I climbed Montezuma from the north on Monday August 17. From trip reports and .gpx files on this site, Montezuma is typically climbed with Summit Peak and The Unicorn, all three on the Continental Divide. I tagged Summit and Unicorn last year, but the descent from Montezuma appeared to involve some bushwhacking, which excites me less as I’ve gotten older. And my Summit-Unicorn journey was already over 10 miles and almost 4000’ vertical, so I orphaned Montezuma.

Since I’ve seen no other reports of my route, I’m filling the gap. Reflecting on two of my previous reports, this might be considered part of a series: Geezer-friendly, nonstandard, single-summit routes (previous chapters are Grizzly Mountain and West Buffalo Peak).

Montezuma Peak is remote. The nearest paved road is Hwy 160 west of South Fork. The Crater Lake trailhead is about 19 miles south on FR380, a decent gravel road passable in a sedan. It is also possible to approach from the south, on FR250 from Hwy 17 west of Antonito, but you’ll spend even more time on gravel. As Montezuma Peak is on the Continental Divide, the divide trail (CDT) runs right by it. You can drive to the CDT at Elwood Pass, but the hike is a little shorter if you start at the Crater Lake Trail. Elwood Pass is about 11,700 ft. elevation, Crater Lake TH is 11,600’ (700’ higher than the standard Summit Peak TH). You can Google to Elwood Pass, and the Crater Lake TH is about a half mile further south (couldn’t Google to Crater Lakes TH, Google found other Crater Lakes). There is parking for several cars at the trailhead, which is marked by a sign.

The Crater Lake Trail heads west for about 0.7 miles before it hits the CDT. It rises out of the trees quickly, and the rest of the route is above treeline. The two trails coincide for about 0.7 miles and then split. Take a left on the CDT. Most of the route is a long ridge run on the CDT. If you like lots of elevation gain, this is not the route for you. But I love high ridge runs on calm sunny days, and this fits the bill. The geographical significance of the divide adds to the allure.

The first summit that appears is Long Trek Mountain, a ranked 12er at 12,866. The CDT rises to within 400 vertical feet of Long Trek's summit, so it’s a short detour to tag it.

You’d think it would be hard to lose the CDT, but I did. The CDT makes a sharp right turn at a place where a branch trail goes straight. If you’re paying attention, you’d notice the rock barrier and large post noting the turn. I wasn’t paying attention and went straight, but the trail quickly faded and my watch revealed I’d left the CDT, so my detour was brief.

After passing Long Trek Mountain, Montezuma comes into view. Continue on the CDT until it approaches Montezuma’s east shoulder, and head across grassy alpine terrain to the east ridge. The ridge is straightforward, though rocky up high. Mostly easy class 2 except for a steep section that has maybe one or two 2+ moves.

From the summit, retrace your route back to the TH. I recorded 4.25 miles on the return, so the round trip would be 8.5 miles without the detour to Long Trek Mountain. The CDT does rise and fall a few times, so the total vertical is more than the difference between TH and summit. I recorded 2700’ vertical, but without my detours off-trail and to Long Trek, I estimate the total vertical would be about 2250’. It’s a beautiful tranquil hike in a remote area, I saw no one else on the trail.