San Luis Peak Colorado 14er Hike Guide
San Luis Peak is without a doubt the most remote 14er out of the 58 that most count in Colorado. Located in Gunnison National Forest in southern Colorado, a hike up San Luis Peak will usually have very few hikers besides yourself. San Luis Peak is in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and is very secluded from any local towns or cities. The hike to the summit is a variety of packed dirt and rock fields but the trail is very easy to follow. If you are hiking the Colorado Trail, a hike to San Luis Peak is an easy side trip as well.
San Luis Peak Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: San Luis Peak
San Luis Peak Trail Rating: ★★★★ (⅘ Stars)
Distance: 13.5 miles RT
Elevation Start: 10,470 ft
Summit: 14,014 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 3,700 ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 5-6 Hours RT
Difficulty: Moderate / Difficult What does this mean?
Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?
Season: July – September
Directions to San Luis Peak
Trailhead: Stewart Creek trailhead
Getting Here: If hiking from Stewart Creek TH (Northwest/Standard route), you can enter “Stewart Creek Trailhead” into your favorite navigation app, but you will not have service (at least on Verizon) for the last several miles before the trailhead. If coming from the north, take US50 to Colorado 114 and continue south for about 20 miles until you reach County Road NN14 on your right. Stay on NN14 for about 7 miles to CR 15GG. Take a right here. Once on the road, continue straight until you reach a fork in the road directing you to County Road 14DD. Stay on this road for about 12 miles until you reach another junction with a sign to Stewart Creek TH. Follow the sign and continue about 4.3 miles to reach the trailhead on your right.
If heading from the south, take Colorado 114 to 15GG (which will be on your left) and follow the same instructions above from that point. Both of these drives an be done in most passenger cars unless the water on the two creek crossings is high which can sometimes cause issues.
Parking: There is a small parking area right next to the Stewart Creek TH sign (probably fit about 5-6 cars parallel parked). This area is free to park, but there are no bathrooms. If you continue down the road about a 1/4 there is another TH (Eddiesville South) which can fit 5-10 more cars and has two very clean non-plumbing bathrooms.
Summary
Dogs: San Luis Peak is a good hike for dogs. There are a few sections that might not be ideal for a dog with sensitive or unseasoned paws, but I don’t think it’s anything to be too concerned about. There are no water sources along the way (outside of the first 3 miles), so if you plan on spending a long day on San Luis Peak, keep that in mind.
Camping: When you drive to San Luis Peak, you will see how remote it is. There are tons of areas to camp along the road, but not necessarily right near the trailhead unless you want to hike in a bit. When picking a camping spot, keep in mind that a lot of the land around the trailhead is used for logging.
Make it a Loop: This hike is an out and back, but you can hike some of the neighboring mountains in the area if you really want to extend your trip. Mountains in the area include Baldy Alto, Organ Mountain, and Stewart Peak.
San Luis Peak Hike Route
Trail X Factors: False Summits
If you are familiar with the area around San Luis Peak, you can flush this X Factor right down the toilet and keep reading. However, if you have not been to the area, you may be fooled by several false summits. There were probably about 3 times when I was sure “that is the summit” but it was notably not. If you are in diesel shape, have good weather and no time constraint this is not a huge issue, more of an annoyance. However, if any of those aforementioned things are a factor, you may be damning each false summit you see.
Hike Tip(s): If you plan on using your phone for navigating the drive in, I would highly suggest a backup plan. Even with handwritten (and printed) directions, I still had to stop and think at each intersection about what my next move would be. If you plan on driving to San Luis Peak in the dark, keep an eye out for small signs because after all you are in the middle of the woods and there is not exactly great signage. Frequently check your odometer while driving through these dirt roads and keep track of mileage from one turn to another. There were about 3 times I had sworn I had driven 5 miles and when I checked my odometer, I had gone less than 1.
Best Views: San Luis Peak is very remote which makes anywhere near this area an outstanding spot to take night photos. During the day, Stewart Creek provides some nice spots to snap the mountains in the distance. The views from the summit of San Luis Peak are fantastic. Due to the remote location of this hike, you are able to see nothing man made for miles and miles.
Gear Needed
- 14er Day Hike Packing List
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Optional: Climbing Helmet
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
My Trip to San Luis Peak: October 2016
I probably shouldn’t have hiked San Luis Peak the day that I did. On all accounts, it was pushing it. However, I loathe quitting, so when I arrived to San Luis Peak trailhead around 3PM on a Saturday afternoon in October, there was no other option besides summiting that day.
Juno and I had spent the better part of the day hiking nearby Handies Peak and driving the long, slow going, dirt roads to the San Luis TH. As I laced up my boots, I knew that I was going to have to fly up to the summit in order to avoid a long, dark, lonely, hike down in the pitch black.
I hit the trail and for the first 3 miles half walked, half jogged to cover as much distance as possible while the hike up to San Luis Peak was still flat. Juno was loving life, because after all she is a husky who loves to run. The trail winded along a series of bogs and marshes that were fed by high elevation snow melt. It was the kind of environment that a moose would call “ideal” and I was really not in the mood to see a moose bull, especially in the fall mating season. I started thinking about how Juno would react if she saw a moose. She would know not to run at it like every other animal she encounters, right?
I decided to move on from those negative thoughts and start worrying about my lack of sunlight instead. I was clearly in a tremendously positive mood! We bid the marshland adieu and entered the forest. We crossed the same stream we had been following earlier a few times and eventually hiked our way out of the trees and into a large open meadow. At this point, I could see several peaks in front of me, but as it turned out, none of them were San Luis. The trail snaked its way up the left slopes to reach a flat shoulder that separated several peaks from one another. At this point, I could San Luis Peak in the distance and I was demoralized because I thought it was so much closer. Juno and I were running low on energy and needed to summit this damn mountain already.
We worked our way along the ridge of San Luis Peak and eventually did reach the summit about 30 minutes later. There was not another soul for miles, so Juno and I had the beautiful sunset all to ourselves. After hiking two mountains and driving over 70 miles in between hikes, we were both exhausted from our long day, but this stunning sunset made it all worth it.
Refueled and re-hydrated, we sat in peace while the vibrate sun slowly set to our west. I was so grateful to have made it to the top of San Luis Peak. I knew it was not a terribly hard mountain, but moments like these made my quest to hike all 58 “14ers” totally worth it.
After a few pieces of salty beef jerky and long swigs of water, my mind shifted to the descent of San Luis Peak, which unfortunately we still had in front of us. I knew we were going to have to hike in the dark, but I wanted to get as many miles under us before the sun did retire for the night, so we started down the mountain.
We reached the saddle and the sun was finally gone, slowly being replaced by the semi-full moon. I popped on my headlamp, took out my flashlight and prepared for a long, dark trek back to the car. Juno still had boatloads of energy when we entered the snow fields again and my patience was wearing thin. I “shortened” her leash and encouraged her to keep moving. Juno is a great dog and hiking companion, but she loves to move fast down the mountain and my tired legs just did not have it in me that night, especially in the dark on slippery patches of trail. I liked my knees just the way they were, injury free.
After several miles of silent hiking in the dark, I decided to turn on some music to let our presence be known for any animals in the area. When I hike, I am not afraid of seeing animals, but during a prime feeding hour, I was not trying to spook or sneak up on anything in the area…especially with Juno.
We finally reached the car around 9PM and I wanted nothing more than to be home with a hot meal. My plan was originally to camp in the area, but I called an audible and made the long drive back to Golden that night. San Luis Peak was an enjoyable hike and our timing was great for the sunset on the summit. The mountain is very secluded, so even in prime hiking season I can’t imagine it would be terribly crowded. I don’t have plans to hike San Luis Peak again, but I am certainly going to revisit the area for other hikes in the future.
