Vestal Peak is the highest summit of the Grenadier Range, a wall of hard quartzite deep in the Weminuche Wilderness. Its north face, Wham Ridge, is a long sweep of solid stone rated III 5.4 and one of the most admired alpine rock climbs in Colorado. Arrow Peak stands under half a mile away and Trinity Peak is close by, so many visits link several Grenadiers from one camp.
There is no trail to the top, and reaching the basin is half the work. From the Molas Pass trailhead the Colorado Trail drops about 1,700 feet to the Animas River, then the Elk Creek trail climbs past beaver ponds to the unmaintained, very steep Vestal Creek path into Vestal Basin. Riding the train to Elk Park trims the approach. The south face route is the scrambler's line, Class 2+ to 3: cairns contour across the south face to a southeast couloir of mostly Class 2+ rock with a few Class 3 moves, about 3,900 feet above a high camp near 11,760 feet. The full outing from Molas is roughly 25 miles and 6,800 feet.
From the summit, Wham Ridge falls away in a single clean slab toward the basin. Quartzite turns slick as glass when wet, and the descent gullies are long, steep, and loose, so an ice axe helps early in the season and storms are a real threat. Guard food at camp; the marmots are bold.
