Climbing Mountains near Silverton - June 2026

 Cami and I were able to spend a week in Silverton in early June with the goal of climbing some mountains and backpacking into some lakes to do some photography.  We didn't know how much snow there would be on the various routes we were looking at so we needed to be flexible with our locations.  This year was a historically low snowpack so we were hopeful we could get to some spots much earlier than usual. Turns out we did a lot of hikes we didn't plan on because a lot of the routes were actually still filled with snow.  It was still a great time together and we were able to see some cool spots:

Highland Mary Lakes

Our first spot was an easy access trailhead that goes to the Highland Mary Lakes which are quite a bit above treeline, then a hike to a few of the 13ers above the lakes.  There turned out to be a lot of snow in this area which made things difficult to reach the lakes. 

After one too many river crossings and snowfields to cross, Cami decided to hang out and read her book while I hiked up to Mt. Rhoda and friends.  This was the first 13er of the year for me and I was feeling the altitude.  I was after an unobstructed shot of Arrow and Vestal in the Grenadier Range and was not disappointed.

Plenty of snow to cross

Highland Mary Lakes.  You can see the upper lake at right was still frozen over

First look at Rhoda and Whitehead.  Plenty of snow to cross.

Followed a break in the snow to reach Whitehead first

Arrow and Vestal Peaks - Prints available

Looking over at Rhoda my next summit.  I planned on getting the third peak, but ran short on time.

Red Mountain #3

We decided on a 12er for our next one.  This route follows a jeep road all the way to the summit, so we figured even if there was snow, it would be manageably flat and easy to cross.  This turned out to be a great choice.  The views of the surrounding San Juans were awesome up on this one. 

Snow and ice on the road

There were these strange looking signs on top of some of the mountains.  What are those?

I had to zoom in with my telephoto lens to check it out

These Bucee's signs are getting out of hand.

The red rock on top was surreal

We decided to take a rest day after our two hiking days and wen't out for some sunset photography.  We explored the area around Molas Pass.

Molas Lake

Sunset over the Weminuche - Prints available

Sultain Mountain and Grand Turk

Our last group of peaks had a route that was mostly south facing so we knew there would be minimal snow.  3 13ers could all be done in a day within close proximity to town - Grand Turk, Sultan and Spencer.  This one was suggested to us by our B&B host and is a popular one with the locals.  Definitely an underrated hike that I would highly recommend.

Sultain group on the right

Viewed from in town

Sunrise on the hike up.  Little Molas Lake can be seen right of center

Weminuche Wilderness with Molas Lake below

Some minor scrambling

Engineer Mountain

Approaching Spencer's summit

Heading toward Sultain (left)

Approaching Sultain's summit

Birds eye view of the town of Silverton

Heading up Grand Turk from the Sultain saddle

Grand Turk summit views

Rewind views from Sultain Summit

After this week, we went to pick up the kids from OK.  Shout out to grandma and grandpa for taking them for a full week.  Sorry for imperfections in images and/or writing.  I wrote this trip report just after hiking all day and don't have the energy to do further editing.  Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Winter Hikes 2026

On our way back from visiting family in OK we took a route through New Mexico to visit the Capulin Volcano National Monument near Raton Pass.  We lingered too long at a few stops along the way which put us there close to sunset.  Just as we arrived, the park rangers closed the gate to the road that goes around the volcano to reach the top.  Bummer.  KD decided to be adventurous and hike up the entire road with me full well knowing that we would be hiking in the dark.  The sunset was stunning once we got higher up on the road before going around to the back side.  The winds really picked up making the hike quite cold and bitter.  It was fully dark by the time we reached the top, but with the bright moonlight we were able to see down into the crater.  It was a neat experience and a cool landmark to explore.  How many 12 year old girls can say they climbed a volcano in the dark in the middle of winter?

Capulin from a distance

Sunset on the way up

On MLK day, a group of us decided to take the boys winter hiking in RMNP.  This would be Kolby's first time trying out the snowshoes.  We started at Bear Lake and headed north to a junction where we gave the boys a choice.  They could go the short route to Bierstadt Lake or the long route to Two Rivers Lake.  Of course they chose the long route.  After a grueling windy adventure, lots of breaks for snacks and a stop to add extra socks for frozen toes, the boys finally reached  the lake.  We took a quick picture before our fingers froze then returned to find a good wind shelter to make some hot cocoa.  Kolby learned that sometimes adventures require a bit of suffering and discomfort, but in the end it's worth it!

Notchtop Mountain - Prints available

Hot Cocoa

Longs and friends