Mt. Sneffels Autumn Hues

Mt. Sneffels, is considered by many to be Colorado’s best and most beautiful mountain.

Viewed from Highway 62 as it climbs over Dallas Divide, Sneffels displays all the features that we expect in a mountain including great prominence above the surrounding terrain, beautiful symmetry, spires, pinnacles, rugged ridges and colorful aspens and flowers adorning the lower slopes. This “Queen of the San Juans,” as it is affectionately known, is found pictured on calendars, mugs, wallets, postcards, etc. throughout the state. It rises over 7,000 feet above the nearby town of Ridgway, making its north flank prominence as great or greater than the Grand Teton in Wyoming. It is one of the most recognizable summits in Colorado and has been seen in several western movies including “How the West Was Won” and the original John Wayne version of “True Grit.” The dramatic peak offers a number of climbing routes, the easiest of which is the Lavender Couloir Route from Yankee Boy Basin. More technical routes exist, particularly on the north face.

Mt. Sneffels seems to have acquired its name from members of the Hayden Survey team. Upon viewing the peak from above the deeply entrenched Blue Lakes Basin, one party member compared the great basin to the dramatic hole described in the then popular Jules Verne book, “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Dr. Endlich apparently agreed and pointing to the peak, exclaimed, “There’s Snaefell!” referring to the Icelandic mountain near the hole described in Verne’s book.

This photo was taken October, 2019 along County Road 9 out of Ridgway. What struck us most about this location was the range of colorful hues captured in the one photo. We are so blessed and fortunate to live so close to such splendid scenery as this!