Rio Grande National Forest · Colorado

Blanca Peak

6.7 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 886 · trail class 1 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, bike, motorcycle, atv, 4wd, e-bike · motorized use allowed · seasonal: hiking 05/01-11/15

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 37.5510, -105.5597 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Blanca Peak Trailhead - Trail # 886 the Forest Service's write-up

Blanca Peak is the fourth highest peak in Colorado. Spectacular views along the way are the rule rather than the exception. Side trips can be made to two other 14,000 feet peaks, Little Bear Peak (14,037') and Ellingwood Point (14,042'). Fishing is available at Crater, Como and Blue Lakes. Dispersed camping is allowed in the area, camp at least 150 feet from any water, and practice Leave No Trace ethics.

The first 4.5 miles of the Blanca Peak Trail is over an extremely rough, rocky jeep road. A very specialized four wheel drive vehicle is required to climb this road. Walking up the jeep road is an option that most visitors choose. Adequate parking is available along the first 2.5 miles of road.

The formal Blanca Peak trail begins at Lake Como and is almost entirely above timberline, the trail ends at the ridge leading to Blanca Peak. The first half of the trail is fairly easy. The last half becomes quite steep and rocky, with the trail disappearing and turning into a scramble over rocks. The upper trail is difficult and can be dangerous. The overall distance from Como Lake to Blanca Peak is 2.5 miles.

The weather in this area is subject to sudden changes and thunder storms can be expected at any time.

The trail is open for the following uses: Hiking and backpacking.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Rio Grande National Forest

All 227 trails in Rio Grande National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.