Challenger Point

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 7/12/2026, By: drewskiclimbs
Info: Road to trailhead moderately bumpy but easily passable in Crossover SUV. Arrived on Saturday @ 3 pm, still a few parking spots available. Hike to Willow Lake took ~ 3 hrs, a thunderstorm rolled through around 4-5 pm and put down moderate rain -- would not have wanted to be up high at that time, lot's of lightning. Even at 6 pm on a July weekend, there were camping spots available at the lake.

Starting hiking Sunday morning at 6 am. On the upper trail of Challenger, I stayed to the right and hugged the rock face, it was possible to find solid rock all the way to the notch (on the way down, I stuck more to the standard route, and yeah, it's loose and eroded, glad I had my poles). Summited Challenger Point at 8:15 am. Summited Kit Carson slightly under an hour later. Re-summited Challenger just after 10 am. I hike at a moderate pace, frequent stops to catch my breath, and even so I was back to my campsite by noon. Hike back to trailhead took ~2 hrs.

Overall a great trip. I think this combo is under-rated -- people complain about the trail conditions but it's possible to find solid rock up to the notch, and after that it's easy sailing the rest of the way. Willow Lake is stunning, the camping area has many spots and easy access to water, and the views from the summits (Crestone Peak & Needle, Great Sand Dune) are incredible. Some biting flies at the lake but not too bad (I had bug spray). Enjoy! 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 7/4/2026, By: MaryinColorado
Info: I just want y'all to know Challenger is still loose garbage. It has not changed character. It has not developed character. It has not undergone any significant geological metamorphosis to keep rocks from moving or to form some level of solidification. I'm sorry. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 7/3/2026, By: the3wilson
Info: *** Caveat that I'm over 60. *** Worst experience I've ever had navigating and traversing a scree field starting about 13,000 feet until the notch and that includes Sneffels, Bross, & Lindsey scree gully. High winds also did not help. After finally reaching the summit did not have the physical or mental energy to continue to Kit Carson. Most younger folks I encountered did continue, but several also turned around after this summit. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 6/30/2026, By: eastmanerine
Info: The wind was angry that day, my friends. 30-40mph increasingly worse sustained winds from Willow Lake up to the Notch. Gusts up to 60-70 from Challenger Point summit to Kit Carson. Had to turn back with 4 others in close succession just past the notch when we kept getting pinned against the rocks trying to get to the summit ridge. Live to climb another day. Just a heads up, if there is wind down low, expect it to be much worse up top as the air passes through the notch on its way over the mountain.
Trail condition- The entire trail was clear, snow is all but gone except for a few easily avoidable patches in the last mile.
Fun fact - the first mile the trail is mostly sand! 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 6/20/2026, By: eastcoasthiker
Info: Parking lot was full at 10:30 pm Friday night and all of the good pull outs on the road were occupied. Don't expect toilet paper. Walked maybe 4 steps on snow on the side of Challenger. Sheep, deer, and goat all in one day. I did not notice any bugs at all around Willow Lake. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 6/14/2026, By: ColoNativeGal
Info: Summer conditions until the gully. Several snow patches remain and it makes it challenging to follow the standard route at times. We had to cross a few snow fields, had microspikes but did not wear them. Snow is firm, a little icy in the early morning. In the afternoon, it is very soft and some post holing may occur. Below the gully once back on the grass, this section becomes melt city and water is everywhere making both the rocks and grass slippery. Be careful. After the gully and on the ridge, summer conditions to the summit. If continuing on to Kit Carson it's mostly dry with maybe a step or two on snow depending on the route you pick. See KC update for Avenue conditions. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 5/19/2026, By: mimogalito
Info: Hiked up and camped at Willow Lake yesterday, Monday 5/18. Can confirm other beta that's been going around that there's still quite a bit of snow up to Challenger Point. My dog and I made it up to the point but went straight up, mostly off trail. Made it up with just microspikes.

It took us a bit too long to make it to Challenger and I didn't love the look of the Avenue. While being not in tip-top 14er conditioning and seeing the conditions (in addition to heavy clouds and fast winds rolling in), decided to not push for Kit Carson. Going down Challenger took a while. There's a big glissade trail going all the way down from the top that I tried out for a quick sec but it was much too icy for my liking. Would highly recommend going down the way I came up (to the left of the big glissade trail where it's more rocky and less icy).

Overall, a beautiful day in the Sangres. Of course my ego wishes that I bagged Kit Carson as well but the conditions are just not quite there yet unless you have full gear setup and are ready for a super long day. I'd estimate by mid-June this will be fully dry and in mid-Summer conditions. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 5/18/2026, By: AlejandraOutside
Info: My hiking partner and I knew odds of summiting and odds of this being a recon trip were roughly equal given the prevailing wisdom that snow generally lingers in the avenue well into June. The trail up was 99.8% clear of snow; the few sections with remaining snow below 12k were short (less than ten feet), infrequent, and easy to navigate.

Above 12k ft, there were significant snow fields across the standard route up Challenger. The snow was sugary, soft, and challenging to traverse by 10am. In retrospect we could have gained the summit of Challenger by travelling straight up the slope, but it was getting late, and forecasted wind rolled in, so we stamped the “exploratory” label on this day with “no regerts.” Someone else posted pics of the avenue on the Colorado 14ers FB page today, and while it’s holding snow, it does look traversable for me with extreme caution and some gear. YMMV. 

Route: Willow Cr approach, Pencil Couloir
Posted On: 1/12/2026, By: jacolc
Info: The approach to my bivi below lake was icy (30%), dry (30%) and snowy at upper part. Just below 11200' at last big bend, steep hard snow required micro spikes or crampons. Soon i start using snowshoe. Summit day was cloudy, visibility sometimes few hundred feet. About 13300 start using crampons and enter Pencil Couloir left of standard route to Challenger. Kit Carson Avenue was full of snow, sometimes hard, but safe. The crux for me was shortcut from KCA to ridge: 300 vert feet of bulletproof snow and clean slabs (AL2,M1, class 3 at summer byBB from LoJ). After Kit Carson I potholing to pass with Colombia Pt and take north facing Outward Bound Couloir. Snow here was mostly hard allowing me glissaded only short section. At the base of couloir I start using snowshoe all the way to camp, except short section around lake. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 10/27/2025, By: Kjdavis
Info: Summited on Saturday 10/25 - beautiful clear low wind day. Didn’t need microspikes till it started pitching up after the lake- would have used crampons if I had them. Used an ice axe for the steep part up and down, don’t think I would have made it without it. I’m usually fast through the mountains but was new to using an ice axe so it was a (beautiful) slow slog. Given how much longer it took than anticipated didn’t end up making it over to kit carson because would have run out of water and daylight on the trip back down the mountain. 

Route: North Slope
Posted On: 8/10/2025, By: mijoflynn
Info: Did Challenger and Kit Carson as a dayhike with parsaGh. 12 hours TH to TH, and wow, did it feel like it by the end of the hike out. Beautiful day: few clouds, minimal smoke on the peaks (though you could see it hanging over the western horizon), and best of all, no mosquitos anywhere on the route. The Challenger gully sucks both up and down no matter what you do, but in the Kit Carson gully, I agree with previous CRs that staying on the solid class 3 rock to climber’s far left was preferable to the loose stuff in the middle. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 7/13/2025, By: kritifer15
Info: Got both Challenger and Kit Carson done today as a daytrip (15 hrs!). Challenger is no joke. Kit Carson from Challenger is easier. I am a slow descender but this was a new category of slow go today. The weather somehow held for us to get both of them. Got off the route coming down Challenger multiple times (some unintentional, some intentional). There were sections of class 3 solid rock that were easier to come down than the scree. It's a lot of effort but if you don't mind it (Our group did, hence the daytrip), bring a pack and camp by the lake and make it a 3 day ordeal.

Mosquitoes were above the lake FYI, for us up to the waterfall, for others all the way up to the notch. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 7/6/2025, By: two lunches
Info: summited on a perfectly clear, calm day—winds were low and skies were cloudless. avoidable snow on the standard route. the ascent up Challenger was steep, but fine if you follow cairns.

my route finding was clearly better on the way up because my descent was a loose mess; tedious and slow with limited traction. give yourself mental buffer time because it’ll feel like it lasts forever.

no mosquitoes above the lake might be the best part of this peak. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 6/30/2025, By: maylemay1
Info: Trail is in good condition. No snow to deal with but a bit went heading up challenger. But the mosquitos are HORRIBLE. I didn't know that many mosquitos existed on the entire earth. Constant swarms from the trailhead until you get above the lake. Be sure to bring some sort of bug protection or else you'll be miserable. And have your bag packed and ready. Don't plan to organize at the trailhead. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 6/23/2025, By: whenisdinner
Info: Didn't continue to Kit Carson, but mostly summer conditions all the way, except for a couple snowfields next to the coloir below the notch. No need for spikes. Also some ice and snow at the crossover after the notch and right after gaining the ridgeline.