August 24, 2021

By Tim Briese

3.8 miles, 500’ elevation gain, 1:55 roundtrip time

The Dillon Pinnacles are interesting rock formations above the north shore of Blue Mesa Reservoir. Teresa and I were on our way to Montrose for a San Juan hiking outing and stopped by the reservoir late in the afternoon to hike the short Dillon Pinnacles Trail. The trailhead is right at the north end of the bridge where US 50 crosses from the north to the south side of the reservoir. We headed west on the excellent trail through the sagebrush with splendid views of the reservoir below.

blue mesa reservoir

on the trail with the pinnacles ahead

After a bit of descent and then ascent we reached a flatter area below the pinnacles with a nice view of them.

We continued on a trail below the pinnacles and then hiked around a short loop out to a fine overlook of the reservoir.

a peaceful spot to enjoy the view

We hiked back as the sun sank over the ridge to the west, and headed for Montrose.