Half Peak is the high point of the east-central San Juans, a big, flat-topped thirteener in the Gunnison National Forest well south of Lake City. Its north face falls away sheer below a summit plateau of tundra and scree, and the surrounding basins hold rock glacier tongues and sheep trails.
There is no maintained trail to the top, and no standard route write-up on its peak page. A common approach is the Cataract Gulch trail, about 4.5 miles to Cataract Lake, and many turn it into a backpack with a camp near the lake. From the basin, hikers go cross-country to the saddle with Quarter Peak (often climbed on the same trip) and follow the northwest ridge. The ridge is tundra and small rubble until roughly 13,650 feet, where a rocky point forces about 30 feet of exposed Class 3 scrambling through spires and breaks in the cliffs; careful footwork keeps some lines closer to Class 2. One day-hike account from the Cataract Gulch trailhead logged 18.5 miles and 5,640 feet of gain.
From the summit the Grenadier Range fills the view south, while Sunshine Peak and Redcloud Peak stand out to the north. Snow lingers into July, creek crossings run high and fast in early summer, and the long exposed ridge is a poor place to be when afternoon storms build. Watch for elk and moose in the willows on the way in.
