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| North Ridge   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 39.46500°N / 106.48°W Route Type: Hike/Scramble Time Required: Most of a day Difficulty: Class 2 - hike/bouldering
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| Page By: mwalker2 Created/Edited: Aug 11, 2001 / Aug 11, 2001 Object ID: 155652 Hits: 3025 Loading... Page Score: 85.83% - 7 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Approach
Start at the Halfmoon Trailhead, at the end of the parking lot, at 10,300' elevation. Two trailheads start from the same location, so make sure you get the right one. It's about 6 miles to the summit, so this is a fairly long day hike - it was 7 1/2 hours for me round trip in August, but of course your mileage may vary. Note: you can't see the Cross Couloir during this route - you have to take the Notch Mountain route to get a view of that. Total elevation gain is about 5,500' because of the extra hurdle of Halfmoon Pass in both directions.
Route Description
This is a very pleasant hike - a bit of bouldering, but less scree than many Colorado 14'ers. Starting at the Halfmoon Trailhead, the route climbs through alpine woodland gradually for the first mile and a half until you reach Halfmoon Pass - about 1,300' up from the trailhead at 11,640'. The hiking is pleasant and easy and the trail is well maintained. You'll also get a good variety of wildflowers trailside. Cross the pass, and begin a gradual descent - you soon be able to see Holy Cross to your left, and see the north ridge just to the right of it that you'll be climing later. Descend via switchbacks to East Cross Creek at 10,700'. There is excellent camping there in a nice wooded location with fresh water - there are "no campfire" signs, however. Continue west on the trail across the creek as it begins to climb, gradually turning south. Near 11,500', you leave the woods and the trail behind and start climbing the open ridge, following a series of large rock cairns. Trail fragments appear and disappear between the cairns, and there are many smaller cairns to guide your way. You'll wonder who took the time to assemble so many piles of stone. Proceed upwards to the southwest in a straight line, until you reach the ridgeline at about 13,000'. During this climbing you'll mostly be on midsize boulders. The obvious route finally flattens out and gives you a break for a few hundred yards of mostly level walking - or at least it will seem level, compared to the climbing you've already done - Holy Cross is up close and personal on your left. Follow the ridge around to your left until you are behind (west of) the summit, and then the last rocky climb to the top. You can descend the way you came, or make the circuit of Halo Ridge over to Notch Mountain, and return via the Notch Mountain Trail. It was a 4 hour hike for me from the Halfmoon Trailhead to the summit.
Essential Gear
No special equipment required. There is available water the first four miles. Be prepared for wide temperature swings, and rain/sleet even in the hottest part of August. I managed the climb and descent without exhausting my 100 ounce camelback - although I was close.
Miscellaneous Info
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Northern Sawatch Range
