Jones Peak Trip Report 05/01/2026

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Jones Peak - 13,609 feet Unnamed 13702 - 13,702 feet Tabeguache Peak - 14,158 feet Mt. Shavano - 14,230 feet "Esprit Point" - 13,627 feet
Date Posted	05/01/2026
Date Climbed	09/25/2025
Author	MMAfightingClimber

Jones to Espirit loop
Date: September 25th, 2025 Route: Looping the ridge from Jones to Esprit Point with Shav/Tab Trailhead: Shavano TH Range: Sawatch Range Class: 3 Partner(s): Solo Report: Now that fall was in full swing, I wanted to keep making progress at my fall 14er ascents while still getting the 13ers. Killing 2 birds with one stone, I made up a route that ascends Jones, traverses over to UN 13,712, up Tabegauche, over to Shav, over to Espirt Point and down Espirits east ridge. This route also tags bicentennial UN 13,712, which is one of the goals I have within the 788 ranked/unranked peaks. Overall it was a fairly decent route with the only downside being some less than pleasant bushwhacking. The trail started from the Shavano Standard TH, and unlike the standard route of Shavano where you leave the CDT trail after .4mi, this time I kept going to get to the base of Jones. I followed it for another 1.2mi where I left the trail to begin my ascent. The first quarter mile up jones was gradual and the bushwhacking wasn’t bad. It was at 10,400ft where I realized the next .75mi would gain about 1600ft and be full of dense bushwhacking. It was honestly a pretty unenjoyable ascent. Even more demoralizing when I realized I had another 1500ft to go after completing that. It went pretty quickly, this is for sure the most difficult part of the day without a doubt. On the final push for Jones, you can scramble closer to the right side of the ridge or bypass is on class 2 talus toward the left. Either way works. Once I reached jones, my moral was boosted knowing I had done the most consistent, hard work of the day. Now it was time for a little scrambling to UN 13,712, this was class 2+ with a few sections of class 3 moves and I mostly stayed ridge proper or on the south side of the ridge. The rock is decent but there are some loose rocks hiding. From here, I descended to the saddle of 13,712 and Shav/Tab. This section is cool because it’s like a tri saddle between the 3 peaks. I went up Tabegauche first, as I had to head back toward shavano to complete the loop. Once I got to Tab I would repeat the same familiar ascent I had done several times and I was happy to get that over with for the day. The way back up Shav isn’t particularly steep but it does drag especially if you’re coming from the way I did with all the extra bushwhacking and such previously. I was happy once I realized my final peak of the day Espirit point had very little prominence and it was an easy stroll from Shav. The east ridge of Espirit point was not fun, it’s basically a pile of rocks from summit down to treeline. And once you hit treeline it’s a bushwhack all the way back to the trailhead. I was regretting not just going down the standard route of Shavano. Notes: I would suggest going back to the standard route of Shavano rather than descending down Espirit points east ridge if you do this loop. Stats: 11mi, 6000ft, 6:28RT Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Jones to Espirit loop

Date: September 25th, 2025
Route: Looping the ridge from Jones to Esprit Point with Shav/Tab
Trailhead: Shavano TH
Range: Sawatch Range
Class: 3
Partner(s): Solo

Report: Now that fall was in full swing, I wanted to keep making progress at my fall 14er ascents while still getting the 13ers. Killing 2 birds with one stone, I made up a route that ascends Jones, traverses over to UN 13,712, up Tabegauche, over to Shav, over to Espirt Point and down Espirits east ridge. This route also tags bicentennial UN 13,712, which is one of the goals I have within the 788 ranked/unranked peaks. Overall it was a fairly decent route with the only downside being some less than pleasant bushwhacking.
The trail started from the Shavano Standard TH, and unlike the standard route of Shavano where you leave the CDT trail after .4mi, this time I kept going to get to the base of Jones. I followed it for another 1.2mi where I left the trail to begin my ascent. The first quarter mile up jones was gradual and the bushwhacking wasn’t bad. It was at 10,400ft where I realized the next .75mi would gain about 1600ft and be full of dense bushwhacking. It was honestly a pretty unenjoyable ascent. Even more demoralizing when I realized I had another 1500ft to go after completing that. It went pretty quickly, this is for sure the most difficult part of the day without a doubt. On the final push for Jones, you can scramble closer to the right side of the ridge or bypass is on class 2 talus toward the left. Either way works.
Once I reached jones, my moral was boosted knowing I had done the most consistent, hard work of the day. Now it was time for a little scrambling to UN 13,712, this was class 2+ with a few sections of class 3 moves and I mostly stayed ridge proper or on the south side of the ridge. The rock is decent but there are some loose rocks hiding.
From here, I descended to the saddle of 13,712 and Shav/Tab. This section is cool because it’s like a tri saddle between the 3 peaks. I went up Tabegauche first, as I had to head back toward shavano to complete the loop. Once I got to Tab I would repeat the same familiar ascent I had done several times and I was happy to get that over with for the day. The way back up Shav isn’t particularly steep but it does drag especially if you’re coming from the way I did with all the extra bushwhacking and such previously. I was happy once I realized my final peak of the day Espirit point had very little prominence and it was an easy stroll from Shav. The east ridge of Espirit point was not fun, it’s basically a pile of rocks from summit down to treeline. And once you hit treeline it’s a bushwhack all the way back to the trailhead. I was regretting not just going down the standard route of Shavano.

Notes: I would suggest going back to the standard route of Shavano rather than descending down Espirit points east ridge if you do this loop.

Stats: 11mi, 6000ft, 6:28RT

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

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