PT 13,155 Group — Uncompahgre's Three Children (San Juan)¶
At a glance — recommended day
11.4 mi · 4,463 ft gain · Class 2 · 3 peaks · ~5.6 h drive
Researched: 2026-06-03
NOAA weather link: PT 13,155 Group Weather
CalTopo research map: https://caltopo.com/m/07PMBS1
Status in DB: All three 0 ascents (unclimbed). The quiet 13er neighbors of Uncompahgre Peak, off Nellie Creek.
Note: the recommended route was distilled from 18 recorded GPS tracks of real trips (14ers.com · ListsofJohn · peakbagger · Kyle's recordings) — all layered on the interactive CalTopo research map.
Other climbers: Emily Sharpe — not yet · Shawn D Keil — ✓ all
Peaks covered¶
| PT 13,155 | PT 13,110 | PT 13,108 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevation (LiDAR) | 13,155' | 13,110' | 13,108' |
| Lat / Lon | 38.0542, −107.4381 | 38.0712, −107.4209 | 38.0728, −107.3879 |
| Class (standard) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| listsofjohn.com | 645 | 707 | 726 |
| Peak DB id | 645 | 707 | 726 |
| Range / Wilderness | San Juan / Uncompahgre Wilderness | same | same |
Weather is the same NOAA target on all three (and on 14ers/LoJ/peakbagger). The three points sit in a ~2.5-mi arc on the high tundra SE/E of Uncompahgre Peak.
Why these three together: a standard cluster day — they're literally catalogued as "Uncompahgre's Three Children." TRs that hit one almost always do all three from Nellie Creek:
- "Uncompahgres 3 Children" (14ers 22909) — exactly this combo
- "Uncompahgre's Less Climbed Friends" (9334) · "Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre's quiet 13er neighbors" (17490)
- "From Nellie Creek Trailhead" (22365) · "Nellie and East Nellie from Nellie Creek" (20364)
All three are ranked 13ers, so each is a true combo partner — 3-for-1 on the long Lake City drive.
Recommended plan — Nellie Creek ⭐¶
The same approach as the Uncompahgre 14er: up Nellie Creek into the high basin, then tag the three points on the tundra ridges SE/E of Uncompahgre. Class 2 throughout — no scrambling on the standard lines, just high-altitude tundra and talus with route-finding between summits.
Combo stats (from TR GPX): roughly ~6–8 mi RT and ~3,000–3,500 ft from the 4WD upper TH; ~14–16 mi / ~5,000+ ft if you start from the 2WD lot. (The wide spread in the logged tracks reflects 2WD-vs-4WD starts and parties that also tag Uncompahgre.)
- Drive/hike Nellie Creek to the upper TH (~11,430').
- Continue up the Uncompahgre trail into the basin.
- Tag the three points on their connecting tundra ridges — order varies by TR; study the GPX on the research map for the most efficient link.
- Return via Nellie Creek.
Add-on: Uncompahgre Peak (14,309', the standard reason people are on this road) is right here — if it's unclimbed or a repeat you want, it folds in naturally. Several nearby ranked 13ers (Matterhorn, the Nellie/Wetterhorn-side points) are within ~6 mi and show on the research map's cluster markers.
Getting there — drive & trailhead¶
| Drive from Boulder | 5h 34m via Google Maps (280 mi, origin: 1162 Peakview Circle) — the long pole here is the drive; plan to camp |
| 2WD trailhead | Nellie Creek 2WD lot (~9,320'), 5 mi up the Uncompahgre/CR-20 road from Lake City |
| 4WD trailhead | Nellie Creek upper TH (~11,430') — ~4 mi of rough, high-clearance 4WD (the standard Uncompahgre road; creek crossing) |
| Vehicle | Stock cars stop at the 2WD lot (adds ~8 mi RT + ~2,000'); the upper TH needs real 4WD/clearance |
Gear & season¶
- Best window: July through September — high San Juan tundra, late snowmelt; Nellie Creek road opens once dry.
- Storms: wide-open high tundra with zero shelter — classic San Juan afternoon-storm exposure. Alpine start, off the ridges by early afternoon.
- Road: Nellie Creek 4WD is rough with a creek crossing; impassable when wet/snowy. Lake City is the last services.
- Permits / access: Uncompahgre Wilderness (Gunnison NF / BLM) — no permits; standard wilderness rules. Nellie Creek Rd (FR 877) off the Henson Creek / CR-20 road from Lake City; 4WD beyond the 2WD lot.
- Cell: no 14ers.com community-DB reports for these points; likely dead at the Nellie Creek TH/basin (deep drainage behind Uncompahgre); possible signal on the high points with line-of-sight toward Lake City, but unreliable. Carry an InReach — remote, far from services.
Trip reports & GPX (all three sources)¶
14ers.com (23 TRs across the three) — the combo/approach beta: "Uncompahgres 3 Children" (22909), "Uncompahgre's Less Climbed Friends" (9334), "From Nellie Creek Trailhead" (22365), "Nellie and East Nellie from Nellie Creek" (20364).
listsofjohn.com (19 TRs) — multiple combo tracks layered on the map.
peakbagger.com (logged in, Kyle Knutson) — ascents recorded but no GPS tracks attached for these remote points.
Kyle's own CalTopo tracks — your Nellie Creek / Matterhorn / Uncompahgre-area recordings (Nellie Ck–Big Blue–Matterhorn, the 4WD road, return route, 62s dumps) are layered in purple — you've worked this zone before.
GPX collected: 46 track files across LoJ + 14ers (swept via sweep_gpx.py) + your own CalTopo tracks (caltopo_mytracks.py) — all on the research map.
Sources checked: 14ers.com · listsofjohn.com · peakbagger.com