Hike Tower Mountain and East Storm San Juan National Forest, CO

Aug 15, 2023 — Tower Mountain is a prominent 13er that overlooks the surrounding San Juans from a colorful tundra-swept perch. Topo maps seem to think there's a trail called the South Fork Trail that approaches from the east, but I saw no indication of its existence while looking at a satellite map. My chosen route begins from within Velocity Basin at the western end of the ambiguous South Fork Trail, though there was no sign declaring the trail name as such, just one reading "foot traffic only". After a few days of struggling to wake up and hike without the use of ample drugs, coughing through a fitful night's sleep forced me to admit I was sick and needed to go easier on the last few days of my Colorado trip. I refused to not get at least a couple more 13ers though, so this shorter approach from Velocity Basin was welcomed. Tower Mountain is often approached via the Boulder Gulch Trail from the south, a much longer hike starting from Silverton CO. Coming from this direction would have meant a well-defined trail the entire way to the summit and after seeing the gulch from above, I vowed to repeat Tower Mountain someday by using that trail.

Storm Mountain and East Storm are a pair of rugged summits that loom over the small blue lake within Velocity Basin. The ridge connecting them is unlikely below Class 5, so a traverse to Storm Mountain wasn't on my radar for today. There's a massive gash separating the two, so a peakbagger looking to reach both would have to take a pretty extended detour to wrap down and around one and reascend the other. I decided to tack East Storm onto my hike since it was pretty accessible from Tower Mountain, but decided to save Storm Mountain for another day. If you're looking to reach all three 13ers in one outing, I recommend using the Boulder Gulch Trail rather than this approach from Velocity Basin so you can form a partial loop, the only annoyance being the drop avoiding the ridge between the Storms.

Any car can make it to about here (37.88912, -107.64861), and passenger car drivers with some confidence can make it all the way to the trailhead. After checking out the unnamed lake within Velocity Basin, I started along the South Fork Trail, which switchbacked lovingly up the tundra slope for a time before continuing north on flatter ground. Looking to the right toward the north ridge of Tower Mountain far above, I tried to determine the best spot to leave the nice South Fork Trail, and after checking out a satellite map it seemed to peter out in a few hundred feet anyway. I decided to head through the tundra to the east, where a faint animal trail led me along the edge of a large and recent-looking landslide before becoming what felt like a full-on official trail as it ascended to a small spur ridge/slope. Once on this spur, I continued east on steep tundra using hints of a trail, then follows it on an ascending traverse up to the ridge above.

Now on the north ridge of Tower Mountain, the trail was very defined and continued with some tiny undulations and lightly rocky portions before reaching a junction with the Boulder Gulch Trail. From here I could see the jagged-looking East Storm to the southwest, but I was enjoying the walk and decided to head to Tower Mountain first. There was a well-defined use trail the rest of the way up, including when the route led through a couple of rocky patches. The views were absolutely amazing, and although Silverton was nearly directly below me it was blocked from view by unranked Macomber Peak.

I backtracked to the junction, now heading over to East Storm. I stuck to the tundra-covered crest, easily avoiding a few obstacles along the way and going up and over a few small lumps. I was surprised that the existence of a social trail was sporadic at best. The sheer drop to my right into Velocity Basin was dizzying. I reached a minor outcrop that I felt was best overcome by sticking to the crest, Class 2+/3. This could likely be avoided by staying low on loose terrain if you prefer. Past this obstacle I came upon a prominent pinnacle, and a more clear social trail wrapped me around it safely, dumping me at the base of East Storm.

The ascent to East Storm was borderline Class 3 due to extreme steepness on an exposed, grassy slope. At first the tundra wasn't too bad, but this quickly changed. Below was a steep decline followed by a small cliff. I felt my concentration kick in and I subconsciously started using my hands to grasp onto tufts of tundra. On my attached map, you'll notice a small loop near the peak's summit. My ascent was the eastern porion, which climbs up Class 2/3, progressively transforming from tundra to talus/scree. This route was more scary, but it led me up to the ridgeline and off the tundra more quickly, where a short Class 2/3 traverse along the ridge took me to the summit from there. The second option requires more traversing along the steepening tundra slope, then ascends almost directly to the summit using a loose bout of dirt, avoiding the additional dangers that come with true scrambling. Either way, I was annoyed at how tense I was both on the ascent and descent. Fortunately, the rain was holding or this would have been a slippery and distressing endeavor.

I'm calling the route to East Storm Class 3 because of the very bad conseqences if you were to slip, though the scrambling itself can be kept Class 2. It was a little strange to include East Storm after such an overall pleasant trail to Tower Mountain, but with very little elevation gain required to tack it on, the additional 13er felt worth it. Reaching the peak might be more pleasant by taking its southern ridge, but I haven't gone that way and can't vouch for it.