Mount Sneffels

Uncompahgre National Forest, CO San Juan Mountains

Trip stats

Distance
5.9 mi
Net Gain
2,900 ft
Time
3-5 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 3
Route
Out/Back
Peaks
1

Ratings out of 10

Effort
4.5/10
Personality
5/10
Beauty
6/10
Solitude
3.8/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Mount Sneffels
    14,150′ elevation · 3,030′ prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

37.988221, -107.765532

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Trip report

Sep 6, 2016 — The road got really rough into Yankee Boy Basin, so I parked at the lower trailhead and headed up the dirt road. Rather than follow the road the whole way, I continued along Sneffels Creek on a trail leading to the cute Wrights Lake. I followed the trail back up and into the aggravating Class 2 boulder field, working up a steep slope and gaining the saddle of Mt. Sneffels' southwest ridge. This was yet another lightly aggravating Class 2 section, following a chute that led to a somewhat difficult Class 3 move in a notch, and then up to the summit on easier terrain.

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Photos

26 photos

  1. Following the dirt road into Yankee Boy Basin.
  2. Looking back down the road.
  3. Gilpin Peak ahead.
  4. Looking back down into Yankee Boy Basin, Potosi Peak on the left.
  5. A side trail leading to a pretty little lake.
  6. Pretty lake detour trail, view toward Mt. Sneffels (peeking out in the center).
  7. View back toward the little lake, back on the standard route, Gilpin Peak in the center.
  8. Looking back into Yankee Boy Basin.
  9. Shot of the boulder field ascent.
  10. Nice view toward the Blue Lakes Trail, the ridge leading to Dallas Peak visible on top.
  11. Needles along the southeast ridge of Mt. Sneffels.
  12. Class 2 steep and loose slope to the ridge.
  13. Looking back down the steep slope
  14. Approaching the saddle.
  15. Another shot back down the Class 2 stuff.
  16. On the ridge, view southeast. I came up on the right near where the tiny bit of snow is seen in the center.
  17. Another view southeast-ish, Yankee Boy Basin on the right. This was taken higher up on the ridge.
  18. The Class 2 gully along the southeast ridge of Mt. Sneffels.
  19. Looking down the gully.
  20. The Class 3 notch move.
  21. View down the southeast ridge, the way I came up.
  22. Easy-going to the summit after the notch.
  23. Mt. Sneffels summit, view southeast toward Yankee Boy Basin. You can see the little lake I went to earlier in the hike. The ridge I came up is in the center. The white section is the start of the ridge at the top of the talus slope.
  24. Mt. Sneffels summit, view west toward Dallas Peak and the Blue Lakes.
  25. Close-up of Dallas Peak.
  26. Mt. Sneffels summit, view northwest.

Photo 1 of 1

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Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!

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