false summits on the ridge (per vonmackle's TR — "endless chain of false summits"); the true summit is further along
  5. Return same way

When Option B (drive to Hurricane Pass top) makes sense

  • You want the shortest possible hike
  • Conditions are dry and you're comfortable with the narrow switchback section near the top
  • Approach Brown via the W ridge from the pass area (longer ridge walk than Option A's grass slope, but less elevation gain)

When Option C (full hike from Ironton) makes sense

  • Aspen viewing season — vonmackle specifically called out the colors on US 550 in late September
  • You want a true mountain day with significant elevation gain
  • Avoiding 4WD road traffic / dust on dry summer days

Beware the Neapolitan TR caveat: vonmackle did the full hike on a snowy/cloudy day. The grassy slopes between saddle and summit can be wet and slippery — phone GPS recommended for visibility-limited conditions.

Alternate routes (lower priority for you)

B. Silverton / Alaska Basin east approach

Earthline 8/11/2020 — 7.6 mi / 2,500' from Pt 12,947' high TH. Bags Brown + Abrams (unranked). Less mileage but you've done all the other east-side cluster peaks, so the long 4WD drive doesn't pay off.

C. The 8-peak Silverton CR 25 mega-loop

14ers GPX library entry from whileyh (8/2/2019, 1 GPX track on the research map): Proposal + Emery + Bonita + Hurricane + Brown + Tuttle + UN 13078 + Houghton in one outing from Silverton CR 25. Useful as a reference for what's possible in the area, but not relevant for you — you've done 7 of those 8 peaks.

Trailhead — Ironton (W approach)

  • Approx location: 37.94, −107.6688 (verify; ghost-town parking off US 550)
  • Vehicle: anything (paved highway access)
  • Start elevation: ~9,800' (lower than Silverton-side, hence the longer hike to summit)
  • Drive: ~10 min south of Ouray on US 550 (Million Dollar Highway)
  • No facilities at the pullout

Gear & season

  • Best window: mid-June through early October. Expect snow patches on N aspects into July
  • September observations (per TR 22851): cold mornings, cloud/snow possible, beautiful aspen color on US 550
  • Hazards: false summits on Brown ridge; steep grass slopes can be slippery wet/icy; standard storm exposure on a long ridge
  • 4WD road traffic: Corkscrew Gulch sees lots of 4WD traffic in summer — can mean dust on dry days. Wet days much quieter
  • US 550 (Million Dollar Highway): open year-round but check CDOT for winter closures (avalanche control)
  • Permits / access: Uncompahgre / San Juan National Forest — no permits, no fees. Standard wilderness rules don't apply (this is mostly mining-era public land outside designated wilderness)

Trip reports (14ers.com authenticated)

Date Source Stats Notes
9/22/2024 14ers.com TR 22851 (vonmackle) 10 mi, 4,380' Recommended route. Ironton loop via Corkscrew + Gray Copper. Brown + Red Mtn No.1. Class 2. GPX downloaded.
8/2/2019 14ers.com GPX library upload 1 track, 8 peaks whileyh — Proposal + Emery + Bonita + Hurricane + Brown + Tuttle + UN 13078 + Houghton from Silverton CR 25. Reference only — you've done 7 of these 8. GPX downloaded.
8/11/2020 Earthline (van Winegarden) 7.6 mi, 2,500' East approach from Silverton/Alaska Basin (4WD high TH). Brown + Abrams (unranked).
route info climb13ers.com Brown Mtn not stated SW Ridge route description.
route info SummitPost Brown Mtn partial West approach via Brown Mtn Rd from US 550 (different start than Ironton).

.gpx files (in gpx/brown_mountain/)

Public 14ers.com downloads (NEW): - brown_red_mtn1_neapolitan_amble_14ers_TR22851.gpx — vonmackle's actual track from the recommended Ironton loop (the one to use for your trip) - brown_8peak_loop_silverton_cr25_14ers_gpxlib_72823.gpx — whileyh's 8-peak mega-loop track for reference

Generated: - brown_mountain_peaks_only.gpx — Brown summit + Hurricane + California (yellow markers on map) - brown_mountain_landmarks.gpx — Alaska Basin TH, Brown Mtn Rd jct, Hurricane Pass, Gold Prince Mine TH (red markers) - brown_mountain_landmarks_v2.gpx — Ironton TH (red marker, added rev 2)

Your existing imported tracks (in _kyle_existing/): - kyle_proposal_pea_1_R7AHHPK.gpx — passes within 12 m of Brown's summit (the 8-peak loop, possibly the same source as the 14ers upload) - kyle_hanson_group_C105AEV.gpx — your Hanson cluster planning data (the eastern peaks you've now done)

All layered on the CalTopo research map.

Sources checked: 14ers.com · listsofjohn.com · peakbagger.com