Ellingwood Point Southwest Ridge

This route begins and ends on Lake Como road, typically from the trailhead located at 8,800', reaching Ellingwood Point's 14,057' summit. The type of vehicle you are driving will determine from where you should start; most cars can drive about 1.5 miles up, while 4WD SUVs and trucks can slowly make it 3.25 miles to several pull-offs at 8,800', where this route's map begins. This is a popular parking spot and almost gets you to within 4 miles of Lake Como. From parking, follow Lake Como Road east through the national forest boundary near 8,800' and progressively rougher terrain toward 10,000. Reach Lake Como itself at 11,750', follow the road around the lake and through forest to treeline at 12,000', then continue to road's end near Blue Lakes at 12,200'. A trail picks up here and climbs a headwall just beyond the lake, staying left of a waterfall and switchbacking roughly 300 feet up to a small lake at 12,540'. Cross the stream flowing from it and follow the lake's edge through a grassy area to the base of a large rockslide — this is also where the trail and cairns end entirely; the rest of the route is cross-country route-finding. Crux: Near the top of the rockslide, find a couloir shaped like a slanted Y. Only the right arm leads to the ridge; the left arm dead-ends at a small saddle. Climbing the wrong arm is a common and costly mistake. Exit the couloir onto the southwest ridge and head east toward a small spine protruding from it. At its base, drop to the right shoulder and skirt the spine's south side rather than climbing over it, then regain the ridge at a saddle just below an abrupt headwall. From here for the rest of the route, the difficulty jumps from Class 2 to sustained high Class 3, with no good escape from bad weather — assess conditions before committing. Crux: From the saddle, contour to the headwall's left (north) side and climb directly up. The rock is solid overall, but test every hold; many are loose despite appearances. Above the headwall, the ridge narrows into a sustained, exposed crest reminiscent of Capitol Peak's Knife Edge. Stay on top of the ridge — the route rarely deviates from the crest — and pick your way east. After a couple hundred feet along the crest, downclimb into a deep notch in the ridge, then climb back up the far side to regain the crest. Crux: Continue along the crest toward a large horn connected to the true summit by a saddle. Climb the horn directly; a few Class 4 moves are possible here. Top out level with the connecting saddle and cross into it — this saddle sits atop a long couloir dropping down Ellingwood's entire south face. In the saddle, climb up onto a patch of crumbling red rock, then continue right. From there, easy talus leads the rest of the way to the summit. Retrace the entire ridge to descend — the same route-finding demands apply in reverse.