Mount Columbia · Southeast Ridge

In Buena Vista, 1/2 mile north of the center of town, turn west onto County Road 350 (Crossman Ave.) and measure mileage from here. Continue on CR 350 for 2 miles and turn right onto CR 361. At 3 miles, turn left onto CR 365 (dirt). Continue to the Harvard Lakes trailhead at 6.5 miles. The larger, Silver Creek trailhead is 0.1 mile farther, and has restrooms.

From the trailhead parking, walk up the road a short distance and turn right to begin hiking up the Colorado Trail  1  2. Shortly after the second switchback, locate the start of your southeast ridge trail, on the left  3. It's easy to miss and at 9,950', 50yds before the Colorado trail makes a turn to the right. Since this is not the standard route on Columbia, it doesn't see a lot of hikers so don't expect a well-beaten path. However, you'll likely find a lot of small cairns along the way. Grind up through the forest  4 as you follow the lower portions of Columbia's southeast ridge. As you hike higher, the terrain gets rockier. Near 11,460', the faint trail will all but disappear at a small overlook on the ridge  5.

Turn right, bushwhack through some trees and pass a rock outcrop to reach a clearing, above 11,600'  6. Cross the clearing and hike to the top of Point 12,042'. At the top, you'll notice a stand of dead trees to your left and a whole lot of southeast ridge ahead  7  8. Drop left and continue along the ridge as it turns north/northwest  9. Continue toward the next point on the ridge and avoid any temptation to take a shortcut across the left side  10. From the top of this ~12,700-foot point, the ridge swings left  11. Drop 100 feet to reach a convoluted saddle  12. The next major point on the ridge is Point 13,298', which is off in the distance. Follow the left side of the ridge and ascend to 12,800'  13  14. Next, begin climbing toward Point 13,298'  15. You can't see the top of it from here but it eventually comes into view once you gain some ground  16.

From Point 13,298', you have a great view of the remaining route and the upper end of Three Elk Basin  17. Gain the next point to reach easier terrain, above 13,400'  18  19. Walk to another, minor point which is shown on most topographical maps as Point 13,544'  20. Continue to yet another point where the ridge begins to curve north toward the summit  21. Shortly after this point, you'll intersect Columbia's standard, west slopes trail that comes up from the left. Stay near the ridge crest and continue toward the summit that's 1/2 mile away  22. With the remaining route now in view, hike north along the ridge over more bumps  23. Near 13,800', reach a point where you can once again see the summit, beyond a flat section  24  25. Pass between two rock piles and gain the summit  26  27. On your descent, be sure to stay on your ascent route all the way back down the southeast ridge  28.

Be sure to allow yourself ample time to descend from the summit to treeline on this hike, especially during the summer when afternoon storms are common. This route affords more solitude and pristine terrain than the standard route, but also requires more route-finding below treeline and more elevation gain. IMPORTANT: This route enters the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness area. Designated wilderness areas have special regulations and restrictions for party size, dispersed camping, campfires, etc. Also, dog owners should read the wilderness information carefully because some wilderness areas prohibit dogs to be off-leash and/or limit how close dogs can be to lakes and streams. If you have questions about the wilderness area, please contact a U.S. Forest Service office for the National Forest(s) listed above.