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Mount Shavano

© Virginia O'Connor

Introduction

Of the Colorado fourteeners, Mount Shavano is the 17th highest, and to be quite honest this one was fairly easy. The standard route has been the Jennings Creek Trail, but due to severe erosion, the forest service is now recommending either the Angel of Shavano trail or Blank Gulch trail. We took the Blank Gulch trail. After the last few fourteeners, we were grateful to hike Mount Shavano by an easy-to-follow trail. Gosh, what a treat! Here are the quick facts about this fourteener.

• Elevation: 14,229 feet
• Trailhead Elevation: 9,880 feet
• Elevation Gain: 4,349 feet
• Roundtrip Length: 7 miles
• Roundtrip Time: 8 hours

Trail Rating

• Level: four, this one was an easy four, but still a four
• Kids: No, I don't recommend this for kids
• Dogs: Absolutely, if they can handle the duration
• Facilities: None to be seen

What to Bring

We did this one at the start of a dry July, which meant we had no snow to contend with and no worries about severe cold. One member of this summit party insisted on taking the gaters and multiple extra jackets. With an overloaded pack, the summit was more difficult and that hiker definitely felt more pain. With most of these articles, I encourage you to take everything, but this time we took too much. Hey, live and learn.

You should bring as much water as you can carry, high-calorie snacks, and some type of jacket. Remember those summer thunderstorms with hail. We tied the jackets around our waists and snacked on nuts, cheese, and the dog's favorite: Brown Sugar Pop-Tarts.

How to Get There

From Poncha Springs, drive west on Highway 50 and turn right (North) on Chaffee County road 250, which becomes a dirt road. Enjoy spectacular views of Mount Shavano as you pass through the Shavano Wildlife Area. Fifty feet after the National Forest boundary, take a left fork, which is Road 252 and follow it as it swings left, loops through Placer Creek, then drops into Blank Gulch. At the first intersection, continue straight and turn left (toward Mount Shavano) when you hit the Sawmill Gulch Road. Continue straight at the next intersection and bear right past a stone memorial. You can park in this area (which we did) or continue up the very rocky jeep trail heading North past the stone memorial. You will pass through a cattle guard and take the left fork just past the cattle guard. Continue several feet to a rough 4-wheel-drive hill. Walk (or bounce if you are driving) fifty feet up the hill and then continue another 400 feet up the road to the trailhead, which is well marked with a sign. The trailhead is at 9,880 feet in elevation.

The copyright of the article Mount Shavano in Hiking in Colorado is owned by Virginia O'Connor. Permission to republish Mount Shavano in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.