In early July of 2021, I arrived in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado after nearly a month of exploring the High Sierra. My first destination in Colorado was the small mountain town of Telluride, and I quickly found out that Telluride hiking is some of the absolute best in Colorado! The first thing on the agenda was the Sneffels Highline and Deep Creek Loop!
The Sneffels Highline is an awesome hike that loops up and through alpine valleys, and over high ridges above the town of Telluride. Starting from the town itself, this trail ascends nearly 4,000 feet as it climbs up and out of the valley cradling the town. With great views, awesome trail, and waterfalls, this trail is a fantastic loop through the Rockies!
Miles/Elevation:
14.3 miles
3,986 feet vertical gain
About Uncompahgre National Forest:
Located in Western Colorado, Uncompahgre National Forest contains portions of the San Juan Mountains, Uncompahgre Plateau, and 3 wilderness areas. The forest contains nearly 1 million acres of mountains, forests, rivers, canyons, and drylands.
Uncompahgre contains incredible hiking opportunities, but there is lots to do beyond just hiking. There are a number of scenic driving opportunities, varying from the fully paved Million Dollar Highway, to the offroad Imogene Pass Road. Fishing, ATVing, mountain biking, kayaking, and rafting are all other recreational options in Uncompahgre!
About Telluride:
Located in the south west portion of Colorado, Telluride is a small mountain town that offers amazing hiking, skiing, and views. Lying in the base of a steep walled canyon, Telluride is flanked by massive mountains, and near vertical valley walls. At the head of the valley is the 365 foot Bridal Veil Falls!
In summer, Telluride is an ideal base for exploring the rugged San Juan Mountains, one of the most picturesque ranges in the Rockies. There are numerous hiking trails that leave directly from town, including the Sneffels Highline, Bear Creek Trail, and the Black Bear four wheel drive road.
In winter, Telluride is one of the premier ski resorts in Colorado. The Telluride Ski Resort has over 2,000 skiable acres and connects Telluride with the resort area of Mountain Village. The Telluride Ski Resort has over 120 runs ranging from beginner level skiing to expert!
Getting To Telluride:
Telluride is a fairly remote destination, and is a bit of a journey from all major cities, even Denver is about 6 hours away. Telluride is located just off Colorado highway 145 which runs from Cortez to Naturita. To reach 145 from Denver, most will either take I-70 Grand Junction or highway 50 to Montrose. From the south, highways 160, 550, and 491 will all get you close.
If you don’t want to drive, basically the only other option is to fly into the small and precarious Telluride Airport. The runway is basically perched on top of a series of cliffs, so it would definitely be an interesting place to fly into! There are some commercial flights into Telluride, primarily from Phoenix and Denver, but the price tag can be a bit steep!
Getting To The Trailhead:
The trailhead is at the end of N Aspen Street. There is no parking available at the trailhead, so you’ll either need to get dropped off or park somewhere else. The easiest place to park is near downtown and the ski hill at the Carhenge Parking Lot. From the lot, walk the half mile or so across town to the trailhead.
The Sneffels Highline and Deep Creek Loop:
Jud Wiebe Trail:
After leaving the road and starting on the trail, your first task will be to hike an early section of the Jud Wiebe Trail. Right at the start, you need to turn left and cross the creek on an obvious wood bridge.
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
The trail here immediately begins climbing. You’ll be ascending the canyon wall that contains Telluride, and you’ll very quickly be looking down on people’s homes and yards! The higher you get, the bigger the views of town are, and the more you can see of the surrounding mountains.
The trail quality on the Jud Wiebe Trail is solid, but it is extremely steep and it does get a bit rocky and loose in spots. Nothing crazy, but be prepared for a bit of leg burn right off the bat!
After a mile and around 700 feet of climbing, you’ll arrive at an intersection, where I actually took a wrong turn! The Jud Wiebe Trail doubles back on itself and heads back towards the trailhead, albeit significantly higher up than the lower trail. You need to take a hard left at this looping back of the trail. Almost immediately after, there is another split in the trail. At the second intersection, stay right to start the climb up the Sneffels Highline Trail.
Sneffels Highline Trail Up:
Once on the actual Sneffels Highline, the trail immediately heads into dense, overgrown crap! It’s not actually that bad, like you won’t have bushes sharp enough to cut you or anything, but the trail definitely needs to be cut back. It’s mostly just grass, but be prepared for long sections of overgrown trail for the next couple miles.
Along the Sneffels Highline, you’ll continue to climb steeply out of the valley, and as you climb you’ll get better and better views looking over town and at the mountains beyond. Here, you’ll be able to clearly see the ski runs on the opposite side of the valley and the high peaks of the San Juan beyond!
As you keep going, you’ll alternate between a few different ecosystems. There’s a lot of really cool aspen forest on this trail, but that’s where the trail is the most overgrown! You’ll also be hiking through lots of pine forest, and patches of open meadows, giving you great views looking out over Telluride!
You’ll find bears in the Rockies so always be bear safe!
After lots of climbing and lots of switchbacks, you’ll eventually reach the treeline and enter the high alpine. You’ll find yourself near the bottom of a steep sided valley with towering stone monoliths on 3 sides of you. Behind you are open views of the Lizard Head Wilderness and the alpine forests you just hiked through.
It’s not immediately obvious where the trail goes. You can’t go straight. Going right would mean heading up some pretty serious rocky terrain. But, if you look closely, you can faintly see the trail switchbacking up the left side of the valley. That’s the high point of the Sneffels Highline at the ridge on your left!
The trail flattens a bit as you hike up the valley, but as soon as you reach the switchbacks to climb up the side, it again pitches up. I wouldn’t say the climbing here is obnoxiously steep, but you definitely have to earn the ridge! Not to mention the fact that you’re above 12,000 feet, so unless you frequently get up high, you’ll be feeling the elevation here!
Keep pushing, and you’ll eventually make the ridgeline and reach the highpoint of the day at nearly 12,300 feet. Once you’re on the ridge, you have a clear view looking down on the valley you just ascended and beyond. You will also now be able to look at what is still to come.
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
Ahead of you is another alpine valley not entirely dissimilar from the one you just hiked out of. The views looking above the valley are the real highlight though. Beyond are some pretty serious rock walls and peaks, including a few over 13,000 feet: Campbell Peak, Dallas Peak, and Gilpin Peak. When you’re ready, start the descent!
Sneffels Highline Trail Down:
The initial descent down from the ridge is pretty technical and very loose. The slope is basically a pile of loose rocks and boulders ready to slide out beneath you the second you place your feet, so take it slow and be careful. A bad fall here could have serious consequences, so take it slow and make sure you trust your foot placements before you move!
The loose crappy trail switchbacks a couple of times as you drop down through the loose rock, but eventually you’ll find more solid footing and the trail will turn to the right and set out across the hillside on a nice singletrack trail.
It’s singletrack here while you’re above the valley floor, and the views are pretty fantastic. You can look back towards your sketchy descent, down the valley, or up at the cascading stream that you’ll eventually follow down. Everywhere you look are epic Rocky Mountain views!
Soon, the trail drops into the valley and heads downhill. The trail is pretty obvious and easy to follow. As you descend, you’ll drop past the treeline and reenter the forest. Soon after hitting the trees again, you’ll come across a pretty cool waterfall. The trail gets a little technical in spots, but keep descending and just stay on the trail! There is a backcountry campsite in this area, so if you are looking for a nice overnight trip, this could be it!
After reaching the end of the valley, the trail doesn’t actually drop straight down. Rather, it continues along the ridge to the right, and you’ll be doing some hiking above the dropping valley to your left with some steep cliffs above you. There’s a couple of small stream crossings and a really annoying section where you regain close to 300 vertical feet, but the trail is straightforward enough. Plus, you’ll have great views of the 14ers of the Lizard Head Wilderness basically the whole time!
After the short climb, the trail begins descending in earnest. You’ll have quite a few switchbacks to deal with, but after around a mile and a half, you’ll reach another intersection. This is where the Sneffels Highline ends, and you join up with the Deep Creek Trail. Take a left onto the Deep Creek Trail to continue back towards Telluride!
Deep Creek Trail:
I’m not going to lie, by this point I was pretty tired and my sprained ankle was not super thrilled with my choice to do this hike, so my experience of the Deep Creek Trail wasn’t super great.
Essentially, your journey on the Deep Creek Trail is a mile and a half of descending on a mostly forested trail. You’ll still get some solid views, but by now you’ve seen most of them before, and since you’re dropping, the panoramas aren’t quite as nice. The Deep Creek Trail isn’t a bad trail by any means, but it certainly isn’t the alpine spectacle of the Sneffels Highline.
Continue on the Deep Creek Trail and you’ll eventually come across a series of switchbacks which bring you down to Mill Creek. Here, you’ll take a left onto the Mill Creek Trail to cross the creek and continue on your loop!
Mill Creek Trail:
The first thing you see on the Mill Creek Trail is a bridge crossing over Mill Creek. By now, you’re definitely back in the forest, and you won’t have views nearly as consistently as before. However, right on Mill Creek above the trail are the ruins of the mill that presumably gave this creek it’s name. They’re cool to take a look at, but there isn’t really too much there.
After crossing Mill Creek, you’ll have a mile long walk through the woods along a pretty flat trail to get back to the edge of the valley overlooking Telluride. The trail itself is nice and makes for quick hiking, but there isn’t really anything too special about this section or much to look at.
Once the Mill Creek Trail reaches the rim of the valley, it takes a hard left turn to continue on the valley’s edge back towards Telluride. Now, you’ll have views of the town and mountains beyond basically the entire way back to the trailhead.
Even though it feels like you’re really close to the end because you can see town, and you might even be able to spot your car in the parking lot (I could, but to be fair it’s a yellow convertible), there’s a mile left on the Mill Creek Trail. It’s an easy mile, but I was physically pretty exhausted by this point!
After a mile, the Mill Creek Trail reaches the first intersections of the day where you began on the Sneffels Highline from the Jud Wiebe. Retrace your steps, taking a right followed by another right to descend back to the trailhead.
From here, it’s still about a mile of pretty steep descending, but you’re close! Just remember, from the trailhead, you probably still have to walk back to your car! I actually recommend walking to downtown and getting something to eat if you have the time, you earned it! Definitely check out the Cornerhouse Grill for good, simple bar food, cheap drinks, and surprisingly good cheese curds!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 9/10
This hike takes you into some beautiful terrain in the San Juan Range, itself one of the most beautiful sub ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The views are phenomenal, and the trail takes you into some awesome alpine terrain.
There are some cons however, one being the fact that there is no parking at or near the trailhead, and the only reliable parking is on the other side of town at the base of the ski hill. It’s not a dealbreaker, but is definitely annoying. I also felt like this trail dragged on a bit at times, and there were some sections of the loop that were not overly spectacular. Not to mention the lengthy stretches of overgrown trail.
Overall, this is a really good hike that provides awesome views, and gets you into some great alpine terrain. I can’t give this hike a 10/10 because of my previously listed gripes, but it’s definitely an awesome, worthwhile, trail to do in Telluride! It had been on my list for awhile, and the highlights of this trail definitely lived up to my expectations, there’s just some overgrown and boring parts!
Pros:
- Great views
- Trailhead is right in town
- Hiking in alpine terrain
Cons:
- Lengthy uneventful stretches of trail
- Some very overgrown spots
- No parking at trailhead
Alternative Hikes:
Bear Creek, Wasatch, and Bridal Veil Trails Loop
See Forever to Wasatch Connection to Bear Creek
When To Hike The Sneffels Highline:
This trail will take you over 12,000 feet, so the biggest factor to consider is snow. There will likely be snow here until well into June, and in a big snow year you may find snow into July. Peak hiking season in Colorado is July and August, but you should be able to hike the Sneffels Highline easily into September, and maybe the early part of October.
I generally like hiking early in the season, but all I can say is the best time to hike this loop is once the snow has melted. Whether that’s early June, early July, or late June, is impossible to say. Keep an eye on the conditions, or just wait until July and you should be good pretty much any year!
Links For Further Reading:
Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests
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