Tabeguache Peak

Recommended Route Blank Gulch Route from Mt. Shavano – use of this route will help to reduce impacts to this Fourteener’s fragile alpine environment. The Jennings Creek area has been closed for restoration. For more detailed route information including pictures, maps, and elevation profiles, click here.

Route Information and Additional Resources The Jennings Creek approach to Tabeguache has been severely impacted by overuse. The route is badly eroded and unstable. (See “The Dirt on Tabeguache Mountain” inCFI’s 2003 fall newsletter.) In addition, serious injuries and deaths have occurred when hikers are not able to find their way back down Jennings Creek, and they end up in adjacent cliff areas. As a result, it is recommended that Tabeguache be climbed in conjunction with Mt. Shavano. The connecting ridge between Shavano and Tabeguache is very solid and stable rock.

Blank Gulch Trailhead: From Salida, CO, take Highway 50 west for 5 miles to Poncha Springs. Continue on Highway 50 west from Poncha Springs 2 miles to County Road (CR) 250. Turn north on CR 250 and follow the paved road (eventually turns to dirt) approximately 4.5 miles to the Forest Service Boundary at a cattle guard. Continue to the end of the road at Blanks Cabin Trailhead. Park at this location.

Follow the Colorado Trail (Trail #1776) north 0.3 miles to the intersection of the Mount Shavano Trail (Trail #1428). Follow the Mount Shavano Trail west about 3.5 miles to the saddle just south of Mount Shavano. From this location the trail is not clearly marked, but follow the ridge to the top of Mount Shavano approximately 0.3 miles. From the summit of Shavano, travel northwest along the connecting ridge to Tabeguache Mountain’s summit. Return via the same route.

The above information does not replace the need to consult additional maps and Colorado Fourteener Guidebooks for more detailed route descriptions. We suggest checking multiple resources before departing on any hike. Keep in mind that not all guidebooks list this recommended route and that each guidebook’s description or route name may vary slightly.