Isolation 2.77 mi (4.46 km) Elevation 4,272 m Mountain range San Juan Mountains Parent range San Juan Mountains | Translation Weather Peak (German) Prominence 492 m Parent peak Uncompahgre Peak | |
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Listing Colorado Fourteener 50th Location Hinsdale and Ouray counties, Colorado, United States Topo map USGS 7.5' topographic map
Wetterhorn Peak, Colorado First ascent 1906 by George Barnard, C. Smedley, W. P. Smedley, D. Utter (first recorded ascent) Similar Uncompahgre Peak, Redcloud Peak, Sunshine Peak, Handies Peak, Sunlight Peak | ||
Wetterhorn Peak (Wetterhorn is German and means Weather Horn/Peak) is a fourteen thousand foot mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Uncompahgre Wilderness of the northern San Juan Mountains, in northwestern Hinsdale County and southeastern Ouray County, 9 miles (14 km) east of the town of Ouray. It lies 2.75 mi (4.4 km) west of Uncompahgre Peak.
Map of Wetterhorn Peak, Colorado 81235, USA
Wetterhorn Peak, and its neighbor Matterhorn Peak, 13,590 ft (4,142 m), are named after the Wetterhorn and the Matterhorn, two famous peaks in the Swiss Alps. Both Colorado peaks are pointed rock spires (hence resembling their namesake peaks), whose shapes contrast with the broad bulk of the higher Uncompahgre Peak.
The first recorded ascent of the peak was made in 1906 by George Barnard, C. Smedley, W. P. Smedley, and D. Utter, but a previous ascent by miners working in the area in the 19th century is likely.
The standard, and only common, route on Wetterhorn Peak is the southeast ridge, which is accessed via the Matterhorn Creek drainage on the south side of the mountain. The trailhead is on the Henson Creek Road, accessible from Lake City. The route involves 3,535 ft (1,077 m) of ascent from the trailhead and some exposed scrambling (Class 3/4) on the ridge itself. The nearby east face is considered a high-quality advanced snow climb or extreme ski descent.