Mount of the Holy Cross

This route begins and ends at the Half Moon Pass Trailhead after reaching the summit of Mount of the Holy Cross. Start on Mount of the Holy Cross Trail, hiking south through the forest. Climb steadily for 1.5 miles to reach the crest of Half Moon Pass. From the pass, descend south to cross over East Cross Creek at 2.9 miles. After crossing the creek, begin a steep, sustained ascent. Crux: The Half Moon Pass descent is the defining feature that makes Holy Cross one of the most demanding Sawatch 14ers — after gaining 1,200' to the pass, the route drops nearly all of it before the real climb begins. That lost elevation must be fully regained on the return. The steepest section of the ascent is the rocky switchback stretch above East Cross Creek, where the grade becomes sustained and draining through the upper forest and into the open rocky terrain above treeline. At 4.0 miles, around an elevation of 12,000', the trail emerges above the treeline into rugged, alpine terrain. Follow the well-constructed rock steps and large cairns up the steep north ridge. At approximately 5.2 miles the trail will intersect with the Halo Ridge Trail. Keep straight and scramble up the final 400 vertical feet of Class 2 boulder fields to reach the summit at 14,009 feet. Retrace your steps back to the trailhead, noting that the final climb back over Half Moon Pass presents a physical crux at the end of the day.

Holy Cross was first climbed in 1873 by William Henry Jackson, a then famous explorer of the American West. He named the mountain after its unique northeastern couloirs, which, when filled with snow, form a cross in the side of the mountain.