Santa Fe Peak + Sullivan Mountain + Geneva Peak

July 13, 2024

Santa Fe Peak + Sullivan Mountain + Geneva Peak | 13,180 feet + 13,134 feet + 13,266 feet

7 miles; 2713 feet elevation gain

Total time: 5 hours 13 minutes

This area is so incredible and such a hidden gem. I did part of this route back in 2021 - blog here. At that time I said I would be back to do Geneva Peak and today was the day! I also wanted to do Landslide Peak but ran out of time so again, I will be back.

This route is doable if you don't have a high clearance 4WD vehicle but it would be a lot longer and would include 3 miles each way of hiking on an old mining road, with quite a bit of private property on both sides. It is also difficult to find parking in Monetzuma. Reviews say the people who live on this road are not very friendly and neither are their dogs, which wander on the roads. I was chased by dogs while driving both times I did this hike. If you do have a high clearance 4WD. These peaks are also accessible via Webster Pass & Shelf Lake/Guanella Pass area. It would be a really fun route to make into a loop starting and ending in Montezuma.

I drove to about 11,900 feet and parked at a pull off next to an old mine. The hike up Santa Fe Peak is on a mining road, a very straightforward class 1 hike. It is a steady incline all the way but nothing too challenging. From here you can see the rest of your route clearly, along the ridgeline. You descend slightly before walking across a wide open plateau and then climbing briefly again to the summit of Sullivan Mountain, all class 1. From here Geneva Mountain peak looks intimidating and intense, but it looks worse than it is, like the reviews say. However, you do lose quite a bit of elevation before reascending the steep rocky slopes of Geneva. It is all class 2 climbing mostly with a defined trail. There a few spots where you will need to rock hop. There is some exposure along the ridgeline but the trail avoids it most of the way. The summit of Geneva Mountain has incredible views for 360 degrees. It would be fairly quick to add on Landslide Peak from here and make it into a loop down Webster Pass back to Montezuma, if you parked in town. I headed back the way I came, with includes quite a bit of reascent.

A Saturday in July and I only saw two trail runners all day. We also didn't encounter anyone else on the off-roading section which I was very thankful about because it is a very narrow road and passing would be difficult. I love this area so much, it is incredibly beuatiful and offers so much solitude in the busy summer months. There are so many longer routes you could do as well, including many 12ers.