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Culebra Peak is one of Colorado’s Fourteeners in the Sangre de Cristo Range Culebra Peak is one of Colorado’s 14ers – Mountains that rise above 14,000 feet. It is a lesser-known hike close to the New Mexico Border. Culebra is one of Colorado’s privately owned peaks, which brings up mixed feelings for outdoor enthusiasts.  This wilderness area is owned and managed by Cielo Vista Ranch. There is a fee to hike (and hunt) on the property. For me, I was happy to pay for the experience. Here’s why: The mountain is pristine and preserved due to controlled traffic. There are no trails above treeline, and only 20 hikers get reservations on summer weekend days. If you’ve spent any time on Colorado’s 14er trails, you know what a privilege this is. [I would estimate I generally see 300+ people per day on a similarly ranked mountain.] Due to the reservation system, we picked a day in late May and hoped for the best with weather. Our first choice was rescheduled due to rainstorms, and luckily we were able to secure a reservation one week later. The hike date: May 23, 2021.  This was still early in terms of the hiking season, so we knew to expect some snow coverage. Still, I was shocked by the amount of snow in the basin.  We arrived at Cielo Vista Ranch the night before the hike with plans to camp at the gate. There is a designated tent camping area just inside the fence, and flat parking for car camping. I chose to set-up camp in the back of my 4Runner- a familiar practice for me when hiking 14ers far from home.  We woke early Sunday morning to get dressed and prepped. Carlos came down at 6AM sharp to open the gate and check us in according to our reservation. We drove the short 1.2 miles up to ranch headquarters, where there is another parking lot. The ranch hand gathered all hikers there for a short safety briefing. Big things: You must be back down to HQ by 6PM. Otherwise, they begin search and rescue practices (and you get charged a fee). He also gave us intel that snow traction would be necessary, especially for coming back down.  There are two other parking areas higher in the basin. One is about 2 miles past HQ, and the final Upper Trailhead Lot is about 4 miles past HQ. Both require high clearance and 4WD. However, due to the recent wet weather and downed trees, we got the pleasure of beginning our hike from ranch HQ (…bringing the roundtrip distance to about 14 miles).  We were just happy to get the opportunity to hike! So, we started up the long dirt road at about 6:20am. The road certainly has some decent grade to it, but we maintained about a 2.5 mph pace pretty well. We had a few early morning showers, an ominous sign for Colorado as it generally doesn’t rain before noon. Luckily, we found gratitude for the cool temperature and trekked on.  Just before reaching the Upper Trailhead, we ran into significant snowbanks and donned our snowshoes around 11,000 ft. We could see a significant snow-covered incline to the ridge. The snow was hard to manage in this basin, even in the early morning. As the sun hit the snow and softened, we found ourselves sinking and stumbling over our bulky snowshoes. Once we gained a higher grade, the snowshoes helped with traction and hiking was generally straightforward.  There is a large cairn at the top of this ridge. It wasn’t as obvious as the 14ers.com route description makes it out to be, but we easily followed other snow prints and I never felt off-route.  I made it up to the cairn at about 10:30am and saw the infamous “snakelike” Ridgeline that gives Culebra its name. The high peak visible from this point is actually a false summit, but still provides a great vantage of where we were headed. The ridgecrest is at 13,350 ft of elevation, so there is still significant climbing from here.  We stashed our snowshoes, and switched over to micro spikes, as the snow was crusty and windblown. The traction is absolutely necessary, but flotation was no longer needed.  At this point in the hike, we were introduced to the wind. The never ending wind. I’ve never felt wind gusts like this in my life. Carrie and Avrohom (my hiking partners) described it similar to the feeling of indoor skydiving- where the wind tunnel is so powerful it suspends you in mid-air. [Note: When we got back down to HQ, they confirmed wind gusts of 40-50mph] The wind was so strong and so loud, we hiked on in without talking as we couldn’t hear each other, and barely our own thoughts. Honestly, if I had been alone, I would’ve turned around.  The ridge hike was much more enjoyable than the initial approach. It went much quicker than expected when viewing it. We did some boulder weaving, but it is mostly a straightforward walk without much exposure. Upon reaching the false summit, we got a great view of the final approach to Culebra. Beyond that, we were pretty socked in with cloud cover.  Again, the final approach seemed to go much quicker than expected, and before we knew it we were standing on top of the summit! This is an incredible feeling that never changes, no matter how many fourteeners I’ve completed. All three of us have 14er experience, and yet, all three of us got to share that euphoric feeling of “WE DID IT”. (This was Carrie’s 50th 14er!) We arrived on the summit around 12:20pm- 6 hours from the start, and about 7 miles of hike distance. We were fortunate to have a slight weather break that made it tolerable to rest on the summit for a bit. The wind was certainly still THERE, but not unbearable. We were able to get great views of the Spanish Peaks, Little

Fall hiking destination north of Silverthorne in the Gore Range of Colorado When my friend Rachel texted, “Hey wanna hike tomorrow?” I knew I was in for a good day. There are very few people who match my expectations of what it means to HIKE. Rachel gets it. We set off EARLY on a Saturday from Denver. That’s just how it is anymore. If you want to beat traffic on I-70 (especially westbound morning traffic), you’ve gotta get up before the sun on a weekend. I’ll give up my sleep for an easy drive and empty trail. As we drove up to the trailhead in the dark, we realized we didn’t have a headlight among us. Oh well. We were surprised to find a FULL parking lot before 7am. The Surprise Trailhead is a popular backpacking location, and accesses popular fall hunting grounds. The mild fall weather meant a good weekend for camping! Luckily, by the time we unloaded and laced up our hiking shoes the sun was up. For the first 1/4-1/2 mile we didn’t see anyone. We marveled at the last leaves hanging on the aspen groves. Soon we came upon a hunting camp (and pack horses). We passed a few camo-clad hunters and another hunting camp. Many hikers are not aware that most big game hunting in Colorado happens on National Forest Land (not private property). Yep, the same hiking trails that you’re on. BE AWARE in the fall, be respectful, and understand how to share the outdoors. Most of the trail was well-maintained single track that wound through dense forest. There are certainly steep stretches (we noticed these more on the way down); but largely the trail is a gradual incline. We hit a few areas that required manuevering around fallen trees. There is a significant trail split to be aware of. About 3.5 miles from the trailhead, stay left on the Upper Cataract Trail. Straight will take you along iconic Gore Range Trail. After about 5 miles, you get to a sweeping overlook. Below, you get your first glimpse of Cat Lake. Be prepared to descend into the valley below Eagles Nest Peak (and go back up). We happily down-hiked to the lake junction. Left takes you a short jaunt to Upper Cataract Lake (10,744′); right will continue to the shore of Cat Lake (10,395′). We made quick work of this 5.25 miles up to the lake. We only needed a short break for photos and a snack. Although Cat Lake was on the radar, this was a surprisingly beautiful and rewarding destination. The trail really shows its distance on the way down. We made great time, but I can tell you seeing the parking lot at the bottom was a welcome sight. Our roundtrip hike distance was around 11 miles and time was about 4.5 hours; a decent effort for a fall jaunt. Have you hiked near Silverthorne? Tell me your favorite hiking spots and mountain town restaurants! Shop my Hiking Favorites: