Mount Adams Trio — PT 13,552 + Pt 13,580 A + PT 13,543 (Sangre de Cristo)¶
At a glance — recommended day
13.5 mi · 6,897 ft gain · Class 2–3 · 3 peaks · ~4 h drive
Researched: 2026-06-15
NOAA weather link: Mount Adams Trio Weather
CalTopo research map: https://caltopo.com/m/VES1N54
Status in DB: all three unclimbed. Mount Adams A (13,937') itself is already done — these are the high points on its W, S, and SE ridges, and every other ranked neighbor (Kit Carson, Challenger, Crestones, Humboldt, Fluted, Horn, Little Horn) is climbed too. This cleans up the Adams massif.
Three ridge-point 13ers around Mount Adams, above Willow Lake near Crestone. The peaks are Class 2, but linking them on the ridges is Class 2+ with stretches of easy Class 3 (loose Crestone conglomerate; Class 3–4 if you stay on the crest) — on top of 6,400′ of gain out of the deep Crestone trailhead.
Note: the recommended route was distilled from 16 recorded GPS tracks of real trips (14ers.com · ListsofJohn · peakbagger) — all layered on the interactive CalTopo research map.
Other climbers: Emily Sharpe — 1 of 3 (PT 13,552) · Shawn D Keil — 2 of 3 (PT 13,552, Pt 13,580A)
Peaks covered¶
| PT 13,552 | Pt 13,580 A | PT 13,543 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 13,552' | 13,543' (LiDAR; map 13,580') | 13,543' |
| Lat / Lon | 38.0036, −105.6189 | 38.0007, −105.6004 | 37.9914, −105.5918 |
| Class | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| CO Rank | 221 | 228 | 229 |
| Position | W ridge of Adams (0.8 mi) | S of Adams (0.5 mi) | SE ridge of Adams (1.3 mi) |
| 14ers.com | 10634 | 10627 | 10635 |
| LoJ | 277 | 248 | 280 |
| peakbagger | 14645 | 14624 | 14648 |
| Peak DB id | 277 | 248 | 280 |
All three are ranked Sangre de Cristo 13ers in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. They form the W / S / SE high points on Mount Adams' ridge system — supranihilest's "All Four of Adams' Ridges in One Day" links them with Adams itself.
Class note: each summit is Class 2, but the ridges/saddles connecting them are the crux — Roach (Colorado Thirteeners) keeps the link-up at Class 2+ via bypasses on rotten rock, while the ridge crests offer Class 3–4, and the saddle downclimbs (e.g. toward Pt 13,580 A) go at easy Class 3 on ledges and short slabs. Helmet for the loose Crestone conglomerate.
The single push — Willow Creek / Willow Lake TH loop ⭐¶
A loop over all three from the Willow Creek / Willow Lake TH in Crestone — Class 2 summits linked by Class 2+/easy Class 3 ridges. Modest mileage but big gain — you climb ~4,600′ just to reach the Adams ridgeline, then traverse the three ridge points.
| Peaks | PT 13,552 + Pt 13,580 A + PT 13,543 |
| Class | Summits Class 2; connecting ridges Class 2+ with easy Class 3 — saddle downclimbs on ledges/short slabs of loose Crestone conglomerate (Class 3–4 if you stay on the crest). Helmet. |
| Trailhead | Willow Creek / Willow Lake TH (Crestone), ~8,900' — 2WD (passenger car) |
Route sequence (loop)¶
- From the Willow Creek / Willow Lake TH in Crestone, climb the Willow Lake trail toward Willow Lake and the Mount Adams basin (the standard Adams approach).
- Gain the ridgeline and traverse the three high points — the route order off the trail is flexible: PT 13,543 (SE) → Pt 13,580 A (S) → PT 13,552 (W) works as a horseshoe around the Adams basin (reverse also fine).
- The summits are Class 2, but the connecting ridges and saddle downclimbs run Class 2+ to easy Class 3 (ledges, short slabs, the odd chimney on Crestone conglomerate) — keep it to Class 2+ with careful bypasses, or take the crest at Class 3–4. Mount Adams (13,937', center) is the higher point between them and is already done, so it's optional to re-tag.
- Descend back to the Willow Lake trail and out.
Mostly gain + altitude — but not trivial scrambling. Big sustained gain from a deep Crestone trailhead, plus easy Class 3 moves on the connecting ridges. Wear a helmet for the loose rock and start early for the Sangre afternoon storms on exposed ridges.
Getting there — drive & trailhead¶
| Drive from Boulder | ~4h via Google Maps — via US-285 to the San Luis Valley, then Crestone; the Willow Creek / Willow Lake TH is above town. |
| Trailhead | Willow Creek / Willow Lake TH, ~37.989, −105.663, ~8,900' — 2WD (passenger car). |
| Land | Sangre de Cristo Wilderness (Rio Grande NF) — no permits/fees, foot travel beyond the TH; dispersed/backpack camping allowed (Willow Lake is a popular backpack). |
Gear & season¶
- Best window: June–September. The Willow Lake trail melts out by early summer; the upper ridges hold snow into June.
- Terrain: Class 2 to the summits, but the connecting ridges are Class 2+/easy Class 3 on loose Crestone conglomerate (ledge/slab downclimbs at the saddles) — careful scrambling, helmet, on top of a lot of sustained uphill.
- Storms: long exposed ridge time at 13,500'+ — start very early, off the high points by early afternoon.
- Cell: unreliable to dead in the basin — carry an InReach.
Other considerations¶
Backpack option: Willow Lake is a classic camp ~4–5 mi in; camping there shortens the summit day on the ridges considerably and is the relaxed way to do the trio (plus the lake is excellent).
Trip reports & GPX (all sources)¶
Sources confirmed logged in: 14ers.com ("Basin"), listsofjohn.com, peakbagger.com (Kyle Knutson). 7 14ers-library tracks layered (one — gpxlib 105345 — tours all three; others do the W/S pair or add Mount Adams); recommended loop drawn magenta.
- 14ers.com: GPX library + TRs cover the Adams ridges. Key: supranihilest "All Four of Adams' Ridges in One Day" (Adams + 13,543 + 13,552 + 13,159) and pgres "Grab Life by the (Little) Horn" (Adams area incl. 13,543).
- listsofjohn.com: per-peak pages — all three ranked Class 2 Sangre 13ers (277 · 248 · 280).
- peakbagger.com: pages verified for all three (14645 · 14624 · 14648); ownership = Sangre de Cristo Wilderness (Rio Grande NF).
- climb13ers.com: no dedicated route pages for these unnamed ridge points; class/approach corroborated by the 14ers tracks + TRs and LoJ.
Sources checked: 14ers.com ✓ (logged in, "Basin") · listsofjohn.com ✓ · peakbagger.com ✓ (logged in, "Kyle Knutson") · climb13ers.com ✓ (no dedicated pages) · Kyle's CalTopo ✓