Located in Minturn, Colorado, Mount of the Holy Cross is named as such due to a cross-shaped snowfield on its northeast face. The summit sits at 14,007 feet and is located in the Holy Cross Wilderness.

Distance

My sträva logged 12.35 miles, but All Trails states it is 10.5 miles, and 14ers.com says 11.25 miles.

Getting There

You’ll drive up Tigiwon Road which is on the right side not too far after emerging past Minturn’s Main drag. Tigiwon Road will see you driving up switchbacks amongst aspen trees for approximately 8 miles. There are some dispersed camping spots along this road, and a campground (Half Moon Campground) at the trailhead (Half Moon Trailhead). The Half Moon Campground only has 7 sites and it is first come first serve. We set up camp at one of the last dispersed camp sites before the trailhead and campground. When we got to the parking lot in the morning, around 3:00AM, we were surprised to see it was completely full. I think many people were car camping, as well as those who were backpacking.

The Hike

We started hiking around 3:15AM. I wore pants and two layers up top, and quickly shed a top. It was in the low 50s and there was a warm breeze, just really pleasant weather to hike in. I wore a fleece hat as well but in reality I didn’t need it, and I never brought out the gloves I had packed.

You’ll hike up for approximately 1.5 miles, where Notch Mountain will be on your left. While we couldn’t see it in the dark, we knew that it was there since you’ll then start to descend. The descent is 1,000 feet and leads to the East Cross Creek and adjacent campground. There are 10 campsites here, and we met one guy on the summit who camped here and raved about Site #4. We reached the alpine just as the sun was rising. The colors hugged the horizon, but with a vibrant red glow. As the sun came out we started to hear all the little pikas running around, and saw one eat a flower. It was adorable!

There will be cairns once you’re in the alpine, and our plan to stop and rest at one was thwarted by a swarm of mosquitoes. The mosquitos finally dissipated once we reached a straight ridgeline before the final push to the summit. Which, looks absolutely brutal from that POV but is actually another series of switchbacks up the side that is quite reasonable.

We summited just after 7:00AM and were number #3 and #4 on the mountain that morning. We hung out at the summit for a while, maybe 45 minutes, as the weather was perfect. There was just a slight breeze and the sun was shining. All of the other 14’ers I’ve done so far, the summits had been cold and windy. We met two men from Denver and from Loveland and had good chat with them, and were loaned a sign for our obligatory summit photo.

Our descent from the summit started around 8:00AM, and there were many people on the trail at this point. I did’t realize this hike was so popular! And, now all the mosquitoes were active so while the majority of our hike in did not have mosquitoes, pretty much the entire way back did. It wasn’t one or two mosquitoes here or there, they’d be constantly buzzing around your head and landing on you. Eventually you’ll reach the campground, and here it is time to hike up 1,000 feet to Half Moon Pass. It looks daunting, but we found a good pace and seemingly booked our way up the series of switchbacks. I think part of our speed had to do with wanting to escape the mosquitos, as they were heavier around the campground due to the creek. When you’re done with the switchbacks, you’ll continue to have a gradual incline for what seems like forever to reach the top of Half Moon Pass.

The final descent to make your way back to the parking lot is very welcomed and such a relief. But seeing the parking lot at the end- woooo that’s the cherry on top.

Gear

Pursuit Trekking Poles - Pair | Black Diamond, REI, Backcountry

Nathan QuickStart 2.0 6 L Hydration Pack | Nathan, REI