San Luis Peak & Stewart Peak Colorado Hike Guide
San Luis Peak & Stewart Peak hike pairs a remote 14er with one of the tallest 13ers/centennials in the state. Although this hike is extremely beautiful, it’s also a very long and difficult day where hikers are spending most of the time off an official trail. Hikers will stake the standard route up San Luis Peak and from there will be venturing off trail to Baldy Alto Peak and then up to Stewart Peak before heading back up Baldy. Instead of returning all the way to San Luis Peak, the best option is to take a direct line down into the basin.
San Luis Peak & Stewart Peak Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: San Luis Peak & Stewart Peak
San Luis Peak & Stewart Peak Trail Rating: ★★★★ (⅘ Stars)
Distance: 17.5 miles RT
Elevation Start: 10,470 ft
San Luis Peak Summit: 14,014 ft
Stewart Peak Summit: 13,983ft
Total Elevation Gain: 5,500ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 10-12 Hours RT
Difficulty: Difficult What does this mean?
Class: Class 2 – 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: While this hike is good for dogs, it is a long day to be sure to bring lots of water and food for your pup. The terrain is doable for most dogs, just keep in mind that there is a TON of off trail hiking here.
Camping: When you drive to San Luis Peak & Stewart 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 is a lollipop loop hike and trust me, when you are done, you will just want to go to bed. However, check out Colorado Trail in the area if you want even more hiking the next day.
San Luis Peak & Stewart Peak Hike Route
Trail X Factors: Elevation Gain…Then Loss…Then Gain…Then…
This hike is the definition of a roller. Once you gain 14er San Luis Peak’s summit, you will be in a constant state of elevation loss and gain for the remainder of the hike. Getting to the summit of Baldy Alto, twice, is quite difficult. In addition, the slopes of Stewart Peak itself are no walk in the park. 5,500ft of elevation gain is not a TON of the scheme of things, but when almost all of this is over 13,000ft – your heart will certainly be feeling it.
Hike Tip(s): When hiking San Luis Peak & Stewart Peak – be sure to have a GPS/map or route to follow. Most of this hike is fairly straightforward but knowing the proper route will save you in two spots: on the way up to Stewart Peak after descending Baldy Alto. Here, be sure to stay straight to the little bump/hill and DO NOT go around to the right even though it looks more direct. In addition, after you are heading back to San Luis from leaving Baldy Alto a second time, you will want to have a line to follow so that you do not have to hike all the way back up to San Luis Peak for absolutely no reason.
Best Views: San Luis Peak & Stewart Peak are both very remote which makes anywhere near this area an outstanding spot to take 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. If night photography is your thing, this is one of the best spots in the entire state of Colorado.
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 & Stewart Peak: September 2021
Jackie, Juno and I were heading down to tackle more segments of the Colorado Trail in the late summer of 2021. With a centennial I had not tackled yet sitting right there, I thought it was a great idea to pair it with a 14er I had only hiked once and call it a really long day.
The hike up San Luis Peak was full of animals (several moose sightings and a beaver) but all in all was very uneventful. You can read a previous report from my hike up this 14er here. I gained the summit, had a nice chat with someone who has seen my videos and started the journey to Stewart Peak. First up was an off trail ridge traverse to the base of Baldy Alto. This was very easy and took me no time at all. The hike up Baldy Alto looked very rugged but in reality was a low class 2 hike that also did not take very long.
After descending Baldy Alto, my problems started. Not wanting to gain more elevation, I decided to take a “shortcut” around the hump before the west ridge of Stewart Peak. Turrible idea. I found myself in a loose, class 2 rock mess. It took far too long to hike this section and it was salt in the wound when I stuck to the ridge proper on the way back and realized it was FAR easier. In any case, I finally made my way up to Stewart Peak and was satisfied to have another 13er in my belt. The hike back was tough, especially re-gaining Baldy Alto but I did manage to save a bunch of mileage, time and distance by cutting into the basin of San Luis Peak. I followed a drainage stream back to the standard trail and hiked out the 4+ miles to my car. The hike to San Luis Peak & Stewart Peak was extremely long but a very rewarding day in one of the most remote and beautiful areas of Colorado.
