Mount of the Holy Cross
4,274m
A Sawatch fourteener with a cross-shaped snow couloir on its east face — a 19th-century pilgrimage destination and one of Colorado's most photographed peaks.
Mountain Weather
Mount of the Holy Cross is named for the cross-shaped snow couloir on its northeast face, formed by a deep vertical gully and a horizontal bench that holds snow. Thomas Moran's 1875 painting of the peak made it a destination for religious pilgrims in the late 19th century, and a former national monument designation lasted until 1950. The standard North Ridge route from Half Moon Trailhead is a Class 2 climb with a punishing 1,000-foot loss-and-regain over Half Moon Pass on the way out — making the round trip 12 miles with 5,600 feet of net elevation gain. The peak is in the Holy Cross Wilderness near Minturn and Vail.