Culebra Peak Trip Report 09/14/2023

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Culebra Peak - 14,053 feet Red Mountain - 13,911 feet
Date Posted	09/14/2023
Date Climbed	06/25/2023
Author	AKclimbs

Culebra Peak 54/58 (The Final 5)
Culebra Peak 54/58 (The Final 5) - 06/25/23 Distance - 12.63 miles Gain - 4,006 ft Start time - 6:43 am End time - 2:50 pm Flashback to October 2022 when I was hiking Ellingwood Point for 53/58. Took the zapata falls approach and microspiked my way up the snowy C2 colouir. That was a wrap for the 2022 season on the 14er list. 2023 would be the year of “The Final 5”….. 9 months later: Refresh…..refresh…..refresh. I kept pressing refresh on the hiking reservation calendar in hopes of getting a last minute reservation. Threw my fist in the air celebrating as I got a reservation just one week in advance. Got to the gate at 4am, giving me enough time to catch some zzz’s before the gate opened at 6am. Checked in and parked at the lower 2wd access HQ. Got my daypack ready and some cool people in a Subaru (shoutout Nick and Becca from Arvada) gave me a lift to the upper most 4wd TH. We hotboxed the subie on the way up and shared some stories of previous hikes. I said thank you and hit the trail at 6:30am… The trail follows a stream as you ascend a grassy slope. There are many options here. Left will take you directly up the snaking Culebra ridge, middle will aim towards the giant cairn, and right will go up grassy slopes. Opted for the middle of the grassy slope (PHOTO 1 and PHOTO 2). Reached the giant cairn at 7:40am (PHOTO 3). Walked across the flat ridge class 1 for the most part. As the ridge snaked around, the summit of Culebra was dead ahead. Centennial top 100 peak Red Mountain A to the right (PHOTO 4) Made easy work of the summit ridge to stand on top of number 54/58 Culebra Peak! Little Bear and Blanca Peak looming in the distance (PHOTO 5). Looked south into New Mexico toward state highpoint Wheeler Peak (PHOTO 8). Next objective: Red Mountain A. The route between Culebra and Red is fairly straight forward (PHOTO 9). 25 minutes later, I was at the summit of centennial 13er Red Mtn A (PHOTO 10). Hiked back to the summit of Culebra and chatted with some fellow hikers. Ate some beef jerky, granola bars, and muscle milk. Started the snake ridge back down to the cairn. Rather than take the grassy slope down, I stuck to the ridge (PHOTO 11). This route was more scenic featuring giant cliffs and mountain lakes below (PHOTO 12). Yelled hello across the slope to the friends who took the glissade route down. Took a break near the stream. The water was cool and refreshing. (PHOTO 13). Hiked down the 4wd road and my friends in the Subie rolled up. “You want a lift?” they offered. I said “Sure”. Stepped up on their back tailgate and grabbed onto the roof. They drove 25 mph through the aspen forest. I stayed on for 0.75 miles before jumping off. Reached the 4 way intersection. Took in all the views down the road, most pointedly of the Blanca massif (PHOTO 16). Got back to my car at HQ. Had a conversation with some people who were in the process of filming a movie. Passed the gate to wrap up another successful 14er adventure! Thoughts and takes: From the upper 4wd TH, this is a quick hike in gain and mileage. Reservations are $150. While that’s not a whole lot of money, I can’t justify coming back and paying another $150 to hike for a few hours. Overall it was a great experience and the staff was helpful. But I could go to more scenic areas of Colorado for free. The reservation calendar fills up well in advance. Availabilities May through July. Overall, made the most of my Culebra Peak experience. It was an awesome day on the mountain. A mild warmup to what lies ahead….. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Culebra Peak 54/58 (The Final 5)

Culebra Peak 54/58 (The Final 5) - 06/25/23

Distance - 12.63 miles

Gain - 4,006 ft

Start time - 6:43 am

End time - 2:50 pm

Flashback to October 2022 when I was hiking Ellingwood Point for 53/58. Took the zapata falls approach and microspiked my way up the snowy C2 colouir. That was a wrap for the 2022 season on the 14er list. 2023 would be the year of “The Final 5”…..

9 months later: Refresh…..refresh…..refresh. I kept pressing refresh on the hiking reservation calendar in hopes of getting a last minute reservation. Threw my fist in the air celebrating as I got a reservation just one week in advance.

Got to the gate at 4am, giving me enough time to catch some zzz’s before the gate opened at 6am. Checked in and parked at the lower 2wd access HQ. Got my daypack ready and some cool people in a Subaru (shoutout Nick and Becca from Arvada) gave me a lift to the upper most 4wd TH. We hotboxed the subie on the way up and shared some stories of previous hikes. I said thank you and hit the trail at 6:30am…

The trail follows a stream as you ascend a grassy slope. There are many options here. Left will take you directly up the snaking Culebra ridge, middle will aim towards the giant cairn, and right will go up grassy slopes. Opted for the middle of the grassy slope (PHOTO 1 and PHOTO 2).

Reached the giant cairn at 7:40am (PHOTO 3). Walked across the flat ridge class 1 for the most part. As the ridge snaked around, the summit of Culebra was dead ahead. Centennial top 100 peak Red Mountain A to the right (PHOTO 4)

Made easy work of the summit ridge to stand on top of number 54/58 Culebra Peak! Little Bear and Blanca Peak looming in the distance (PHOTO 5). Looked south into New Mexico toward state highpoint Wheeler Peak (PHOTO 8).

Next objective: Red Mountain A. The route between Culebra and Red is fairly straight forward (PHOTO 9). 25 minutes later, I was at the summit of centennial 13er Red Mtn A (PHOTO 10).

Hiked back to the summit of Culebra and chatted with some fellow hikers. Ate some beef jerky, granola bars, and muscle milk. Started the snake ridge back down to the cairn. Rather than take the grassy slope down, I stuck to the ridge (PHOTO 11). This route was more scenic featuring giant cliffs and mountain lakes below (PHOTO 12).

Yelled hello across the slope to the friends who took the glissade route down. Took a break near the stream. The water was cool and refreshing. (PHOTO 13).

Hiked down the 4wd road and my friends in the Subie rolled up. “You want a lift?” they offered. I said “Sure”. Stepped up on their back tailgate and grabbed onto the roof. They drove 25 mph through the aspen forest. I stayed on for 0.75 miles before jumping off.

Reached the 4 way intersection. Took in all the views down the road, most pointedly of the Blanca massif (PHOTO 16). Got back to my car at HQ. Had a conversation with some people who were in the process of filming a movie. Passed the gate to wrap up another successful 14er adventure!

Thoughts and takes: From the upper 4wd TH, this is a quick hike in gain and mileage. Reservations are $150. While that’s not a whole lot of money, I can’t justify coming back and paying another $150 to hike for a few hours. Overall it was a great experience and the staff was helpful. But I could go to more scenic areas of Colorado for free. The reservation calendar fills up well in advance. Availabilities May through July.

Overall, made the most of my Culebra Peak experience. It was an awesome day on the mountain. A mild warmup to what lies ahead…..

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

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