Rito Alto Trip Report by Mike Downey

Route: This is an ATV/Hiking trip that I took up Hermit Road to Rito Alto Peak.

Pre-Climb: I began early in the morning to best avoid any possible weather problems. First around 7:30 a.m. me and my grandpa picked up Trent Gillespie and Harvey Rusk who were to accompany us on the trip. They live in the Wet Mountain Valley near Westcliffe and very close to Hermit Road and the National Forest.

I remember being delayed for quite a bit. All I could think of while I sitting there, was how amazing and spectacular Rito Alto Peak looks from the valley. This is and has always been my favorite mountain.

The Trip: Eventually we made our way up Hermit Road. This is a rocky and narrow road where 4-wheel drive is necessary. We pulled off in an old camp spot to unload the ATVs. I think we actually didnt start with ATVs until 9:30 a.m. The trip was great. The wind blowing in your face during is awesome. There is nothing like fresh mountain air.

The aspens were beautifully green as they normally are this time of year. But there was one big thing lacking on the mountain that is normally there at this time of year. Snow! There is not a patch of snow to be seen anywhere on the mountains. Not on the Crestones or anything.

We traveled up the winding road and through the curves. We saw quite a few people in jeeps and several on ATVs. You have to be very cautious when riding ATVs near other vehicles. For this reason my Grandpa took over most of the driving duties going up the mountain. We passed Hermit Lake and crossed the vast rock-slide, avalanche-shoot, area at the base of the unnamed mountain to the north. I think of it as Rito Alto's arm. From here we were very close to Horseshoe Lake which is where Harvey was going to stop to go fishing. I noticed that the "mickey-mouse" lakes (so named for their appearence of ears and a face) were totally dry. This is where we finally crossed timberline. In a year of normal snow fall this section of the route is often inaccessible. But not this year.

We traveled up passed Horeshoe Lake (which can be seen in one of the pictures) and went through the switchbacks. Its amazing how anyone could ever build a road up here. (The Hermit Road was built somewhere in the early 1900s to go to a Uranium Mine on the other side of Rito Alto). From here its only about a mile or so to Hermit Pass which is about 13,000 feet. At the pass, it was a little windy. I needed to put on a sweatshirt.

The Climb: The pass is the limit of the road. From here, me and Trent decided to make the accent up Rito Alto Peak, which is the mountain to the north (Hermit Peak (13,322) lies to the south, right next to the pass. It is a very easy climb to make. Its really easy to do both climbs in one day). The summit of Rito Alto is about a mile from the pass. But that's a steep mile. You have to gain some 800 feet in that mile, while at an altitude of more than 13,000 feet. Me and Trent had a pretty good pace going, but we still had to stop often to catch our breaths. We hiked on treacherous-looking east face. But actually the east face is much more mild than the west face. The west face looking towards San Luis Valley is vertical. I think we made it in about 45 minutes. There are 3 "summits" on Rito Alto Peak. The first two are not the high point. You have to keep going. On the third summit there is a sign-in box. I signed in, and stopped to look out. It was a perfect day at 12 p.m. Not very often do we have perfect days in the high country of Colorado. There were only scattered clouds in the sky, and no threat of thunder bumpers. I hurried down, however, knowing that my Grandpa was waiting.

We had lunch at the pass overlooking Horseshoe Lake. It was beginning to get very windy and cold. We left the mountain around 1:30 p.m. or so. I made sure I was the one driving the ATV on the trip down, hehe.

Rito Alto Thumbnails:

My Grandpa & I on top Hermit Pass (13,000)

On the summit looking northeast towards the Spread Eagle Peaks

Looking back down towards Hermit Road as it winds it way to the top of the pass-a little sliver of Horseshoe Lake is visible

Looking east down North Taylor Creek drainage towards the Wet Mountain Valley

Some unnamed peaks to the west of Rito Alto-Rito Alto Lake below

Looking down Rito Alto Creek drainage towards San Luis Valley

Myself on top of Rito Alto looking north towards Cottonwood Peak (13,588)

About the Author

I am currently a student at University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), where I intend to get a degree in Political Science and Geography/Environmental Studies. When I'm not studying, you will find me in the mountains. I have been climbing since I was pretty little and have done climbs throughout California, Colorado and Arizona, including the highpoints of those states. I have done Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert, but I plan on doing some even higher mountains, maybe Aconcagua, Mount Mckinley or Kilimanjaro, Check back with me in about 10 years. Meanwhile you can check out some of the other trips reports:

Trip Reports