Culebra Peak is privately owned, and all hikes must be booked in advance through the
Cielo Vista Ranch website and start at the ranch. Cielo Vista charges a $150 fee, which must be paid upon arrival or through their website. In recent years, hiking has been allowed from January through July, but availability may vary, so it's essential to contact the ranch for the latest details. There are no other legal routes to Culebra's summit and those who try are trespassing.
1 and
2 are distant views of Culebra from the northwest. Once you enter the ranch (
3), much of Culebra stays hidden until you ascend above 11,000' on the dirt road. From the ranch headquarters, drive approximately 3.4 miles to a junction known as "Four Way" (
4,
5). Then continue 1 mile east along the road to reach the upper trailhead, located at 11,650' (
6,
7).
There is no established trail up Culebra, but hikers typically choose between two main ways to begin the hike:
1) Just before descending to the parking area, locate an old, closed road that heads east. Follow this road, and when it ends, traverse along the north side of the slopes before turning south to follow the northwest ridge.
2) Or take a more direct route by crossing the stream just below the parking area and hiking southeast up Culebra's northwest slopes. The first option is marked as a dashed line on the route photos and map, but the second option is more popular and is the one described here.
Begin at the parking area by walking southeast, crossing the stream, and heading toward the slopes above (
8). As you climb, move away from the stream and follow a gentle ridge along the south side of the creek (
9). Above tree line, continue southeast toward the top of the slopes (
10,
11). At approximately 13,350', you'll reach the ridge crest near a large cairn
(
12,
13). From here, much of the remaining route is visible, though the summit itself is still out of sight (
14).
Turn right and head south past the large cairn, navigating through rocks before descending to a 13,200-foot saddle
(
15,
16). Remain on the ridge as it leads east toward a false summit (
17). While the ridge has a couple of rough sections, route finding is straightforward. Continue climbing over mostly stable rock (
18) to reach the top of the false summit
, at 13,900' (
19). The true summit is now less than half a mile away (
20). Descend slightly, pass over a small hump, and make your way up the final pitch (
21,
22) to reach the summit (
23,
24).
GPX Track File
