Peak Condition Update | Conejos Peak

Peak:	Conejos Peak
Route:	Standard
Range:	San Juan
Posted By:	ChrisinAZ
Date of Info:	10/4/2014
Date Posted:	10/5/2014

Details
This is actually for Bennett, Conejos, and Summit peaks in the southern San Juans. Short version: everything's still accessible! All three low-clearance 2WD-accessible trailheads (standard on Summit, 11200' on Conejos, 1/2 mile below Blowout Pass on Bennett) are attainable in a car, with 99.9% of the roads clear of snow, and the remainder a non-issue that will probably melt in the next few days. Conejos--a bit of snow/mud from the start, and if you go up the Tobacco Lake route, there'll be more of it, but generally no more than a few inches. Coming around from the SW, terrain is pretty clear once you hit treeline. Summit--I gave up trying to find the faint trail, and just headed up a grassy gully that was free of snow, then encountered patchy snow 1-3" deep (deeper in a few spots) above there. The south slopes of Summit melted out very noticeably in just half a day, and were mostly snow-free by the time I got there. Spectacular views right now with the snow on surrounding peaks! Bennett--following the road to Blowout Pass and beyond, there's minimal snow but a decent bit of mud in spots. The south and west faces are essentially snow-free. Headed straight down from the summit back to the car, which took all of 35 minutes. Overall--there's a bit of snow, but not enough to make things a pain. Any snow gear beyond trekking poles would be overkill, and I imagine things will continue to melt out if this sun continues. Nice fall colors at the moment--get down there if you can!

Details

This is actually for Bennett, Conejos, and Summit peaks in the southern San Juans. Short version: everything's still accessible! All three low-clearance 2WD-accessible trailheads (standard on Summit, 11200' on Conejos, 1/2 mile below Blowout Pass on Bennett) are attainable in a car, with 99.9% of the roads clear of snow, and the remainder a non-issue that will probably melt in the next few days.

Conejos--a bit of snow/mud from the start, and if you go up the Tobacco Lake route, there'll be more of it, but generally no more than a few inches. Coming around from the SW, terrain is pretty clear once you hit treeline.

Summit--I gave up trying to find the faint trail, and just headed up a grassy gully that was free of snow, then encountered patchy snow 1-3" deep (deeper in a few spots) above there. The south slopes of Summit melted out very noticeably in just half a day, and were mostly snow-free by the time I got there. Spectacular views right now with the snow on surrounding peaks!

Bennett--following the road to Blowout Pass and beyond, there's minimal snow but a decent bit of mud in spots. The south and west faces are essentially snow-free. Headed straight down from the summit back to the car, which took all of 35 minutes.

Overall--there's a bit of snow, but not enough to make things a pain. Any snow gear beyond trekking poles would be overkill, and I imagine things will continue to melt out if this sun continues. Nice fall colors at the moment--get down there if you can!

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