Wheeler Mountain South Couloir Guide

February 20, 2024 The Virtual Sherpa Comments 0 Comment

Wheeler Mountain South couloir is a snow climb on this 13,000ft mountain located in the Tenmile Range of Colorado. Relatively unknown, Wheeler Mountain South Couloir is a good option for those looking to combine a snow climb with a small class 4 ridge. For bonus points, Wheeler Mountain is one of Colorado’s 600+ summits over 13,000ft as well. Admittedly, this line is not a fantastic option for skiing as it’s fairly short and involves a long approach.

Wheeler Mountain South Couloir Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Wheeler Mountain South Couloir

Wheeler Mountain South Couloir Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)

Distance: 8.5 miles + another .10 to the summit

Elevation Start: 10,922 (Winter Closure)

High Point: 13,690ft

Total Elevation Gain: 3,000ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 4-5 Hours RT

Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?

Class: Class 4 (only required if you decide to summit the peak)– What does this mean?

Season: December – June

Snow Climb Grade: Moderate: 40-45 Degrees at its crux

Check the Weather Forecast

Avalanche Risk: Wheeler Mountain South Couloir in the Winter and Spring does present avalanche risk, so please understand the conditions and risks before heading out. Watch this video for basic avalanche information.

Directions to Wheeler Mountain South Couloir

Trailhead: Montgomery Reservoir

Getting Here: About a mile south of Hoosier Pass take the County Road (CR) 4 west. Stay straight on this road for about a mile then continue right on the higher road to reach the reservoir. In the winter and spring this will be the end of the road for you. In the summer, low clearance cars can continue another .3 miles or so where there is room to park a few cars before the Magnolia Mill. VERY high clearance 4×4 cars with a very experienced off-road driver can continue another 2.5 miles up to Wheeler Lake. I would not recommend this option for anyone without a lift kit on their car, this road is extremely rough and likely if you can make it up this far, the line is probably melted out.

Parking: The parking situation for this hike is going to entirely depend on the snow conditions and when you visit. In the best case scenario there are several spots to park 5-10 cars at the reservoir itself. If the summer road is open you can continue another .3 miles to the summer TH that can fit another 5ish cars along the side of the road. Neither area has a bathroom. If you do drive up to Wheeler Lake, expect no problem finding parking options.

Fee: No fee is required

Summary

Dogs: I would not recommend bringing a dog up any couloir.

Camping: Camping for Wheeler Mountain is surprisingly good if you are willing to hike in a bit. There are several flat camping areas along the 4×4 road all the way up to Wheeler Lake. Of course, you do need dry conditions to take advantage of these options which can be tricky to match with the snow climbing season. Car camping is not an option for this one.

Make it a Loop: There are a few options to extend this hike, the most logistically reasonable one would be to pair with neighboring Clinton Peak. This adds only a few additional miles of hiking. You could also pair with neighboring North Star Mountain but this would involve likely several more hours of ridge scrambling to tag that summit and get back to descend the south couloir.

Trail X Factors: Approach & Ridge to Summit

Let’s keep it real for a second: the approach to Wheeler Mountain South couloir is not super fun. Essentially, you follow a 4×4 road that is mostly flat which makes for a ton of transitioning if on skis/splitboard. Once the snow starts to melt, the road is full of deep puddles and postholing galore. If you time it right, you MIGHT be able to ski from the top of the couloir to about a mile from your car but that involves quite a bit of luck.

If summiting Wheeler Mountain is important to you, do not underestimate the terrain that remains after topping out of the snow climb. Although it’s only a few hundred yards, when covered with snow and attempting in ski or snowboard boots, this ridge can be very dangerous. Some may consider a few pieces of protection and roping up to mitigate risk. Once dry, I understand the ridge contains solid Class 4 scrambling but timing this with snow conditions can be tricky.

Hike Tip: Once you get to Wheeler Lake, pick the best line to get to the much smaller upper lake. From here, you have two options: skin around the lake to the right and then get to the base of the couloir or pop on your crampons and start climbing the obvious line to the North of the smaller lake. Snow conditions and what you are looking to get out of the day will likely dictate which decision you make.

Best Views: Overall, the views on this line are fantastic from start to finish.