Elevation: 14,256' (lidar), 14,246' (NAVD88)
14er rank: 16 of 53
Prominence: 4,021' (Uncompahgre Peak, 33.1 mi NE)
Range: San Juan
County: Dolores
Location: 11.5 mi SW of Telluride
# of climbs: 1
First climbed: 9/9/2017
Last climbed: 9/9/2017
DESCRIPTION
Mt. Wilson is the 34th 14er I've climbed, in September 2017 with my friends Mike and Matt. This peak the 2nd tallest in the San Juan Mountains and the 16th tallest in Colorado. It is sometimes climbed together with neighboring El Diente Peak, an unranked 14er just 3/4 of a mile to the west, via a class 4 ridgeline traverse. This traverse, the Wilson & El Diente Traverse, is one of Colorado's Great 14er Traverses.
There are several routes to the summit of Mt. Wilson. The standard Southwest Slopes Route approaches the peak from Kilpacker Basin to the south and is rated class 3. The old standard route ascends the peak's north slopes via Navajo Lake and is rated at class 4. My friends and I hiked Mt. Wilson in combination with El Diente Peak and the class 4 traverse. A good description of this route and others can be found on 14ers.com or in Gerry Roach's great guidebook Colorado's Fourteeners: From Hikes to Climbs. I also provide a firsthand account of this route in a trip report that can be found via the link near the bottom of this page.