Mount Sneffels, CO

Hiked: 8/19/2025
Distance: 6.1 miles round trip on dirt road, trail, and cross country
Summit Elevation: 14155'
Prominence: 3067'
Elevation Gain: 3071'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.4
Round trip time: 6 hours
Recommended water: 100 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Yankee Boy Basin Road
Difficulty: Strenuous

I flew to Denver and drove south to prepare for Mount Sneffels, a Colorado 14er I'd been stalking since last year. I had the same trip booked last year, but cancelled it last minute due to weather. Colorado weather is notoriously unpredictable and afternoon storms are common in the summer. Luck was on my side this time as the forecast for Sneffels was sunshine all day. I still wanted to start at daybreak to hedge my bets. I drove up Yankee Boy Basin in a rented Jeep 4x4, surprised that the Jeep really struggled up the last 1000' to the lower trailhead at 11274'. I had to disengage the 4x4 Hi to keep it from stalling out. The first couple of miles of the hike were on a dirt road ending at the Blue Lakes trailhead. A couple of other Jeeps were able to drive to the upper trailhead.

A single track departed from there and split into two trails, one to Blue Lakes and the other to Sneffels. The trail ended at a large cairn at the base of the Lavender Col, filled with talus and sand. I tried to stay on the rocks, offering more stability than the steep, packed dirt. Two parties ahead of me split off before the top of the col for a ridge ascent, but it turned out they followed the party ahead of them who went off route. After reaching the saddle, the main route continued up the equally steep Lavender Col. The final mile gained 1800' without mercy.

Alpenglow on Mt. Gilpin

From the Blue Lakes trailhead

Climber following others up a non-standard route

Standard route up the Lavender Col

V-notch is near the top on the left

Looking back down the gully

V-notch, exposed on the left but not visible from this angle
The crux of the route was the V-notch. A class 3 wedge with some exposure on the left side. After the notch was 200' of class 2, leading to a small summit with several climbers taking in the views. Half had helmets, a good idea with lots of loose rock other climbers could knock down on you. I chatted briefly with a few of them and we took turns taking pictures of each other. The views were otherworldly and dramatic: big mountains, lakes, and jagged formations. All sides of the summit dropped off significantly. There was a register, but it was missing a pen and I didn't have one so I didn't sign in. No marks. I spent about 20 minutes on the summit. All parties agreed to stagger our descent to reduce the risk of rock fall. I was the last to leave. At the V-notch, a couple was trying to come up, but were apprehensive. They insisted I come down first, which I did facing the rock. After I got down, the couple made their way up tentatively. It was a very slow descent back to the trail. Hiking back on the road, I dodged many vehicles, including some off road vehicles. Sneffels was a fun scramble and nice test piece. I'd put it in my top ten all time. Shout out to 14ers.com, a really useful site for all the Colorado 13ers and 14ers.

Note the climber starting a ridge descent

Blue Lakes from above

Back down the south slopes

Sharing the road with Jeeps on the way back

Mount Sneffels was named following its first ascent in 1874 by members of the Hayden Geological Survey. The name Sneffels appears to be an Americanized form of the Old Norse Snæfell (“snow mountain”).

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