Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak with Camping

Ever since Tanya and I went camping at Chalk Lake, I’ve had it on my mind to hike Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak. My initial inclination was to also hike Mt. Antero. The plan was to backpack up Brown’s Creek, hike Mt. Antero one day and bushwhack up to Tabeguache Peak with a crossover to Mt. Shavano the next day. In the end, that approach up Tabeguache wasn’t something I felt comfortable with so I settled on hiking Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak using the traditional route.

Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak Trailhead

As my fellow Coloradans know, summer weather can create some tricky times on 14ers. I wanted to make sure I summited both peaks before midday. That means hitting the trail pretty early for this distance and my hiking speed. Camping near the trailhead is about the only feasible way for me to make the start time.

The information on 14ers.com is extremely useful for any 14er or 13er hiking. That site indicated there should be dispersed camping in an overflow area so that was my plan. I headed out late morning on Monday so I’d arrive with plenty of time if I needed to look around for options, which I didn’t.

Exploring the trailhead

Arriving early gave me a wide choice of dispersed camping spots. I chose one next to the Colorado Trail. My camp was set up early giving me an opportunity to hike around.

This section of the Colorado Trail is relatively flat and passes through very pretty aspen tree forests. It’s an easy, pleasant walk. I went slowly and quietly to try to spot wildlife. Luckily it was level so my usual huffing and puffing didn’t scare all the animals off! There were several busy animals out and about, and catching a fawn bedding down was a treat.

Time for the hike!

The night was not a good one for me since I had trouble sleeping. It was exceptionally quiet and, ironically, that made it hard for me to get a good night’s sleep. So at 4:00, with just a few hours of fitful sleep, I decided to call it and got up, fixed breakfast and broke camp. I’d planned on getting up early anyway! There were 4 cars at the trailhead when I left at 5:00.

Hiking the trail in the early dawn is a great experience. It was just light enough so I didn’t need to turn on my headlamp making it a serene walk. These pictures aren’t very good and certainly don’t convey the peacefulness.

As soon as I left the Colorado Trail and headed up towards Mt. Shavano, I realized that the trail was going to be pretty rocky. I’d made the decision to wear my day hiking/trail running Saucony shoes. Um, bad call Rob! I should have chosen the full hiking boots I brought along. There were several times I almost twisted my ankle, and my toes took some tough hits from rocks. Day hiking shoes have worked for me on other 14ers, but for this one, I’d recommend your regular boots.

A small rain shower let loose after about two miles. It was enough to justify my rain jacket although the trail didn’t get muddy. I saw two older gentlemen who were sheltering under some trees. As we chatted, it seemed clear one of them wasn’t too happy about the rain. I continued on and didn’t see them the rest of the day making me suspect he won out on a decision to bag it.

The rain created a nice rainbow although my picture doesn’t really show it. You have to squint your eyes as you look behind the trees, maybe you’ll see it.

The rain cleared out creating a great morning for hiking. The rainclouds moved off to the east. The full moon was getting ready to set behind the ridgeline. It was a tranquil moment on the trail.

This hike is mostly up and more up as with most 14ers. I felt this one had more incline than most others I’ve done, although I’m not the most experienced 14er hiker. The section after leaving the tree line as you navigate around a 13er to the west of Mt. Shavano has a little less incline. Other than that, most of the trail is pretty steep.

The trail offers views, flowers and wildlife. There are lots of pika (cutest animals ever!) and marmots along the way. Most of the marmots were below the saddle south of Mt. Shavano at around 13,500′. I passed a man and woman in this area. He was calling to the marmots like a dog. I didn’t see any come to him.

Mt. Shavano Summit

Shortly after leaving the saddle point, the trail climbs up towards the rocky summit. The final approach is a rock scramble which wasn’t too bad other than it was steep. The rocks are stable and there are multiple ways to climb up. Once there, the views are good.

My personal opinion is that these views, while amazing, aren’t as good as the northern section of the Sawatch Range. Each has its own form of beauty so opinions vary.

Tabeguache Peak

On Mt. Shavano, I was wondering if I wanted to continue on to Tabeguache Peak. The drop into the saddle point between the mountains looked pretty big, and I was a little tired. Instead of deciding right away, I chatted with two men who arrived at the summit about 10 minutes after me. They convinced me that I’d regret it if I didn’t take the chance to do the additional peak. Of course they were right, so off I went.

The hike along the ridgeline is a lot of rock scramble, and then you drop about 500′ into a saddle point. The drop wasn’t as far as it looked from Mt. Shavano, and the rock scramble up Tabeguache wasn’t as bad as Mt. Shavano. It was worth a picture!

The road home

The second ascent of Mt. Shavano returning from Tabeguache seemed a lot harder than the first time. Funny how that is! Once over Mt. Shavano, the descent back to the main trail really made me wish I had my hiking boots instead of my day hikers.

As with most 14ers, the trail down is a lot of pounding on tired legs, at least for me. Going down was uneventful other than some close calls with twisted ankles and stubbing my toes on rocks (where are those hiking boots?). I did notice this interesting tree that I’d missed earlier in the dark.

I reached the parking lot around noon for a total trip time of 7 hours. My watch GPS said the distance was a little over 12 miles while the Garmin reported 10.2. The map below is from the Garmin. I can’t explain the difference so when I bore people by telling about my hike, I use “over 12 miles” because it sounds better.

My original itinerary was to do these two summits and then head to Kite Lake for a night of camping with the Decalibron on Wednesday. That might have been a little aggressive with the distance and elevation gain of this hike even though it seemed like a great idea from home! I decided to head back for shower and a regular bed. Yes, that’s the lazy decision, feel free to judge me however you see fit.