Other climbers: Kyle Knutson — ✓ all · Shawn D Keil — not yet

Vestal, Arrow & the Trinities — Grenadier backpack (Wham Ridge trip)¶

At a glance — 4-day trip

5 peaks · trip total ~32.7 mi · ~13,318 ft · ~7.6 h drive

Day 1 — Pack-in (Molas Pass → Vestal Basin camp): 10 mi · 3,077 ft gain · 2,250 ft descent
Day 2 (Vestal (Wham Ridge) + Arrow): 6.4 mi · 4,282 ft gain · Class 5.4 · 2 peaks
Day 3 (Trinity traverse (W→E)): 6.3 mi · 3,709 ft gain · Class 4 · 3 peaks
Day 4 — Pack-out (camp → Molas Pass): 10 mi · 2,250 ft gain · 3,077 ft descent

Written for Emily — all five unclimbed on her 14ers checklist. Vestal, Arrow, and Trinity are centennial (top-100) 13ers; West and East Trinity are bicentennials.

Researched: 2026-07-10

NOAA weather link: Vestal, Arrow & the Trinities Weather

CalTopo research map: https://caltopo.com/m/4MR73J3

Shareable link (sanitized — safe to forward to anyone): https://mtn-share.pages.dev/s/33fc621f3fbca2fe/ — no names, climbed status, or research maps; expires ~2026-11-08 (regenerate anytime: share_report.py vestal_arrow_trinities)

Status for Emily: All five unclimbed. This is the heart of the Grenadiers — quartzite peaks that most consider the most beautiful climbing terrain in the San Juans.

Overview map

Note: the recommended route was distilled from 33 recorded GPS tracks of real trips (14ers.com · ListsofJohn · peakbagger · Kyle's recordings) — all layered on the interactive CalTopo research map.

Technical trip — Class 4 and low 5th class terrain

Wham Ridge (Vestal) is an alpine rock route (III 5.4) — careful route-finding keeps it at 5.4 (crux hand crack), off-route quickly becomes 5.6+; most experienced scrambler parties solo it dry, but a light rope + small rack for the upper headwall is common and smart for a first time on it.
Vestal's descent is a known trap: do not drop into the first gullies off the top (they cliff out into loose Class 4) — traverse the ridge south, then southeast to the further SE-facing gully before descending the choss to the Vestal–Arrow saddle side.
Trinity Peak's crux on the traverse is a short (~20 ft) exposed Class 4 chimney regaining the ridge from the south-side ledges — cairned, solid rock, but no-fall terrain.

Peaks covered¶

A backpack via Elk Creek (Colorado Trail) to a Vestal Basin camp (11,300–11,760') — 4 days / 3 nights: pack in, two climbing days, pack out (strong parties compress to 3 days). Hardest move 5.4 (Wham Ridge's crux hand crack); the Trinity day is Class 4.

Peak	Day	Elev	Route	Class	CO rank
Vestal Peak	2	13,867'	Wham Ridge (N face) up · S face down	5.4 (III)	#78
Arrow Peak	2	13,817'	NE/East ramp	3	#99
West Trinity	3	13,765'	SW ridge (start of traverse)	2+/3	#121
Trinity Peak	3	13,816'	W ridge from W Trinity saddle	4 (chimney crux)	#100
East Trinity	3	13,752'	W ridge · descend NE ridge	3	#128

(CO rank = elevation rank among Colorado's ranked 13ers + 14ers.)

All five ring Vestal Basin — summits are ≤1.5 mi apart. The classic combination is exactly Emily's plan: Wham + Arrow one day, the three-Trinity traverse the next.

Getting there — Molas Pass trailhead¶

Park at the Colorado Trail / Molas Trail lot just north of Molas Pass on US 550 (37.7476, -107.6885, ~10,610' — gravel lot, any car). This is where 12 of the 30 swept GPX tracks start. US 550 is paved all the way; no 4WD needed.
Drive from Highland: ~7h 35m / 361 mi via Google Maps to Molas Pass.
Alternative approach: the Durango & Silverton train to Elk Park cuts ~5 mi and the 1,700' Animas climb out, but chains you to the train schedule — several swept tracks use it (their starts show at the Animas River, ~8,900').

The days, in order¶

Day 1 — Pack-in: Molas Pass → Vestal Basin¶

Colorado Trail from Molas Pass — ~4 mi of switchbacks down to the Animas River bridge (8,900'); you repay this descent on the way out.
Cross the bridge, then Elk Creek Trail (CT east) up the spectacular Elk Creek canyon to the beaver ponds meadow (~11,200') — the Grenadiers' north walls appear across the valley.
Just past the beaver ponds, drop right onto the unmaintained Vestal Creek trail (cairned climber's path): steep, braided in places, with deadfall. It climbs ~700' into Vestal Basin.
Camp in the basin — see Camps & water below (the recommended camps are the lower-meadow/upper-bench pair at 11,300–11,760').

Day 2 — Vestal via Wham Ridge, then Arrow (Class 5.4)¶

The Grenadiers' marquee day, and one of Colorado's classic alpine rock routes.

Camp → Vestal–Arrow basin. From the lower meadow, ascend SSW ~600 ft (climber's trail) into the hanging valley between Arrow and Vestal (rock-glacier boulder hopping).
Wham Ridge (III 5.4). Start up the grassy N-face ledges to the ridge proper. The quartzite is superb — slabby Class 3–4 lower, steepening to the 5.4 crux hand crack high on the face. Careful route-finding keeps it at 5.4; drifting off-line finds 5.6+. Rope/small rack optional for solid scramblers in the dry; bring them if in doubt.
Descend the S face (Class 2+/3 — see danger box). Ridge S then SE to the correct SE gully; loose choss all the way down to the Vestal–Arrow saddle area.
Arrow's East ramp (Class 3). From the basin at ~12,200', gain the huge slanting ramp on Arrow's east face — 1,000+ ft of solid slab friction (Class 2+), polished and slick if wet. At ~13,600' exit the ramp's end and scramble the ridge to the airy summit (Class 3).
Retrace the ramp and drop back to camp.

Parties commonly log 8–14 hours for the pair.

Order matters: do Wham first (N face needs dry rock and you want the crux behind you before weather), then Arrow — its ramp descends fast if storms build.

Day 3 — The Trinity traverse, W→E (Class 4)¶

Three summits by the classic west-to-east line — climb high, traverse, descend easy.

West Trinity, SW ridge (Class 2+/3). From the upper basin, gain the Vestal–W Trinity saddle and follow the SW ridge — steep but low-exposure scrambling.
W Trinity → Trinity Peak (Class 4 — the crux). Descend W Trinity's east ridge to the saddle (Class 2+). Contour on south-side ledges below the ridge cliffs (cairns), to the leaning-cairn chimney: ~20 ft of exposed Class 4 on good rock back to the crest, then one more short exposed step to easier ground and the summit. ~1.5 hr saddle-to-summit is typical.
Trinity → East Trinity (Class 3). Descend the shallow couloir just S of the ridge (loose — watch rockfall on partners), cross to the saddle, then the W ridge of East Trinity, S side, steepening to Class 3 near the top (Roach's "steep west-facing gully" crux; snow lingers early season).
Descend E Trinity's NE ridge (Class 2+) to the 13,060' notch (don't drift right), then ~300 ft of scree to tundra. Stroll back past the unnamed lake at 12,396' to camp — a gorgeous finish.

Day 4 — Pack-out: Vestal Basin → Molas Pass¶

Reverse the approach: mostly down Elk Creek, then the ~1,750 ft climb back up from the Animas to Molas Pass at the end — budget energy (and snacks) for it. (Same corridor as the pack-in, so the map shows one line for both.)

Camps & water¶

Recommended: the lower meadow (~11,300') below Arrow and Vestal's north faces — the best mix of sites, water, and position for the harder day (Wham starts right above it).

Camp	Elev	Pros	Cons
Lower meadow ⭐	~11,300'	Most/best sites; Vestal Creek water; shortest start for Day 2 (Wham + Arrow right overhead)	Adds ~0.5 mi / ~450' to Day 3; marmot central
Upper bench	~11,760'	Cuts ~1 mi / ~450' off Day 3 (Trinities); climb13ers measures its routes from here	Fewer, smaller, more exposed sites; Day 2 starts with a contour back west
Beaver ponds (Elk Creek)	~11,200'	On the maintained CT — big sites, easy water; good late-arrival fallback	Adds the steep ~700' unmaintained Vestal Creek climb to both climbing days

Considerations for all three:

Water: Vestal Creek runs by both basin camps; the ponds have Elk Creek. All reliable season-long (treat). Elk Creek is beside the approach trail nearly the whole way.
Water on the climbing days: Day 2 — fill at camp; the Arrow/Vestal hanging valley is dry rock glacier. Day 3 — carry the day's water from camp; the 12,396' lake under East Trinity is on the return.
Marmots (serious): the basin camps are notorious — marmots here chew packs, straps, pole grips, boots, anything salty. Everything inside the tent or hung, always.
Weather exposure: the higher you camp, the more wind/lightning exposure — the lower meadow has tree shelter, the upper bench little.
LNT: durable surfaces, established sites, 100'+ from water — this basin sees heavy summer use.
Split-camp variant: some parties move camp mid-trip (lower meadow for Day 2, upper bench before Day 3) — rarely worth the packing time for the ~1 mi it saves.

Gear & season¶

Rock: helmet (mandatory — chossy descents + party rockfall), approach shoes or sticky trail runners for Wham's slab. Light 30 m rope + small rack/harness optional for the Wham crux — decide by the party's soloing comfort at exposed 5.4.
Snow (early season / June–early July): ice axe recommended on all these routes (climb13ers flags every one); microspikes for the Arrow ramp and Trinity couloirs.
Camp: bear-appropriate food storage; marmot-proof everything (in-tent or hung).
InReach/PLB — no cell coverage anywhere in this drainage (deep Weminuche; dead at the TH, in the basin, and on most summits).
Best window: mid-July through September — you want Wham's quartzite dry. The N face holds snow/wet into early July; afternoon monsoon storms peak mid-July–August.
Storm strategy: both days top out early. Wham Ridge is a lightning rod — be moving off Vestal by midday. The Trinity traverse has bail options at each saddle back into the basin (S side).
Weminuche Wilderness (San Juan NF): no permit needed; groups ≤15; standard LNT. Camp on durable surfaces away from the creek.
The Elk Creek approach shares the Colorado Trail — expect thru-hikers; Vestal Basin itself is quieter but popular on summer weekends.

Trip reports & GPX (all three sources swept)¶

GPX collected: 30 track files — 14 from 14ers.com GPX libraries, 6 from listsofjohn trip reports, 10 from peakbagger ascents (all five peaks' libraries swept and deduped) — all layered on the CalTopo research map with the two composed day routes in magenta.

14ers.com — the deep beta; these match Emily's exact plan:

"The Grenadier's Finest — Vestal, Arrow & the Trinities" (16464) — this trip, verbatim
"Labor Day Weekend in the Grenadiers: Vestal and Arrow" (10973) + "The Trinity Traverse" (11034) — the same 2-day split
"Arrow today, Trinities tomorrow" (20494) / "Trinity Traverse" (20495)
"Wham in the Weminuche" (21785) · "Solo Surfin the Wham" (19830) — Wham Ridge detail
"Vestal Basin 5 in a Day & Centennial FINISH!" (22327) — all five in a single push, for scale
"Eastern Grenadiers: East Trinity, Trinity, West Trinity and Pack Out" (16643)

listsofjohn.com — 30 TRs seen across the five; 6 downloadable tracks incl. a complete Molas→basin→peaks→Molas trip (gpx 6244) and a 2025 Vestal Basin approach (gpx 18276).

peakbagger.com — 10 ascent tracks (logged in), incl. a clean Trinity-traverse loop (the Trinity-day composed route follows one verbatim).

climb13ers.com — per-route class/terrain detail used throughout (S Face 2+, E Ramp 3, Trinity W Ridge 4, E Trinity W Ridge 3, camp-based mileages).

Sources checked: 14ers.com · listsofjohn.com · peakbagger.com · climb13ers.com