Elevation

14,015 ft / 4,272 m

#71 in Colorado

#119 in United States

Prominence
about

1,635 ft / 498 m

#115 in Colorado

#1,084 in United States

Climbs

57 climbs

#50 in Colorado

#733 in United States

Top climbing months

July   28%

August   23%

June   15%

Most climbed route

Southeast Ridge via Matterhorn Creek

Class 3

Highlights

  • Wetterhorn Peak is Colorado 14er in the Uncompahgre Wilderness of the northern San Juan Mountains.
  • Named after the famous Wetterhorn in the Swiss Alps.
  • It's a pointed rock spire slightly resembling its namesake peak, whose shape contrasts with the broad bulk of the nearby higher 14er Uncompahgre Peak.
  • The standard route on Wetterhorn Peak is the southeast ridge and involves 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.
Wetterhorn Peak 6.8 mi route
1 climb • 6.8 mi • 3,134 ft gain • 6 hr 56 min
"Beautiful hike. The san juans are one of my favorite ranges ever. I was stoked to finally have bagged a peak there. Started at matterhorn creek trail at the lower trailhead around 6:15am. Had a brief sprinkle about an hour in which brought a cool half rainbow. Saw 4 deer and a handful of pika and marmots. Few other hikers. Some beautiful purple and white flowers (columbines i think). I didn't see the grazing sheep but i did hear the dogs barking aggressively at something way out in the distance... glad it wasn't me. Views from the summit were spectacular. Couple clouds in the distance but otherwise very clear and no smoke. Back to car at 11am sharp. 8.65 miles RT. The Matterhorn to Wetterhorn traverse looked spicy, and Uncompahgre peak in the distance looked like a fun hike. Cant wait to go back! " — ryangallant • Aug 28, 2023
"Summited around 11 am inbetween two thunderstorms. Nice Class 3 final pitch to very large and flat summit. Abandoned attempt to climb Uncompahgre Peak as a result of the weather." — tlannin • Jun 23, 2021
"4:30 am start from the lower Matterhorn Creek trailhead at 9,700'. Dirt road was just barely doable with 5 inches of clearance. Summitted Wetterhorn at 7:30, Matterhorn at 10:00 and Uncompahgre at 1:00. Got back to the car about 4:30. Wetterhorn crux was more exposed (and fun) than expected and Uncompahgre took forever to get to. Awesome range and can't wait to get there again." — cheeseishappiness • Oct 15, 2020
"The big day of the trip, started from Matterhorn Creek TH and summited in just over 3 hours. The route is mostly class II slabs with cleaner class III just beyond the prow. Traversed over to Uncompahgre after. Complete TR: http://themtsarecalling.com/wetteruncomp/" — Christopher • Jul 16, 2016
"The grand finale in an epic day. 2nd peak of the day after Uncompahgre. Heat started to wear me down a bit as hit the summit ridge. The scramble up the ridge was straightforward and staircase-like in the final pitch. Huge marmot on the summit... the true king of Wetterhorn." — scott • Jul 9, 2013
"Linked up with Uncompahgre Peak. I stashed a pair of Mountain boots on the trail and returned to find that a marmot had run off with both of them. We found them nearby slightly chewed up." — Yosemike • Jun 22, 2013
"Saw a small moose on the drive up to the TH. There were some clouds as we ascended, but the weather stayed fine. Began hike at 6:25am, peaked at 10:00am, and ended at about 12:45pm. Still a good bit of snow; some fantastic glissading on the descent." — Globetrotter87 • Jun 8, 2013

Awards

bmannlein

bfsmith

Challenges

Colorado 14ers Challenge