Carrie and I have been getting out once a week all summer. Unlike last year, when we were prepping for a climb of 19,974 foot Huayna Potosi, we haven't been doing huge outings. That said, we’ve still gotten to the top of a handful of 13ers in the San Juans.

I had eyed Jones Mountain and Niagara Peak for quite sometime and figured it was time to give them a go. In my research, the best route up those peaks was from Burns Gulch and it even appeared there was a trail about 95% of the way.

We left Montrose at 6:45am, a late start, but with a 0% chance of precipitation, no biggie. We made it up the road a bit higher than expected and started hiking at around 11,800 feet. Initially we followed the road, but found the start of the trail and jumped on that.

The trail is a bit hard to follow through the tundra, but can often times be spotted ahead of you. At around 12,600 feet it became easier to follow.

From 12,600 feet to around 13,000 is a bit rocky. At 13k, you look up at the rocky section between you and the saddle and feel it’s not going to go well. However, the trail simply switchbacks up the rocky area with good tread and gets you easily to the 13,200 foot saddle.

The wind was ripping here, but not too bad. We chose to go up Niagara first. I felt the trail was steep, but with good footing. I can only remember a few loose spots. I thought the views from the top of Niagara were stunning! Huge drop-off down the Animas River, then a 180 view of the Sneffels range, Vermillion Peak area and all the way to the Grenadiers!

We then dropped back down to the saddle and up the gentler trail to Jones Mountain. The only obstacle on Jones is that the last 50-75 feet are extremely steep and loose, but it's over fast and you are on top of the 79th highest peak in Colorado.

After a fine lunch on top of Jones, we dropped back down to the trailhead. The weather held, the views were amazing and the terrain made for a great day. And we bagged 2 13ers, one a centennial and the other a bicentennial. We finished off the day in style, with a beer at Golden Block Brewery in Silverton.

From Silverton, take a right onto CR 2 at the northern end of town. Drive 7.75 miles to Eureka on a good, but dusty road. Reset your odometer here. Just past Eureka, the road becomes rougher and requires good tires. From Eureka to the turnoff to Burns Gulch, it is 2.3 miles of driving.

At the turn for Burns Gulch, you have options. You can take the lower road and ford the Animas River or continue on CR 2 about 1/8th of a mile and cross on a bridge.

Either way, continue on the road up Burns Gulch. The road starts out pretty smooth, but is narrow and has a good drop-off down to the Animas River. Around the treeline, the road gets rougher with some loose rock. Most people were stopped around 11,600 feet, but hardcore vehicles could probably continue to 12k or so.

From wherever you parked in Burns Gulch, start the hike by following the 2-track heading towards the saddle between Jones and Niagara. The trail turns right, off the road, at 12,000 feet, not long after crossing the creek. Look for a pile of rocks on the left side of the road marking this turnoff. The trail is hard to stay on through the grass, as it is faint, but stick with it. Around 12,600 feet I felt the trail was much easier to follow.

Eventually the drainage between Jones and Niagara tightens and the route above looks improbable with some rocky terrain, but the trail switchbacks up through the rocks using ramps and spits you out at the saddle at 13,200.

We chose to do Niagara first and followed the use trail up that peak. I felt there were one or two loose spots that required care, but otherwise the trail up Niagara was fine.

Descend and follow the use trail to the top of Jones Mountain. This trail is longer, but less steep… except for the last 100 feet, which are on steep, loose rock.