Mount Lindsey Northwest Ridge

The route starts and ends at the Huerfano/Lily Lake trailhead and reaches Mount Lindsey's 14,055' summit. From the trailhead, follow the Lily Lake Trail south through a large meadow. At 1 mile, stay right at a junction (away from Lily Lake) and cross the river on rocks or downed logs shortly after — there is no bridge. Pass a boulder field near 10,800' and climb 600 vertical feet alongside a drainage before re-entering trees, reaching timberline around 12,000' near 3 miles. Drop slightly into the basin between Mount Lindsey and the Blanca Massif and follow the trail southeast across flats at 12,200' and 13,000' to the 13,200' saddle between Iron Nipple and Mount Lindsey. Turn right onto the northwest ridge. Crux: The ridge climbs on solid rock through sections of Class 3 scrambling that intensify near 13,600' at the route's crux: a roughly 50-vertical-foot wall that looks worse than it is. Bypass it on the left to hold exposed Class 3, or climb the crack left of center for a short, unavoidable Class 4 move if going straight up — regain the ridge above either way, avoiding loose rock to the right. Above the crux, the ridge eases to the false summit at its northwest end; hike southeast about 0.2 miles to the true summit. Retrace the ridge to descend, or drop into the loose gully to the south for a faster, less stable way down.