Tabeguache Peak

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 6/12/2021, By: longlevi823
Info: A little snow left in the saddle and up along the ridge, but nothing that requires snowshoes, spikes, crampons or an ice axe. Poles would be nice but also not necessary. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/7/2021, By: rshebert13
Info: Summited Tabeguache around 10:15AM. We started at the Jennings Creek trailhead around 5:50AM, which was a bit later than we anticipated. There is little snow on the trail, especially down low. It was easy to get around the small snowfields and even on the way down they were relatively firm. Up on the ridge there is little snow but the spots where there are just need to be taken slow. We did a small amount of scrambling around some of the snow fields on the ridgeline. We had microspikes with us but did not use them. We used poles, which were helpful. We were off the mountain around 12:30PM, which is when the thunderstorms started rolling in. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 5/25/2021, By: One Sierra Charlie
Info: Tabeguache as seen from the top of Antero. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 3/4/2021, By: lkk8815
Info: Started at Angel of Shavano TH and hiked the packed CO trail for 2 miles, +750'/-150'. Nothing changed from latest Shavano report. Mostly dry above 12,400', I stayed high to avoid crossing any snowfields. Getting to Tab was straightforward. There is some wind blown snow near the summit of Tab, I kept to the rocks to the left side/below the snow and it was fine. You'd probably want an ice axe and spikes if you cross over the snow. I did wear snowshoes in the trees as the warm temps and sun made the snow soft (especially on the way down) and I was punching through a lot. It was nice to finally take advantage of one of these bluebird winter days! 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 2/16/2021, By: RobLowe
Info: -13 Fahrenheit to start. 4-8 inches new snow below tree line. More than that at or above tree line. Snow less stable at tree line. I'll include a shading map to show the main problem area as you exit tree line. Gaining the east shoulder of Shavano is a good way to avoid this problem area. Flotation from summer TH until 13,000'. Tabeguache is heavily windloaded and required an awkward loop to the west rather than taking the Jones-Tab east-ish saddle. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 11/23/2020, By: cotezi
Info: Via Shavano (see Shavano report). Coming down the ridge from Shav initially had some snow but easily avoidable just be hopping around the big boulders (very stable boulders here). As we got lower on the ridge the rocks were smaller and some grass here and there and less/no snow. We stayed pretty ridge direct/slightly to the right. On the saddle right before going up Tab the snow began to increase significantly. Not enough to warrant snowshoes by any means but enough to cover the trail 90% of the time. Still very straightforward, you just go up. Put on spikes on the summit for the way down. It helped on some bare scree parts. On the way back up Shav we decided to stay to not summit but staying left and skirting all the way around. Not sure if it saved any time. Boulders here on this slope were wobbly at times and there was good amounts of snow in between and covering them towards the middle of the traverse. Eventually we linked back up w/ trail around 13,00'. Started at Shav/Tab TH at 6:30 am and got back to car at 5:15 pm. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 11/2/2020, By: sctbke
Info: Ascended both peaks without issue. Snow covers ~30% of the trail, not deeper than 6” in most places. Trail has been boot packed adequately, spikes could be useful but we never used them. Expect to encounter some snow from here on out, but overall easy summit for the start of November. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 10/4/2020, By: salmanalsaif
Info: Dry trail. Forecast said 45 degrees/15 mph winds, felt very hot in a running t-shirt below treeline (summer outfit the whole day, winds not bad). Started at 10 am. 3 hrs to Shavano, another hr to Tabeguache, and another hr to get back to Shavano. Round-trip time a little less than 7 hrs. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/19/2020, By: coloradew
Info: Clear of snow except for a few patches up high. No traction needed. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 9/17/2020, By: JonHandshake
Info: Hazy and windy. Some snow between Shavano and Tabeguache. Traction not necessary, but it definitely helps. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 8/31/2020, By: CraigE
Info: We hiked the West Ridge to Tabeguache on 8/30/2020. It's a great way to get to Tabeguache without going over Shavano. There's a solid trail up through the trees. The trail continues pretty clearly through the gulch above the treeline -- no willow crashing and very little rock hopping needed. The route above the 12,600 foot saddle has a lot of loose talus. There are multiple trail fragments up the steep parts of the ridge to PT 13,936, and we found it best to stay close to the center of the ridge and go over the top of each high point including PT 13,936. If you try to go around any of these points, you have to climb a lot of loose talus to regain the ridge. From PT 13,936 to the summit, we again found it best to hike on the very top of the ridge except where there is an obvious trail to the right in a couple of places. The only time we dropped very far off the ridge was to go to the right around the final two rock outcroppings before the summit (although it looks like you could probably stay high and go slightly left around/over these outcroppings too). My GPS measured just over 4 miles each way. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 8/14/2020, By: mtgoatmike
Info: From the Shav/Tab saddle the trail comes and goes. Lots of "choose your own adventure" route finding. I picked a line that hugged the right side shoulder as you climb up. Some small scrabbling on the way up to the false summit. Once I reached the false summit on the right side ridge, I swung to the left around the false summit and then made my way back over to the right side of the ridge to the true summit of Tabeguache. From Shavano summit to Tabeguache it took me roughly 45 minutes. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 8/9/2020, By: Mitsugi
Info: Summer Conditions. This is not a class 2 hike in my opinion. Most of the west ridge is class 2 and resembles other lengthy ridges with a lot of talus. But, the section on the final stretch of the west ridge just before Tabe's summit is not class 2 and in some places is class 3. Even going around the class three section it is more likely "difficult 2" or maybe "easy class 3" and coming back up that section was extremely exposed and there were parts where a fall would have been bad. Just be prepared. It is a long ass, battle to get to that point at the end of the hike just before the summit and having done a half dozen class 2 peaks now, this one does not resemble other's you've seen like Bierstadt and Sherman where you have small children hiking it. This ridge was devoid of hikers and all of them were adults. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 8/10/2020, By: Balcao2546+
Info: 14ers.com say it is only 8 mile round trip, but it was closer to 16 miles. The trial is not to bad considering the state it is in. Many parking spots to choose from if you can't make it to the trialhead. The trail is not bad, try to stay to the right of the creek when ascent. When you get to the top of the saddle prepare for a long hike to the summit. There are three false summits and parts of the ridge are tricky but manageable. Some parts of the ridge are Class 3 or Difficult Class 2. Best advice is to try to summit Mt Shavano then go after Tabeguache peak. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/26/2020, By: jnorris303
Info: This is a fun, quiet, and beautiful alternative to hiking Tabeguache via Mt. Shavano. There is a defined, well-cairned trail all the way up to the saddle between Carbonate and Tab, and then up to the first false summit (point 13,950). After that, the route becomes less clear. Follow the ridge or stick to the right, just as described. The left side is very cliffy and must be avoided. The ridge is surprisingly pointed and steep for the last half mile to the summit. There are also a lot of false summits. Lots of class 2 rock hopping and if you don't pick your route carefully @ the crux, you'll be doing some Class 3 scrambling. The road to the trailhead is AWD/4WD and high clearance is a must, but you can make it in something like an Outback. My Forester did just fine, albeit slowly. It has all-terrain tires on it. I'd be hesitant to take something up there with less tire, and you need to have high clearance. I wouldn't try with less than 8. Important to note - we did this in the clouds and mist and on the way down followed the wrong ridge down towards McCoy Gulch. We then had to backtrack up and over to the west ridge. This is easy to do if you're sticking to the left side of the ridge when descending. If it seems too steep or you can't see any cairns, you're likely descending into the wrong area. It is vital to go back up and over pt. 13,950 - otherwise you're into some very steep terrain. (see picture - blue is correct route, red is the incorrect way we descended). ALWAYS backtrack and do not try to continue once you know you're off trail.