Humboldt Peak

Humboldt Peak

Humboldt, on its own, is not a particularly notable peak. It is a relatively easy climb with no challenging obstacles and only one well traveled route. It is, however, located in a spectacular part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and therein lies its attraction. The hike to the top of Humboldt Peak passes some of the most notable mountain scenery in Colorado, including the South Colony Lakes, Crestone Peak, and the Crestone Needle. The 5-mile jeep road to the trailhead is a daunting obstacle that must be surmounted before even beginning the hike, but a surprising number of people each year are willing to endure the grueling drive to reach the incredible basin that surrounds the South Colony Lakes. Probably more than half of the visitors are serious mountaineers that come for the express purpose of climbing one or both of the Crestones. But many also climb Humboldt just for the opportunity to study their primary goal from above. And, after all, Humboldt Peak is one of Colorado’s fabled fourteeners. It is Colorado’s thirty-eighth highest peak, only 133 feet lower than the Crestone Needle.

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