ATTENTION: SNOW DAMAGE!ATTENION: The epic amount of snow from the 2008 winter season in the San Juans may affect your outing! Reading the following and proceed accordingly:
Due to excessive snow and resulting run-off, Yankee Boy road may be more difficult this year. Plan ccordingly!
The Atlas Camp site has been wiped out by avalanche and run-off debris, the toilets were undamaged. A sign stating camping fees would resume in 2008 was also found on the road.
Yankee Boy Basin was a fee use area. The collected fees were supposedly for maintence of facilities, roads, sign construction and other uses. The fee idea was a controversial situation and was found to be inappropriately managed. Questions were raised about which organizations benefits from the fees, and why folks should be charged for access to public lands in the first place. Yankee Boy was the first spot in the nation in which the fees were removed due to public and political pressure. The program was discontinued in 2003.
The area currently does not charge an access fee, and the fee kiosk has been removed. Politics and climbing don't usually mix well, but if you feel strongly one way the other about fee use areas, be sure you make your opinion known to everyone you can, particularly if they're influential. The data and the discussion process will ultimately determine whether fee areas continue, or in this case, return.
Approach & Map
MOUNT SNEFFELS FROM THE SOUTH
The Southwest Ridge is seen in profile on the left. The standard Lavendor Col route goes down the right.
Photo by SP member WildmanDallas 
Use the same approach as for the standard route up Mt. Sneffels (Lavender Col). Drive up the Canyon Creek Road from Ouray into Yankee Boy Basin. Continue driving up the road past the turn-off to Imogene Pass to your desired starting point. Above Coors Falls (the twin waterfalls in the basin), the road gets rougher, and eventually ends at the start of the Blue Lakes Pass trail. Hiking the road adds time and elevation gain to your trip, which must be seriously considered in questionable weather.
The approach can also be from the Blue Lakes area. Take Highway 62 west of Ridgway to Telluride. 4.7 miles later, be on the lookout for a national forest access sign to East Dallas Creek, a left turn off the highway. County road 7 winds up through gorgeous rural farmland and well placed signs lead you to the end of the road 9 miles later. You're at the foot of Mt. Sneffels here, and this is where the Blue Lakes trail begins. The Blaine Basin trail crosses East Dallas Creek. Stay on the trail on the west side of the creek. It's a three mile hike to the lower Blue Lake, and another steep mile and a half to the pass. This approach should be considered as an over-night option. At Blue Lakes Pass, follow the route description below.
Route Description
Scrambling the upper portion of the Sneffels 3rd Class South Ridge Route
Photo by SP member BranchWhitney Follow the trail to the sign that indicates the standard route of Mt. Sneffels as well as Blue Lakes Pass. Stay left and hike to the top of the pass on a narrow trail and quickly ascending switchbacks. At the top of the pass, leave the trail and strike northward on the ridge. Scamble over large talus as close to the rock towers on your right as possible. The climbing then starts straight away, winding up through gullies and a host of other interesting problems as you ascend the through needles on the west side. The route is strong Class 3 climbing on solid rock, but many rocks will be loose. Cairns will guide you, but be on the lookout for well travelled areas to follow as well.
An eventual traverse through the large notch (visible from the basin below) can be traversed across the east face of the buttress (moderately exposed Class 3), or carefully downclimbed to a suitable spot in the couloir directly below. Downclimbing means more climbing on lose rock to regain the route, so stay high if you can. This portion is well cairned.
More chutes, gullies and other problems greet you as you climb out of the couloir. Considerable altitude is gained through this stretch. You'll pass by the "kissing camels" on your left and ascend a narrow gully to the ridge top. From here, cairns lead out onto the east face of the mountain, where a prolonged and exposed section on solid, rounded rock begins. It is recommended you stay on or near the ridge top from this point, on good solid rock. The ridge narrows in spots and exposure is notable on both sides. The east face traverse gets a little shear in places, and crosses above another Class 3 route, so do not dislodge any rocks! Both options climb quickly to the summit.
Confusion with routefinding on this route should be largely mitigated with recently erected cairns, which are now present in abundance. Even so, the route is direct and stays close to or on top of the ridge all the way to the summit.
Returning this route might be fun, but the round trip down the standard route is very enjoyable and affords you a nice tour of Mt. Sneffels. In questionable weather, descend the standard route.
More Route PhotosExcellent photos of the route submitted by SP members big_g and dsnell. Thanks!
Essential GearCrampons, helmet and ice axe, along with rope and rack are essential for climbing this route in winter. Difficulty on this route is harder fourth class with the presence of snow and ice, and probably more trouble than it's worth. In spring, a helmet would be a good idea. In summer, standard hiking gear is fine, but make sure your hiking boots are in excellent condition. You'll be relying on them for traction, which is very important on the upper part of this route.
Images
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Sneffels Range, Colorado
