Angel of Shavano Snow Climb
Angel of Shavano Snow Climb Guide

Angel of Shavano Snow Climb Guide

Comments 0 Comment

Angel of Shavano is an east/southeast facing snow line on a 14er located in Central Colorado. When fully “in”, the line provides continuous snow from the top of the mountain all the way down to 11,200ft or so. The Angel of Shavano gets its name from a view of the snow line in the distance, when melted out, that resembles an angel. The name of the mountain comes from Ute Chief Shavano and the line has a more interesting history. The story goes that an Indian Princess was praying for her people to have water during a fierce drought. She sacrificed herself so that her people could have water to live and now she appears every year as the Angel of Shavano. The Angel of Shavano is a great intro snow line and fantastic ski descent when conditions allow. 

Angel of Shavano Snow Climb
A closer look at the line, can you see me?

Angel of Shavano Snow Climb Guide

Virtual Trail Guide: Angel of Shavano

Angel of Shavano Snow Climb Rating: ★★★★ (⅘  Stars)

Distance: 8-10+ Miles RT (Distance will depend on road closures, 8 Miles from Summer TH)

Elevation Start: 9,760ft (Summer TH)

Highest Point: 14,228ft 

Total Elevation Gain: 4,600ft 

Estimated Time to Complete: 4-6 Hours RT

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Difficulty System Explained

Class: Class 2 – What does this mean?

Season: Late March – Late June 

Snow Climb Grade: Easy

Weather: Check the Weather Forecast

Avalanche Risk: Angel of Shavano in the Winter and Spring does present avalanche risk, so please understand the conditions and risks before heading out. Watch this video for basic avalanche information. 

Angel of Shavano Snow Climb

Directions to Angel of Shavano

Trailhead: Mt Shavano & Tabeguache Peak

Getting Here: Tabeguache Peak is accessed via US 285 near the town of Poncha Springs. Find your way to county road 140 which is about 21 miles south of Buena Vista. Once on CR 140, drive about 1.7 miles and turn right onto County Road 250. This road starts off paved but quickly turns into a well maintained (2WD) dirt road. Stay on CR 250 for 4 miles until you reach a Y on the road.

*NOTE* You can either bear left here to turn onto CR 252 OR stay straight on 250A. If you go left, continue another 2.9 miles where you will cross a cattle guard. Around this point there may be a few “tougher sections” of the road but most cars should be able to access the trailhead no problem. Continue for another .2 miles where you will reach the trailhead parking lot.

If you decide to stay straight (this may be a better option when there are lingering pockets of snow), its basically a straight shot to the TH along a rougher road. You can enter “Mt Shavano+Tabeguache trailhead” into your favorite navigational app.

Fees: There is no fee to hike either mountain as of 2024.

Parking: Mt Shavano & Tabeguache Peak has a small main parking lot with a non-plumbing bathroom. The parking lot can only fit about 15-20 or so cars but does have an overflow lot a short distance down the road. Parking can fill up on busy weekends especially since this trailhead accesses the Colorado Trail as well. However, earlier in the season, finding parking will likely never be an issue. 

Angel of Shavano Snow Climb

Summary

Camping: These two 14ers have one of the best camping situations for any 14er in my opinion. While you can’t camp at the trailhead, you are able to hike a short distance from the parking lot to find a number of camping spots. If car camping is more your style, the road to the TH is chalk full of options on spots to camp, even earlier in the season when snow is covering the higher elevation spots.   

Dogs: While I typically DO NOT recommend bring a dog on any snow line, the Angel of Shavano MIGHT be an okay fit for a well behaved, voice command off leash, experienced in snow, dog. See all the caveats I listed? I am trying to be realistic for people who ski/board with their dogs but this is a very special circumstance. For 95% of people, please leave your dog(s) at home. 

Make it a Loop: This is an out and back hike but the most logical addition to the Angel of Shavano would be the summit of the 14er or neighbor Mt Tabeguache.  

Trail X Factors: Snow Level

Like ANY snow climb, the experience you will have on the Angel of Shavano will strongly depend on how much snow there still is. If you hit this line in late March or early April, you will likely be able to skin from 11,000 to the summit and have a continuous line all the way down. However, as you get later in the season (May/June) the amount of snow will shrink dramatically. You will be lucky to have 1,000ft of continuous snow but it is still possible. Of course, ALL of this depends on the season that the area is having with snowfall. 

Hike Tip(s): Bring a pair of walking shoes for the first several miles of this approach. It will be a VERY rare circumstance when you can skin nonstop from the trailhead to the Angel of Shavano and continue to the summit. Unless you really like walking in ski boots or snowboard boots, your feet will love you for a pair of trail runners. Additionally, be sure to research road conditions before heading out to tackle this line. If you are not able to reach the summer trailhead, plan on several additional miles to what is listed above. 

Best Views: The Angel of Shavano and Mt Shavano itself offers fantastic views on a clear day, especially with snow covered peaks around you. Its quite dramatic to look west on the summit and see hundreds of snow capped peaks and then look west and look down to the elevated Desert of Poncha Springs & Salida. 

Angel of Shavano Snow Climb

Angel of Shavano Snow Climb Route

Download GPX
Angel of Shavano Snow Climb

Gear Needed

Angel of Shavano Virtual Snow Climb Guide

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Like the site? Check out my other pages!