LoJ: #71 (Pre-LiDAR #70) / 13,911' Red Mountain

"Alamosito" is the first in a sequence of four ranked 13ers we did in 1995. The trailhead start for this sequence is the upper parking at 11,680 ft. If parking back at the "four-point" area, add 1.2 miles one-way or 2.4 miles round-trip to our estimates. Back then, the ranch was called the "Taylor Ranch" and the ranch foreman was a man nicknamed "Stet." The sequence we describe here, we had permission to do at that time. It is not likely under the new ownership that this route could be duplicated with permission, neither do we encourage anyone to attempt to do this without permission. Just a few years back, one hiker took it upon himself to tackle some summits on the ranch without fully divulging his intentions, arrived after curfew which resulted in a S&R being launched by the ranch owners and ultimately resulted in more strict regulations being placed on the climbing community.

"Alamosito" Peak, aka: UN13,466 - formerly, now UN 13,471, is part of the vast Cielo Vista Ranch which is all private property. The ranch property line extends down the west side of the central ridge of summits that stretch all the way from De Anza Peak in the north to State Line Peak in the south. You can download a Google earth map of the property by going to this link and scrolling on the right down to the GE map link: https://www.mirrranchgroup.com/ranches/cielo-vista-ranch/. Permission must be obtained to access any of these peaks. For several decades now, the owners of this ranch property have been the only ones to allow access to these high peaks. CF&I Steel owns some of the land on the east side and has never agreed to any access and will prosecute trespassers. Policies by the ranch owners have varied in the past regarding access to which summits and routes to them. Before attempting any peaks, make sure you have a clear arrangement with the Cielo Vista Ranch owners/managers. See the "trailhead" description for more details.

Elevation gain/loss may vary significantly from our estimates depending on the exact route you take. When we did this in 1995, we were allowed to drive to the upper trailhead at 11,685 ft., so elevation gain and mileage are measured from that starting point, rather than the "four-point" location. The Round-trip elevation gain for Alamosito assumes returning to the vehicle park without continuing on to Purgatoire or Vermejo.

The route we followed was a reversal of that described by Mike Garratt & Bob Martin in "Colorado's High Thirteeners." We were able to drive with 4WD vehicle (Jeep Cherokee) not only to the "four-way" junction from the ranch headquarters, but on up another mile to the limited parking area used by those climbing Culebra Peak at 11,700 ft. An old roadbed crosses the creek here and heads generally SW to cross a ridge, then turns more south to contour through an open-forested basin and cross another, broader ridge to a meadow at these coordinates: N 37° 07' 49.45" W 105° 13' 04.38". From that meadow, that's about all the easy help you're going to find. The goal now will be to make a generally contouring hike above North Vallejos Creek, cutting across three more major drainages and crossing two more major ridges before you eventually drop down into the headwaters of North Vallejos Creek at about 11,500 feet. By staying high around 11,500 - 700 feet in this contouring hike, you can stay out of dense forest, walking mostly on grassy tundra and avoid any major cliffs. This entire area we found rife with elk and their trails helped us greatly in making this traverse. So here's a hint if you haven't discovered this already: Game like elk are not interested in climbing cliffs, therefore, when you find their trails, you don't have to worry about being led to the edge of a cliff even though at times the trails can be quite steep. They are nevertheless, reliable for getting through difficult terrain.

Aim for dropping into the N. Vallejos drainage about where it turns to the south. The Culebra quad shows a depression just below 12,000 feet. You may find a small lake here. From that lake, aim for the saddle due south on the west ridge of Vermejo Peak. In gaining that 800 feet, we found ourselves on mostly snow even though it was early August, but 1995 was a heavy snow year. If the snow is gone, the terrain will be a mix of mostly scree and some tundra. You should hit the ridge near the 12,909 marker. From there, it's an easy walk to the summit of Alamosito on mostly tundra with well-established game trails along the ridge. See our CalTopo map and Google Earth approximation of this route. At the time, we did not have GPS and were able to navigate this entire route without compass as well, so mainly just common sense and good map reading skills should get you there.

Once you've summited Alamosito, you may want to continue on to Purgatoire, then return back over Alamosito to follow the ridgeline over to Vermejo. From Vermejo, you can either return back by way of the N. Vallejos Creek route or continue north on the central ridge to Red Mountain, contour below the Culebra summit on the SW side and hike back down to your vehicle. The Culebra return will involve higher altitude and more rock. It took us just under three hours to reach Alamosito from our car park.

Purgatoire Peak is the second in a sequence of three ranked 13ers we did in 1995 and could include a 4th. The trailhead start for this sequence is the upper parking at 11,680 ft. If parking back at the "four-point" area, add 1.2 miles one-way or 2.4 miles round-trip to our estimates. Back then, the ranch was called the "Taylor Ranch" and the ranch foreman was a man nicknamed "Stet." The sequence we describe here, we had permission to do at that time. It is not likely under the new ownership that this route could be duplicated with permission, neither do we encourage anyone to attempt to do this without permission. Just a few years back, one hiker took it upon himself to tackle some summits on the ranch without fully divulging his intentions, arrived after curfew which resulted in a S&R being launched by the ranch owners and ultimately resulted in more strict regulations being placed on the climbing community.

Purgatoire Peak is part of the vast Cielo Vista Ranch which is all private property. The ranch property line extends down the west side of the central ridge of summits that stretch all the way from De Anza Peak in the north to State Line Peak in the south. You can download a Google Earth map of the property by going to this link and scrolling on the right down to the GE map link: https://www.mirrranchgroup.com/ranches/cielo-vista-ranch/. Permission must be obtained to access any of these peaks. For several decades now, the owners of this ranch property have been the only ones to allow access to these high peaks. CF&I Steel owns some of the land on the east side and has never agreed to any access and will prosecute trespassers. Policies by the ranch owners have varied in the past regarding access to which summits and routes to them. Before attempting any peaks, make sure you have a clear arrangement with the Cielo Vista Ranch owners/managers. See the "trailhead" description for more details.

When we climbed this summit in 1995, we had permission from the current ranch manager to hike to Purgatoire, Vermejo and Alamosito peaks that day, so in the hopes that future hikers may be granted the same access, we will describe in limited detail, the route we followed. Do not attempt this unless you have permission. One way mileage and elevation gain shown is for this summit by way of Alamosito Peak. Elevation gain/loss may vary significantly from our estimates depending on the exact route you take. Round-trip mileage and elevation gain assume completion of the sequence. In this case, that means returning over the Alamosito summit. If you bale out at some point, use the one-way figures to estimate your actual mileage and elevation gain. See the route for Alamosito before proceeding to Purgatoire.

Once you've summited Alamosito, continue on south to Purgatoire. Descend to the saddle at 12,827 ft. on a little more rocky terrain with scree & some tundra. Watch for elk in the basins on either side. Then ascend the steeper north ridge of Purgatoire on mostly tundra with embedded rock and a well-worn game path all the way to the summit. The summit is large & flat with small rock and a very large rock cairn. This cairn may even be visible on Google Earth. Enjoy the panoramic view in all directions and with only a little effort, you should be able to spot some elk in the vicinity, and we're not talking about a dozen or so, but approaching the hundreds. It took us about 4 hours to reach this summit from our car park. Return as you came which will add significantly to the total elevation gain for the day. Once back at the 12,909 saddle west of Vermejo and north of Alamosito, you may want to include Vermejo for the day.

Vermejo Peak is the third in a sequence of three ranked 13ers we did in 1995 and could include a 4th. The trailhead start for this sequence is the upper parking at 11,680 ft. If parking back at the "four-point" area, add 1.2 miles one-way or 2.4 miles round-trip to our estimates. Back then, the ranch was called the "Taylor Ranch" and the ranch foreman was a man nicknamed "Stet." The sequence we describe here, we had permission to do at that time. It is not likely under the new ownership that this route could be duplicated with permission, neither do we encourage anyone to attempt to do this without permission. Just a few years back, one hiker took it upon himself to tackle some summits on the ranch without fully divulging his intentions, arrived after curfew which resulted in a S&R being launched by the ranch owners and ultimately resulted in more strict regulations being placed on the climbing community.

Vermejo Peak is part of the vast Cielo Vista Ranch which is all private property. The ranch property line extends down the west side of the central ridge of summits that stretch all the way from De Anza Peak in the north to State Line Peak in the south. You can download a Google Earth map of the property by going to this link and scrolling on the right down to the GE map link: https://www.mirrranchgroup.com/ranches/cielo-vista-ranch/. Permission must be obtained to access any of these peaks. For several decades now, the owners of this ranch property have been the only ones to allow access to these high peaks. CF&I Steel owns some of the land on the east side and has never agreed to any access and will prosecute trespassers. Policies by the ranch owners have varied in the past regarding access to which summits and routes to them. Before attempting any peaks, make sure you have a clear arrangement with the Cielo Vista Ranch owners/managers. See the "trailhead" description for more details.

When we climbed this summit in 1995, we had permission from the current ranch manager to hike to Purgatoire, Vermejo and Alamosito peaks that day, so in the hopes that future hikers may be granted the same access, we will describe in limited detail, the route we followed. Do not attempt this unless you have permission. One way mileage and elevation gain shown is for this summit by way of Purgatoire, and back over Alamosito Peak. Elevation gain/loss may vary significantly from our estimates depending on the exact route you take. Round-trip mileage and elevation gain assume completion of the sequence as described.

To reach Vermejo from Purgatoire Peak, walk back north on the connecting ridge to Alamosito, dropping down to the saddle at 12,827, hiking back up over Alamosito, continuing north to the saddle at 12,909, then hiking NE to the Vermejo summit. This is all Class 2 hiking on mostly tundra with some medium rubble at times. The true summit lies at the NE end of the long summit ridge. To climb Alamosito and Purgatoire first, then back over Alamosito to Vermejo took us about seven hours at an unhurried pace with breaks on each summit. If done for the day, you can descend the north ridge of Vermejo to a saddle at 12,962 ft. (Class 2) From there, you can drop back into the headwaters of North Vallejos Creek and pick up your route from the morning. It's also possible to continue north to Red Mountain and Culebra Peak following the main ridge. If doing so, expect some tundra, but as you approach Red Mtn., plenty more loose rock. (Class 2 overall)