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Mount Shavano and Tabeguache Peak

Hiking Trail

Hard
10.35 mi
5,373 ft
One of the most easily-accessible trailheads in Chaffee County leads to two of Colorado's famous 14ers.

Chaffee County, Colorado boasts the most mountain peaks over 14,000 feet of any county in the lower 48 states. The closest 14er trailhead to the county seat, located in the bustling mountain town of Salida, is the starting point for this hike. Known as the Mount Shavano or Blank's Cabin Trailhead, the route mapped here is actually a two-for-one: you'll summit both Mount Shavano and Tabeguache Peak, bagging two of Chaffee County's most accessible 14ers in one hike.

The mountains in the Sawatch Range, of which Shavano and Tabeguache are a part, are renowned for being massive piles of rubble. By that, hikers mean the rock and dirt on these mountains is usually loose and crumbly, with the summits consisting of big boulders and scree fields. The climb up to Shavano is no exception, with a heavily-eroded climb straight up the mountainside.

Once the trail breaks out into the alpine, it traverses the mountainside before gaining a ridge. From there, it follows the ridge up to the 14,229-foot summit of Mount Shavano, offering panoramic views of the Arkansas Valley and surrounding Sawatch Range.

If you've already had a full day, it's best to turn around here and head straight down. But if you've gotten an early enough start that you think you can make it to Tabeguache Peak, back to Shavano, and back and down below treeline before noon (when the afternoon thunderstorms generally roll in), then you can add in the second peak as well.

A relatively short ridgeline traverse down and up a saddle brings you to 14,155-foot Tabeguache Peak. Once you've snapped your photos, head back to Shavano, and then down the way you came

Note that it's best to descend these mountains via the main trail on the east side of Mount Shavano. Some older shortcuts down the north and northeastern faces tend to cliff out, leading to Search and Rescue missions almost every year. Descending by an alternate route should only be attempted by well informed and experienced mountaineers. Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Shav TH to start of 2023 reroute (ascent)0.70 mi305 ft8.2%
Mt. Shavano4.04 mi4,409 ft20.7%
The Whole Guacamole10.86 mi-4,465 ft-0.0%
Shav/Tab CT (ascent)0.28 mi62 ft4.1%
Trailhead To Treeline 2.58 mi2,490 ft18.2%
Shavano Accent4.16 mi4,065 ft18.5%
top of 2023 reroute to summit (ascent)4.07 mi3,635 ft16.9%
Treeline To Ridge 1.08 mi912 ft15.9%
Saddle to Summit0.59 mi735 ft23.6%
Ridge 0.44 mi610 ft26.0%
Shavano N ridge (descent)0.71 mi-400 ft-10.6%
Shavano-Tabequache-Shavano1.93 mi515 ft0.2%
County Road 240 Climb0.35 mi413 ft21.6%
saddle to top of 2023 reroute (descent)3.36 mi-2,799 ft-15.7%
Shav switchback to CT (descent)2.01 mi-1,877 ft-17.6%
bottom of 2023 reroute to TH (descent)0.73 mi-302 ft-7.8%