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No medal for climbing Silver
Mountain By Rich Stromberg, Feb. 24, 2006 See the photo gallery Note to readers: This is not a family hike. Mountaineering and route-finding skills are needed on this climb. Expect some battle scars while bushwhacking and traveling on loose talus. Water is not available along this route. Also, please respect the rights of private property owners on both sides of the road to the trailhead. There is no overnight camping in the area and absolutely no hunting on private land.
There is a trail head at the end of Bear Springs Road, but the old road beyond the trail head quickly gives way to picking your choice of game trails and ridge routes. Bushwhacking is unavoidable. An ice axe is necessary on the 35-degree slopes whether you're fighting through thigh-deep snow or looking for stability on the talus slopes. This trip is more ascent than hike. Mountaineers will want higher peaks, but casual hikers will be way out of their league on this mountain. As for which Silver Mountain, this particular peak is the lowest of six peaks in Colorado that bear the same name. In order, the peaks are:
Despite the fact that most people won't want to climb this peak, the views, the geology and the solitude make for a rewarding half-day trip. The elevation rises from 8,018 feet at the trailhead to 10,522 feet at the southwestern-most peak, which is the true summit of this triple-peaked mountain. The lack of a trail means you should allow for additional time on this climb.
As the road fades, pick a route through the scrub oak toward the ridge to the north that leads to the 10,179-foot peak northeast of the other summits. The route should be obvious to the sub-peak and on to the middle summit which leads to the true summit further to the southwest. The slopes reach 35 degrees beneath each peak. When snow exists, there are a few spots where small avalanches can still kill a climber given the right snow conditions. Later in the year, the avalanche risk gives way to rattlesnakes - most of which are kind enough to warn you before you get too close.
Vincent Matthews, state geologist and director of the Colorado Geological Survey, said that in some ways Silver Mountain is more interesting than the Spanish Peaks. "There's an igneous plug at the top of Silver Mountain and dikes radiating out in all directions," Matthews said. "This indicates you were in the area of the volcanic edifice rather than under it. Since volcanoes are typically cone shape and stress is equal in all directions then radial dikes develop. It was an almost perfect cone. If it had been an elongate volcano, the dikes would be parallel to the volcano." Above 9,500 feet, the ridge views open up to reveal the Spanish Peaks to the southeast, Greenhorn Mountain to the northeast and the Crestones to the northwest. Once up on the 10,179-foot northeast summit, the best views of Mt. Lindsey and the Blanca group appear. On this particular day, deep snow and dwindling sunlight prevented topping out on the true summit, but most of the views are the same with the exception of Mt. Maestas views.
The name Silver Mountain comes from signs of silver ore in the area that should be obvious to geologists, but are easily overlooked by the general public. Even if you did know what to look for, Ken Smith, BLM public affairs officer, said that silver ore was never found in sufficient quantities to warrant mining in the area. Don’t get any ideas of staking a claim and striking it rich.[2] That doesn't mean no one has tried. Long-time rancher Bill Riggins came to the area in 1943 and said that the old Closby mine was on top of the middle peak. A house and cabin were built over the shaft. Another fellow by the name of Griffiths had a shaft off the far north peak that was active for years and years.
Most readers will simply wish to enjoy the photos or even enjoy Silver Mountain's lower regions from the road.[4] Mountaineers and peak-baggers who are fond of lists, such as climbing all the fourteeners or the highest 100 peaks in the state, might want to consider creating a new list - climbing the Six Silvers at some point in their life. Special thanks to Vince Matthews of the Colorado Geological Survey for help in identifying rock samples in the photo gallery. [1] The property isn’t properly marked to enforce the “No trespassing” signs at the gate, but be a kind guest by not lingering on or disturbing the property. [2] Patents using the 1872 Mining Claims Act are on hold anyway. [3] This was a climb I did with friend and fellow member of Albuquerque Mountain Rescue, Jeff Dohner. Later that same day a plane crashed north of Mora, N.M. trying to climb over a ridge in the same high winds. Six people were killed. Jeff and I were both involved in the remains recovery. [4] The dikes actually sit on private land.
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Let's make one thing clear. You do not want to hike up Silver
Mountain. If you're a veteran hiker or mountaineer in Colorado,
you should be asking two questions at this point: How do you
define "hike?" And, which Silver Mountain?
To get to the trailhead, take Huerfano County Road 520 on the
east side of Silver Mountain to CR520.1. Go west almost two
miles, then turn south on Stonewall Road. Turn west on Bear
Springs Road and park at the end of the cul de sac. Please heed
the Bureau of Land Management sign restricting motorized travel
beyond this point. You won't get very far anyway as there is a
gate at a 40-acre private in-holding
Those interested in geology will notice many
igneous and metamorphic
rocks on the lower portions of the mountain. Higher up, several
veins and a few prospector digs reveal iron ore. Only minor
outcroppings of volcanic dikes are encountered along this route,
although views of major dikes can be seen from the higher
elevations on this route. Silver Mountain is sometimes referred
to as Dike Mountain, but the peak is far less known than the
Spanish Peaks, which are familiar to geologists around the world
for the Great Dikes that radiate out for many miles in all
directions.
The main fauna on Silver Mountain are bighorn sheep and
spruce grouse, although a few bears, deer, elk and mountain
lions roam the region. In addition to the ubiquitous scrub oaks
and fir trees, a few limber pine trees can be found on the
higher ridges. Above 10,000 feet, the numerous snags on the
mountainside stand as monuments to a fire that raged at least 20
years ago. 
Besides the hazards already mentioned, climbers should always
prepare for west winds that frequently pummel this region as
they race from the San Luis Valley, over La Veta Pass, on their
way to the eastern plains. Several years ago, winds on the upper
reaches of Mt. Maestas were steady at 70 miles per hour with
higher gusts. When facing the wind, it was impossible to exhale
and when faced crosswise to the wind, it was impossible to
inhale.