Sangre de Cristo Range

Current Peaks listed for the
Sangre de Cristo Range

1. Blanca Peak
2. Broken Hand Peak
3. California Peak
4. Challenger Point
5. Colony Baldy
6. Columbia Point
7. Cottonwood Peak
8. Crestone Needle
9. Crestone Peak
10. Culebra Peak
11. De Anza Peak
12. De Anza Peak B
13. Dead Man Peak
14. Eagle Peak
15. Electric Peak A
16. Ellingwood Point
17. Fluted Peak
18. Gibbs Peak
19. Grays Peak
20. Hamilton Peak
21. Hermit Peak
22. Huerfanito
23. Huerfano Peak
24. Humboldt Peak
25. Hunts Peak
26. Kat Carson Peak
27. Kit Carson Mountain
28. Kitty Kat Carson
29. Lakes Peak
30. Little Bear Peak
31. Marble Mountain
32. Milwaukee Peak
33. Mt Adams
34. Mt Lindsey
35. Mt Maxwell
36. Mt Owen B
37. Music Mountain
38. Obstruction Peak
39. Peak 13,122
40. Peak 13,123
41. Peak 13,229
42. Pico Asilado
43. Red Mountain A
44. Rito Alto Peak
45. Thirsty Peak
46. Tijeras Peak

The Sangre de Cristo range is one of Colorado’s alpine gems located in the south central portion of the state. The range is actually a sub range of the longer Sangre de Cristo Mountains. These mountains run north to south for over 200 miles in Colorado and New Mexico. In fact, all of New Mexico’s 13’ers lie within this mountain chain. Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Range separates the San Luis Valley on the west from the Arkansas River on the east. Ten peaks in the range rise above 14,000 feet. Some are challenging even by their standard routes, while others pose no technical difficulties whatsoever.

Several of the high peaks have their own claims to fame. Blanca Peak, at 14,345’ is the highest mountain between southern Colorado and the volcanoes of Mexico. Two 14’ers in the range bear the same surname: Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle. Challenger Point was named after the space shuttle Challenger which exploded midair in 1986. There is Kit, Kat, and Kitty Kat. One peak and one arête bear the name of a most distinguished early mountaineer, Albert Ellingwood, who braved the Ellingwood arête route in 1925. The ridge traverse from Blanca Peak to Little Bear is the most difficult classic traverse between two 14’ers in the state.

The summits of several mountains in the range lie on private land in an area rich with Spanish heritage. In fact, the name Sangre de Cristo itself is Spanish for the “Blood of Christ,” possibly because of the red robe bathing the peaks during sunrises and sunsets. This extravaganza has burned itself into the minds of many a climber who has set out from South Colony Lakes in the pre-dawn hours.

Many mountains of the narrow and abrupt range lie within the Rio Grande and San Isabel National Forests. Great Sand Dunes National Park is situated SW of some of the most stately behemoths of the Sangre de Cristo Range, the Crestones.

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Copyright © 2009 Colorado Mountain Registers & Thomas Maxwell