Scramble the Halo Ridge on Mt. Holy Cross

The Halo Ridge is by no means the easiest route to the summit of Mt. Holy Cross, but it is definitely the most interesting and scenic. You'll begin at the Half Moon (Tigiwon) trailhead, but instead of the popular Halfmoon Trail, you will start on the Fall Creek Trail as it leaves the campground.

The Approach

Follow the gentle Fall Creek Trail for about two miles until you reach the intersection of the Notch Mountain Trail, where you'll turn right and the real climbing begins. At a meadow at 11,600 ft you'll find excellent camping if you want to break up this very long day. A stream through the meadow is the last water source you'll see from this point on, so be sure to filter here if needed.

From the meadow you'll switchback steeply up a talus slope to treeline where you'll reach the Notch Mountain Shelter at 13,077'. The stone shelter was built in 1924 to accommodate large numbers of religious pilgrims that were traveling to the mountain to view the famous Cross Couloir. The shelter is now managed by the Forest Service (unfortunately camping is currently prohibited).

The climb to the shelter and the amazing views of Holy Cross and Notch Mountain would make for an excellent day hike, but if you plan to continue, your day is really just getting started. The summit is still over two miles of cumbersome talus scrambling away and - once committed - there is absolutely no retreat in case of bad weather. Evaluate the conditions here and decide wisely.

The Halo Ridge

If you decide to continue, you'll need to climb and descend three distinct landmarks on the ridge - starting with PT 13248, then PT 13373 and finally PT 13831. Each summit involves a steep scramble up to a high point then a decent to a saddle before starting up to the next.

Your final reward after PT 13831 is one final push to the summit of Holy Cross itself at 14,005'. Once on top you'll have amazing views of the semi-circular ridgeline you've just crossed, over to Notch Mountain and the surrounding peaks of the Sawatch, Elks and Gores.

You can return the way you came for a grueling 15 mile day (know you'll have to RE-climb all of those smaller peaks along the ridge on your way back!). To shorten it by two miles, you can continue down the more popular Halfmoon Trail back to the trailhead.

Online Resources

14ers.com Route DescriptionUS Forest Service Description of Notch Mountain Trail