Turret Peak
Elevation: 13,626 ft.
Prominence: 634 ft.
Isolation: 0.4 miles
Technical Difficulty: Class 5.0


Turret Peak Guidebook
Introduction
Reclusive, forbidding, and foul-tempered, Turret Peak rarely finds its way onto climbers’ agendas. Most who encounter Turret Peak are happy just to savor the view of its ramparts rising above the Dinwoody or North Fork of Bull Lake Creek, and it is indeed quite the spectacle to behold. Those who seek to climb all of the 13ers, though, must eventually face the beast. Tread cautiously, and savor the summit view—few ever see it.
General Considerations
Turret seems to have much worse rock quality than many of its neighbors. The prevalence of loose rock, coupled with the ever-present exposure, creates a dangerous mix. The author encountered a car-sized slab that shifted under body weight on the west side of the north ridge: beware. That said, Turret is an impressive mountain, and worth climbing. All sides are very steep, and while most faces and ridges have reported ascents, only a few routes have been described in modern times.
Route 1: North Ridge – Class 5.0
This is Turret’s standard route if it could be said to have one. From the Dinwoody moraine or from the Helen Glacier, climb scree and/or snow to Backpackers Pass. After mid-summer, Backpackers Pass is reachable from the Dinwoody side without crossing any snow.
Follow easy terrain up the start of the north ridge. When a large cliff blocks the ridge crest, the route diverges into two variations. The recommended route traverses slabs on the east (Helen Glacier) side of the ridge, substantially below the crest, before engaging a loose scree chute which culminates in a short chimney, ultimately regaining the ridge just above the big cliff.
It is also possible to traverse on the west (Dinwoody Glacier) side of the ridge; this option involves committing moves and much of the rock is unstable. This route variation raises the difficulty to 5.2, and the exposure is greater.
After completing one of these options to gain the upper ridge, the routefinding becomes more flexible. The author’s preferred path traverses the rubble-strewn western slopes substantially below the ridgeline across a series of two broad gullies. Return to the vicinity of the ridge crest at the top of the second gully near a perched block. The final scramble to the summit is beautifully steep but goes with relative ease, as the face is broken up with innumerable cross-cutting ledges.
Route 2: South Ridge – Class 5.7
For those desiring a complicated multi-pitch alpine endeavor, the south ridge awaits. Climbers report starting at Elsie Col, following a couloir, a subsidiary couloir, and finally the ridge itself to reach the southern summit. The northern summit is higher (and has the cairn and register), and it is necessary to perform a short descent and final 5th class traverse to reach it.
Route 3: Western Gullies – Class 5.0
While the routefinding here is even more complicated than Route 1, this route is perhaps a bit easier once snow-free in the late summer. However, it is blocked by snow most of the year, and the underlying rock is quite loose. The difficulty of this route as a snowclimb is unknown.
This route begins at the base of Turret’s west face about 200 ft. below Elsie Col. Assuming the route is dry, look for a broad, shallow, talus-filled gully that leads diagonally to the north on an ascending traverse across Turret’s lower west face. The first section of this gully ends with a short downclimb across a steeper intersecting gully; continue on the north-trending inset ramp as it ascends through loose, blocky terrain (low class 5) to meet Route 1 in a shallow gully above the crux of the west ridge route. Continue to the summit as described for Route 1.
Turret Peak Map
Turret Peak Photos
-
- Turret Peak (distant) catches some alpenglow and reflects in a pond near camp on Panorama Pass, 2016
-
- Turret and its neighbors reflect in the North Fork of Bull Lake Creek during our family’s Wind River Range traverse, 2016
-
- Turret (center) framed by Helen (left) and Sunbeam (right) above the glacial outwash plain in the North Fork of Bull Lake Creek, 2016
-
- Turret et al. reflecting in the Helen Glacier outwash lake as we prepare to backpack over Blaurock Pass (right edge of photo), 2016
-
- Turret looks imposing from the summit of Mount Warren; the standard north ridge route traverses just this side of the peak just below the crest of the left-hand ridge, 2020
-
- My camp at the end of the Glacier Trail the evening before climbing Turret; the night before a solo climb is always the hardest mental challenge, 2020
-
- Early morning light above the North Fork of Bull Lake Creek while taking a quick break at the crest of Backpackers Pass, 2020
-
- Top of the loose, steep couloir system that provides access to the northeast side of Turret Peak’s north ridge route, 2020
-
- My next objective, Turret Peak, looks ferocious from any angle. I studied it carefully as I descended Warren’s broad upper slopes, trying to determine if a route I identified in photos would indeed go.
-
- Next up: Turret Peak! What an impressive peak. I’m planning to traverse around the base of the left-hand cliffs and climb a left-leaning gully to gain the normal summit route halfway up.
-
- Looking up at Turret from the vicinity of Elsie Col. The prominent shadowed buttress is the south ridge route, which goes at 5.7 according to Sarah’s trip report.
-
- Starting up my proposed route on the west face of Turret. The goal is to follow this left-leaning gully system until it’s possible to scramble up to the right.
-
- Looking back at Warren. Most of my descent route is not visible from here, but it roughly follows the other side of the left ridge.
-
- My new route on Turret works fabulously, with only a short spot of 5.0 scrambling (it’s loose though). After joining the north ridge route around 13,300 ft., I’m back on familiar terrain. The final summit pitch always looks impossible, but it’s only class 4.
-
- Summit view from Turret Peak. The show’s not over–I still need to climb down, traverse two more peaks, and return over Bonney Pass, tagging Miriam on the way. But for today, all of the big unknowns are behind me.
-
- The next two 13ers, Sunbeam and Febbas, are a bit lower and blend together in this view. This section of the ridge spur is mellower, and a direct traverse is the preferred route.
-
- Impressive albeit smoky views abound. The highest peak is Fremont, with Jackson on the left and Sacagawea on the right. Knife Point and Bete Noire are visible farther away.
-
- To descend Turret, I reverse the upper north ridge (actually more of a traverse below the ridge on the west side), then cross the ridge and downclimb this rock fissure. It’s low 5th class, but easier than last time I was here when the lower section was blocked by ice.
DISCLAIMER: Mountain climbing is dangerous. Activities described on this page may lead to serious injury, death, and property damage. This webpage is presented with no warranty express or implied. Pictures and text are for entertainment purposes only. No commercial use allowed; all rights reserved.