GC4DM84 UN 13123
Type: Traditional | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Tom.dog @ | Hide Date: 06/04/2013 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 12.868 W105° 44.700 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
                       

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A cache placed near the summit of unnamed peak 13123 (elevation13,123 ft).

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This is a worthy hike as far as any 13er goes. There are several routes to take, and the final scramble to the summit is a fun one over a variety of talus sizes. The view is great, and there is an awesome summit cairn built on the top.

Here are my suggested routes for reaching the summits of Cottonwood Peak and Unnamed 13123:
Route 1: Start at Garner Creek Hot Springs Trailhead to the West/Southwest
This trail will lead you almost up to the North ridge of Cottonwood Peak.
Route 2: Start at Major Creek Trailhead to the West/Southwest
This trail will get you to the saddle of Thirsty Peak and Unnamed 13123, where after you can hike Unnamed 13123 and walk the ridge on to Cottonwood.
Route 3: Start at Lake Creek Campground to the East/Northeast
You can follow Forest Service Road 198 up Cloverdale Basin to Silver Lake, and then ascend the front face or East ridge of Cottonwood, or go to the saddle of Thirsty Peak and Unnamed 13123.
Route 4: Start from the end of Forest Service Road 198
If you take this route, you will need a very high clearance vehicle with great 4x4. If you don't have that, expect vehicle damage due to large boulders in the road. If you want to take this route, I suggest riding an ATV up. With an ATV you can also cut another mile by travelling on the road that goes farther on from the cabins for the Cloverdale Mine, as long as all snow drifts are melted (they weren't when I hid the cache).

Please make sure to hike with a buddy, it's about 6 miles in any direction to any help from the summit.

Be safe and enjoy the hike!

09/09/2016 By WingsAndTales
After finding the cache on Cottonwood Peak(see that log for the trip up) I made my way along the ridge toward this one. It was typical talus and required care but wasn't dangerous. I set down my pack on the summit and started looking for the cache. It took me about 5 minutes to find the area in the spoiler photo. I'm glad I brought it since the location wasn't as obvious as I thought it would be. I spent quite a while moving rocks around and looking with a flashlight to try to find the container. There was no sign of it despite knowing that I was in the right spot. I gave up after I dropped my flashlight and almost lost it in the rocks. I replaced the cache with a match container that I wired to a rock. It is in the opening in the center of the photo and I tried to build up a rock cairn on the rocks above it.

Now for the hike down. I went south to the next saddle and found the Garner Creek trail. It was fairly easy to follow for a while and then disappeared on a ridge just above tree line. Just stay on the ridge with trees on your right and a mostly bare slope on the left. There were sporadic rock cairns along the ridge marking the way. I ran out of cairns near N38 12.313 W105 45.143. I turned right through the trees and eventually found the trail again. Another tough spot was N38 12.233 W105 45.445 where it took a sharp right through the brush and crossed the creek. I would have missed it if I hadn't been using a track I had down loaded. The vegetation isn't as bad as on the Hot Springs trail the trail is though to spot in a meadow. There are quite a few downed trees to step over and it is really muddy in spots from the creek but it gradually gets better as you head down. I saved my GPS track and will send it to anyone that wants it. The total hike was about 13 miles and 5600 feet of elevation gain.

09/01/2014 By COpackrat
That is one heck of a road going up there to the Silver Lake TH!! Glad I didn't try taking my street 4WD on it - Great hike up Cottonwood and then over to UN 13,123 on a windy but clear day. Found the area matching the spoiler picture, and looked for a long time, but the cache has apparently dropped down into one of the deep holes back there - reached down an arm's length and didn't feel anything, so it may be lost. Could the next person please bring a replacement, and use a small wire to keep this from happening again?? Thanks so much. Logging with owner's permission. Thanks for bringing me back to this beautiful area.

08/10/2013 By ernie66
Estes01 and I did Route #4 via the Silver Lake trail. The road is a challenge, but a stock Jeep can handle it with careful driving. After completing Cottonwood, we picked our way down the ridge toward UN13123, over 2 or 3 bumps on the ridgetop, and then back up. Clouds were starting to build by the time we finished so we headed back to the car via the north ridge, then dropped down a grassy slope to the Silver Lake Basin below. I couldn't get over the lushness of the wildflowers in the basin - a spectacular spot!

08/10/2013 By estes01
Like A & J – Adrift, ernie66 and I "hiked" over to UN 13123 from Cottonwood Peak. Beautiful views and we enjoyed the very artistic cairn on the summit. We contemplated doing Eagle Peak, but it was too late in the day and a long drive back to the Springs. TFTC.

06/12/2013 By A & J - Adrift
We hiked over from Cottonwood Peak. Afterwards, we dropped down to Garner Pass and then down into the valley below. We saw 5 elk lying in the grass. They eventually saw us and us and beat a fast retreat. They were all adults and we wondered why there were no calves with them. Then, when we were wending our way through the willows, we flushed out a very cute calf. The mother was nearby. We moved away from her baby to reassure her.