Mount Shavano, with an elevation of 14,229 feet, is the seventeenth highest peak in the state of Colorado. The most notable feature of
this Fourteener named after a Ute Amerindian chief is a snow couloir on its east face which resembles an angel ("The Angel of Shavano").
Shavano and nearby Tabeguache Peak are the southernmost Fourteeners in the Sawatch Range and are usually climbed together.
To reach the trailhead for the Blank Gulch trail (by far the easier of two main routes), head south for over 20 miles on US 285 from Buena
Vista and turn right onto CR 140. After 1.7 miles, turn right onto CR 250 and take that for four miles before taking CR 252. Cross
Placer Creek 2.5 miles later, and you'll reach the Blank Gulch trailhead 2.5 miles after the creek.
The Blank Gulch route also has the advantage of giving you the best view of the Angel (assuming it's early enough in a year that isn't
too dry, and that therefore there is an Angel). The Blank Gulch trail will take you north of the Angel, and to the ridge which includes Mounts
Shavano and Tabeguache. From Shavano's summit, descend to head northwest along the saddle before ascending 435 feet to top Tabeguache as
well.
Sources: peakware.com, summitpost.org, Dawson's Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners, Volume 1: The Northern Peaks
