From Walsenburg, take Highway 160 west. } #trail-ut { /* UT trail info */ float:left; Continue briefly on a dirt road to the saddle between Lookout Mountain and Sierra Blanca Peak. Plenty of camping spots along the road. No mosquitos for me. The trail continues around the north shore where there is still one major obstacle calling your name. This trail is not for the inexperienced nor the ill-equipped. Cross the creek and steady your nerves for the formidable Jaws 2. Colorado Hiking Trails: Are you looking for other places to hike? box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03) inset !important; .youtube-playlist { 1813 Blanca Peak Trl NE , Rio Rancho, NM 87144-1005 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $360,000. Technical Rating. width:50%; The trail to the saddle is accompanied by several lakes as you gain elevation, the next one gets revealed, which was quite neat. flex-grow:1; #trail-updated { } Looking back toward Buck Mountain, covered in radio towers. I have been a trail leader several times for events such as All-4-Fun, ColoradoFest, Set Them Free, 14er Fest, and other. Could a stock F150 or Tacoma TRD get to Jaws 1? Also, the final approach to Blanca is usually covered with snow well into July. Jaws 4 is very wet and had a very small amount of snow on it. margin-top:0; It made trail finding difficult and we were in spots that were easily class 3 exposures, if not more. Do yourself a favor and camp near Lake Como. box-sizing:border-box !important; Then you can just backtrack to one of those pullouts. margin-right:15px; As you travel this ancient path through the high desert, you will rarely be out of sight of it. There are several mud holes one must cross before reaching the first Jaws obstacle, and depending on the time of year, these mud holes can be quite deep. The trail will reach Como Lake just before the tree line. Would recommend breaking this up by camping at Lake Como or driving up as high as possible with a very high clearance 4x4. sfiedler - Aug 22, 2015 6:12 pm - Hasn't voted Summit encouraged. #trail-info-container { /* container for content below title and above map */ } If you do not crawl the line cleanly on your first attempt, stop, back off, and try your approach again. Day #3: We hiked it out and drove home. Hello Dennis. Once past Crater Lake, the trail switchbacks up the steep talus and scree to approximately the center of the saddle between Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point . All the major obstacles are created from the skeletal granite bones of the mountain and present a high probability of rollover. Bypass to Jaws 3 is tight in spots, but not hard. From Lake Como, it is just over five miles to the summit of Blanca Peak. The eastern shore of the lake has an old cabin ruin and is a great location for a large group of campers. padding:2px 8px 3px 9px; #trail-info-left, #trail-info-right { /* make both halves span 100% if screen is less than 782px wide */ margin-top:0; I will add that we're in a '14 JKU Rubicon, with a 3" lift and 35" tires. Super fun. The trailhead for the Lake Como Road on Blanca Peak is located east of Alamosa, Colorado. .entry-meta { Ankle deep snow in places and a dicey scramble to the top. Turn right and head east on road 975, just after mile marker 3. The last mile is pretty tough and took us longer than expected. Blanca Peak - 14,345 feet above sea level; the 4th highest peak in Colorado Blanca Peak is only part of the beauty that makes up the Sierra Blanca Massif. Just hit the south end of the lake and aim up to your right. The summit is the highest point of both counties and the entire drainage basin of the Rio Grande. Problem is it's wet, and you can't bypass the second half of Jaws 3, which left us with wet tires for that ascent. } A couple hikers were caught unprepared as well that our group helped. padding:2px 8px 3px 9px; Turn right onto dirt road. A great trail to spend a night on! Dispersed camping is allowed in the area, camp at least 150 feet from any water, and practice Leave No Trace ethics. float:left; Sierra Blanca : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering. Blanca Peak is a 2 mile hike from this point. Jaws 1 & 2 looked pretty eroded in comparison to the photos from the official trail detail above. float:left; Monte Vista, CO 81144 Tough but very do-able hike. border:1px solid #c0c0c0; text-align:right; This obstacle is a steep, slick, granite hill climb. margin-right:8px; } Camping at lake Como is great. Hi, I'm Ryan! I research in advance, using a variety of sources. Down the center proved to be the hardest approach for our group. Thanks! Sierra Blanca peak summit, looking north. Day 3-hike back down Lake Como road to your car. Total time with stops and rests (which were plenty) was 13.5 hours, more time than I thought it would take to make it up there and back. font-family: Georgia, serif; #elevation-numbers .elevation-end { Altitude kicked my butt, but spectacular views above the saddle. All of the obstacles are large granite slabs that will tilt your vehicle into significant off camber situations. } Because the area is home to multiple 14ers, you will find many hikers making camp at this location, but the spots are abundant, so just keep your eyes peeled for one that is open. It was a killer hike up and once you get to the ridge before the summit, you’re using your hands and feet to climb, but such a memorable experience!! Tippy Spot and Jaws 2.5 were in good condition. #trail-high { There are many different areas to camp along Blanca Peak Road. If you aren’t a Member or Subscriber, you can’t see all of the content on this site. Tons of campsites, beautiful spot. Along the way, you’ll inevitably encounter loose rocks that simply beg for you to twist your ankle on them. I am a huge supporter of Stay the Trail and Tread Lightly, and have participated and even been in charge of many trail restoration projects. #trail-finder select { } I brought the family to the sand dunes and had to scratch the off-roading itch a little. That's like 4 miles in I think? Day #2: From Lake Como campsite, we did the RT and summited. margin-top:10px; .trail-map > a::before { Help keep our trails and parks open during COVID-19 by committing to social distancing. Above you to your right will be the imposing face of Little Bear Peak. Ankle deep snow on worst parts. Definitely challenging- we didn’t reach the summit and I’m not sure the other two people we saw did either. That's it. Trails may have changed or closed since that date. text-align:center; float:left; line-height:150%; I left the trail briefly to summit White Mountain Wilderness High Point before heading south on the Lookout Mountain Trail. display:table-cell; } margin-right:4px; Our group decided to camp two nights at Como which was a great way to break up the trail and give us time to relax and fish. Heading down from Lookout Mountain toward Sierra Blanca Peak. Multiple stunning alpine lakes. } The following day we hiked Blanca Peak. margin-top:10px; .td-slides-image img { By the time we got the "wall" (the cirque below the Ellingwood-Blanca saddle) the snow was very deep and there was no more trail to follow. Upon first arrival at the lake, look to your right where you will see a small, old wood shack. right: 0; Drive just over 3 miles, and hang a right onto Lake Como Road. margin-right:15px; RMFI broke ground on the Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point Trail Project in 2011, and finished in 2013. #bushducks-text { The most popular camping location would be around Lake Como. If we do this again, I'd consider shedding all weight possible, and especially that which is up high. lift, 33 in. } The motorized trail ends at the lowest Blue Lake. Blanca Peak is another 5 miles from Lake Como. Great conditions 09/20. We climbed up the trail about halfway in a stock 4Runner, just before Jaws 1 before turning around. Start the trail just off Highway 150. If you see the "minion" out on the trail, make sure to stop and say hello. From Highway 160, proceed 3 miles north on State Road 150. I grew up with a relentless passion for all things Jeep and off road related, and that passion has never died out. -moz-box-sizing:border-box !important; Although the far left looks like a viable bypass, it is off-camber with loose rock on the downhill side leaning you down the edge towards the creek below. Jaws 2 felt worse to me on the way down with the off camber being cliff side and out of view. .td-transition-controls .wpv_pagination_dots li a { font-size:smaller; height:227px; } text-align:center; Hard. content:''; display:table; Due to the slow pace on the trail, if you start the trail at the same time as a hiker group, it is very likely you will all end up at the end together, or they may even beat you.