Ouray County Highpoint Trip Report
Mount Sneffels
Date: July 14, 2007
Author: Rich Allen
We departed from the Wrights Lake trailhead in Yankee Boy Basin at about 5:50 am,
near the beginning of the switchbacks on the road coming in. There were
wildflowers everywhere, though it was evident by the crunchy ground that it had
been below freezing the night before.
We elected to do the Southwest Ridge route, as the standard route already had
people on it who looked fairly careless with how much rock fall they created.
We hiked up the trail to the top of Blue Lakes Pass and turned north (right) to
follow the jagged spires up the ridge, staying on the west (left) side of them.
The rock was fairly stable if caution was exercised and there was still deep
snow in patches near the spires.
At 13,500 feet, we encountered a notch in the ridge full of snow, which required
some tricky navigating to cross safely. The route continued to be steep and
somewhat exposed all the way to the summit, with most of the exposure coming in
the last 500 feet (approximately).
We reached the summit in 4 hours of careful Class III scrambling and descended
the standard route. The couloir and notch were filled with snow, with many
people ascending the snow and rock on either side, negating a safe glissade.
We carefully plunge-stepped our way down to the saddle and began to descend the
scree to the basin. Again, a ton of people ascending, some in sandals and cut-
off shorts, so simply bailing down the scree was not an option. We reached the
bottom of the couloir 2 hours after leaving the summit, always looking over our
shoulder for rock fall from the others going up.
We elected to climb back up to Blur Lakes Pass and descend via the Blue Lakes
Trail, having been assured we would have a ride waiting there. It was a long
and beautiful descent, with the lakes rivaling the blues and greens of the Caribbean.
Wildflowers abounded.
I had been told by others that this was the most beautiful area of the state and
I am inclined to agree.