Sheep Mountain, Bennett Peak, Windy Mountain Loop in Rio Grande National Forest, CO

Hike Sheep Mountain, Bennett Peak, Windy Mountain Loop Rio Grande National Forest, CO

Class 2 8.2 miles 3300 gain 4-6 hrs Loop Jun 12, 2022
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Sheep Mountain, Bennett Peak, Windy Mountain Loop GPX Track

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Sheep Mountain, Bennett Peak, and Windy Mountain are a nice triplet of peaks in a remote section of the San Juan Mountains, though only Bennett Peak is a 13er amongst the group. My body was a bit fried from the last few early season high elevation days back-to-back, so we omitted a couple of other 12ers we originally planned to include with this loop. From the trailhead, which is accessible by any vehicle (though you should have decent tires), Yossi and I set out along the South Rock Trail. It will be tempting to just follow the old roadbed, but the trail actually begins by dropping east into a drainage.

The South Rock Trail is ATV-accessible, so expect doubletrack and some dust. After a bit of easy hiking along this trail, we made our way to just south of our first peak, Sheep Mountain. Although it's always nice to be hiking along gorgeous Colorado tundra, the landscape here has been a bit ruined by ATV trails. Leaving the trail, we ascended along the ridgeline to the summit, pausing only briefly on this pretty forgettable lump before continuing down Sheep Mountain's north side and merging with the West Frisco Trail. This was another ugly ATV road and it made the ascent feel like a bit of a slog. Somewhat steep and rocky, the road/trail took us to just below the summit of Bennett Peak. A quick jaunt on tundra led to the high point, but the rounded summit meant the best views were best seen from just east of the high point overlooking the little San Francisco Lakes below.

Next up was Windy Mountain. After backtracking from Bennett Peak, we left the trail and continued east over a wide lump with a mellow grade, then descended again. I recommend keeping a little bit to the left here, since farther right has some talus that is easily avoidable via a nicer tundra slope. From the base of Windy Mountain, the slope climbed at a pretty consistent and agreeable grade all the way to the summit. While there was some light rockiness, it was a straightforward ascent and the views at the top were our favorite of the day.

The southern face of Windy Mountain is riddled with cliffs and hoodoos, so we backtracked along the ridge and dropped south below treeline when the cliffs dissipated. I recommend looking on a satellite map as you descend this slope since there are parts that are full of trees/brush, while others are meadow and easy walking. We were able to avoid the majority of the foliage in this manner, and it made for a nice shortcut back to the South Rock Trail.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Sheep Mountain
12492 ft
372 rise
2
Bennett Peak
13203 ft
1723 rise
3
Windy Mountain
12608 ft
543 rise

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Starting along the South Rock Trail, Windy Mountain visible top right (our last peak of the loop).
Starting along the South Rock Trail, Windy Mountain visible top right (our last peak of the loop).
Along the ATV-carved South Rock Trail.
Along the ATV-carved South Rock Trail.
Ascending along the South Rock Trail.
Ascending along the South Rock Trail.
View back, the large hump in the center is what we would be going over later to get from Bennet Peak to Windy Mountain.
View back, the large hump in the center is what we would be going over later to get from Bennet Peak to Windy Mountain.
We left the trail in order to ascend to Sheep Mountain, ahead.
We left the trail in order to ascend to Sheep Mountain, ahead.
View back on our way up Sheep Mountain.
View back on our way up Sheep Mountain.
Sheep Mountain summit, view west.
Sheep Mountain summit, view west.
Sheep Mountain summit, view north toward Bennett Peak.
Sheep Mountain summit, view north toward Bennett Peak.
Approaching a junction of ATV trails at the base of Bennett Mountain.
Approaching a junction of ATV trails at the base of Bennett Mountain.
View back toward Sheep Mountain.
View back toward Sheep Mountain.
Along the West Frisco Trail, making our way up Bennett Peak.
Along the West Frisco Trail, making our way up Bennett Peak.
View back toward Sheep Mountain.
View back toward Sheep Mountain.
A wider shot looking back, now higher up.
A wider shot looking back, now higher up.
Windy Mountain in view on the right.
Windy Mountain in view on the right.
Almost to the summit of Bennett Peak.
Almost to the summit of Bennett Peak.
View back as we near the summit, Windy Mountain seen in the distance.
View back as we near the summit, Windy Mountain seen in the distance.
Bennett Peak summit, view south. Sheep Mountain is poking out in the center.
Bennett Peak summit, view south. Sheep Mountain is poking out in the center.
View toward the San Francisco Lakes, just east.
View toward the San Francisco Lakes, just east.
Onward to Windy Mountain, but first we had to traverse some tundra and go up and over the lump seen ahead.
Onward to Windy Mountain, but first we had to traverse some tundra and go up and over the lump seen ahead.
View back toward Bennett Peak.
View back toward Bennett Peak.
Windy Mountain ahead. Talus/scree on the right (seen here), but if you keep farther left you can avoid the majority of it.
Windy Mountain ahead. Talus/scree on the right (seen here), but if you keep farther left you can avoid the majority of it.
Windy Mountain ahead.
Windy Mountain ahead.
Ascending Windy Mountain's ridge.
Ascending Windy Mountain's ridge.
Cool hoodoos on Windy Mountain's south face. The trailhead is on the right somewhere.
Cool hoodoos on Windy Mountain's south face. The trailhead is on the right somewhere.
View back, Bennett Peak and Sheep Mountain visible in the center.
View back, Bennett Peak and Sheep Mountain visible in the center.
Windy Mountain summit.
Windy Mountain summit.
Windy Mountain summit, view east.
Windy Mountain summit, view east.
We backtracked from Windy Mountain and headed down into the trees in order to get back to the South Rock Trail. I recommend staying a bit right and consulting a satellite map to avoid the majority of the bushwhacking.
We backtracked from Windy Mountain and headed down into the trees in order to get back to the South Rock Trail. I recommend staying a bit right and consulting a satellite map to avoid the majority of the bushwhacking.
View back up at the ridge as we head down.
View back up at the ridge as we head down.
Some bushwhacking, most avoidable. The slope led back to the trail.
Some bushwhacking, most avoidable. The slope led back to the trail.

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