Route Description

Take Colorado 69 south from Westcliffe. Drive 4.5 miles and turn right on Colfax Lane. Drive 5.5 miles to the end of Colfax. There is a sign to the trailhead here. Turn right and drive 1 mile on a dirt road to a junction. Continue straight up the 120 Road for 0.3 mile to the Lower 2WD trailhead. If you park here, it’s approx. 5.3 miles to the end of the road where the trail begins.
Rough 2WD Trailhead: From the lower 2WD trailhead, continue 2.7 miles to a higher parking area at the first river crossing. In 2010, the road is scheduled for closure at this point and this will be the "official" trailhead.
4WD Trailhead (closing after 2009): From the first river crossing, continue another 2.6 miles to the 4WD trailhead at the end of the road. Note: In 2007, all of the nasty rock sections were crushed and "improved" to allow easier 4WD travel to the upper trailhead. There is a small parking area before the road crosses the river and ends at the main parking area. The trail starts past the gate in the main parking area.

Details:

Taken from Crestone Needle, Photo #1 shows much of the route. From the end of the road, hike past the gate and up (southwest) the road for 3/4 mile to 11,400' - Photo #2. The road then turns right and ends. A trail starts and continues through the bushes for 1/4 mile before you enter the trees. Continue through the trees as the trail turns left above 11,600' and parallels the stream below the lower South Colony Lake. Leave the trees and follow the trail down to the stream - Photo #3.

The lake is to your left (west). Cross the stream and follow the trail up and then left (northwest). Continue through bushes as you hike across the hillside - Photo #4. Near 12,000', Upper South Colony Lake is to your left (southwest) and there is a trail junction - Photo #5. Turn right and follow a great trail toward a slope below the West Ridge - Photo #6 and Photo #7. Photo #8 is another broad look at the route from Crestone Needle. Switchback north up toward the saddle between Unnamed Point 13,290' and Humboldt. After about 700' of gain, reach the 12,850-foot saddle - Photo #9. Photo #10 looks back down on the route.

When you reach the saddle, the West Ridge is up to the right (east) - Photo #11. You are 1 mile from the summit which is hidden behind a false summit at the top of the ridge. Follow the trail along or on the left side of the ridge crest. Above 13,700', there are some areas where it's easy to lose this trail. Stay on the ridge or just below the ridge on the left and look for small cairns and the broken trail. Keep climbing until you reach a bit more difficult terrain below a false summit - Photo #12. This is the crux of the route. Climb up and around the right side of this area and hop up through the rocks to reach the west end of the summit ridge.

Once on the false summit (and you don't have to go to the top of it), the summit is visible across a flat grassy area - Photo #13. Walk 1/4 mile east and climb up 20 feet of easy rock (Photo #14) to the summit - Photo #15. Photo #16 looks over at The Crestones.