LoJ: #154 (Pre-LiDAR #152) / 13,692' Cirque Mountain

The route for Cirque begins from the parking area at the solar vault toilet at 11,300 feet in Yankee Boy Basin. The route we describe here is largely the same as that described by G&M and their information is what we used for this 1990 hike. After the toilet, the road degrades quite a bit but can still be driven by shorter bed 4WD with good clearance. If you're walking, you may be passed by several vehicles. Walk up the main road that leads to Mt. Sneffels for .4 mile and depart the road near these coordinates: N 37° 59' 23.24" W 107° 46' 18.49". This will be just after crossing a drainage coming down from a valley south & west of Cirque. Head uphill on steeper terrain passing open trees and walking on lush tundra laden with colorful wildflowers in mid-July and later. Utilize the tundra for as long as you can. It will play out at about 12,550 ft. Above there, you'll be on loose talus for the remainder of the distance to the west ridge of Cirque. either continue straight up the drainage to the saddle above, or some choose to begin swinging right and leave the saddle out to intersect the west ridge of Cirque higher up. Either way you'll be hiking on mostly all talus. The saddle at 13,060 ft. is called "Dyke Col." The unofficially named "Kismet" is to the left of the saddle.

When you reach the ridge, turn right (east) and follow it to the dual summit. There are "use" trails and cairns pointing the way. Along the way there will be one stretch of ridge that narrows quite a bit and drops off on either side. We recall our 9 year old daughter being a little intimidated by that stretch but there was no real exposure. That section shows in the vertical photo. The ridge is also covered in spots with what we call "dinner-plate talus," which are flatter, thinner rocks that break under foot and sound like you're walking on china. This kind of rock occurs frequently in the Dallas Divide group of peaks. There is one steeper cliff band to overcome at about 13,500 ft. on the way to the summit. It proved to be no problem for our kids. Then there is one more close to the summit. Some rate these as Class 2+ or 3. When you arrive at the summit proper, you will see that the summit is "split." Though the north side of each high point drops off severely, each high point can be easily attained. Climb both to make sure you've covered your bases, but the western one is supposed to be the highest.

After admiring one of Colorado's most amazing views, descend as you came, especially if with younger family. Some people take a decent route that goes almost directly off the summit south into a large bowl. Higher up are steep, scree gullies with some rock outcrops to avoid. Lower down, you can return to flower-laden tundra. The bowl empties back out onto the 4WD road where you can stroll back to your vehicle.

It is also possible to climb Cirque from Blaine Basin on the north side. A "faint" trail leads up through the basin and to Dyke Col. From there, you can follow the main route to the summit.