Hunts Peak (Northern Sangre de Cristo)¶
At a glance — recommended day
6.8 mi · 3,489 ft gain · Class 2 · 1 peak · ~3.6 h drive
Researched: 2026-05-21
NOAA weather link: Hunts Peak Weather
CalTopo research map: https://caltopo.com/m/2SCT1B6
Freshness pass: 2026-05-29 (added LoJ + peakbagger sources per 3-source methodology; reconfirmed cluster status)
Status in DB: 0 ascents (unclimbed). Cluster status (reconfirmed 2026-05-29): - ✓ Done nearby (Sangre N tip): Bushnell Pk (4.22 mi), Twin Sisters North (3.19 mi) - ✗ No unclimbed ranked 13ers within 8 mi — Hunts is a true standalone day, no link-up payoff - Combos: Solo (per the ranked-13er+ rule — Twin Sisters and Bushnell are climbed; Red Mtn at 12,994' is sub-13k and doesn't count even when paired in TRs like Mtnman200's)
Note: the recommended route was distilled from 8 recorded GPS tracks of real trips (recorded trips) — all layered on the interactive CalTopo research map.
Other climbers: Emily Sharpe — not yet · Shawn D Keil — ✓ climbed
The peak¶
| Hunts Pk | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 13,061' (14ers consensus 13,071' on TRs) |
| Lat / Lon | 38.3831, −105.94582 |
| 14ers.com peak page | https://www.14ers.com/peaks/10684/13er-hunts-peak |
| Range / Wilderness | Sangre de Cristo / Sangre de Cristo Wilderness |
| Class (standard) | 2 |
| Peak DB id | 748 |
Recommended route — West Slopes from Rock Creek TH ⭐¶
The standard out-and-back. Class 2, half-day, no link-up obligations, no permits.
| Route | Stats (14ers + WildWanderer TR) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Class 2 |
| Distance | 6.0 mi RT (TR measured 6.79 mi) |
| Gain | 3,450' (TR measured 3,528') |
| Time | ~4–5 hr solo |
| Aspect | West |
Burn-zone caveat: The 2013 Ox-Cart Fire torched the lower route. Bushwhacking is minimal because of the burn — visibility is wide open through the standing dead — but expect deadfall on the old road and aggressive wildflower/willow overgrowth in the meadow sections after wet years (WildWanderer was "dripping" to the shins).
Route sequence (per WildWanderer 5/16/2021)¶
- From the TH, cross South Rock Creek (easy log/rock crossing)
- Walk around the closed gate; follow the old 4WD road NE — many downed trees, but the line is obvious
- Where the road fizzles out, continue contouring along South Rock Creek, then up the mountainside heading east
- Steep climb east to gain the ridge (bushwhack is minimal due to burn)
- SE on the ridge over a hump → continue E along the ridge to summit
- Watch your descent ridge in low light — WildWanderer flags that the ridges look alike returning before sunrise
Alternate — point-to-point traverse via Hunts Lake (brianr56, 7/12/2022)¶
12 mi, ~3,890' gain, ~5,000' descent, Class 2 with sketchy "scralus" gully descent. Needs a shuttle (Rock Creek TH → Rainbow Trail / Rainbow Branch / Fremont CR 4). Cool linkup of two valleys but not recommended for an efficient half-day — go out-and-back unless you want the experience.
Getting there — Rock Creek TH¶
| Location | Off US 285 in N San Luis Valley, ~12 mi S of Poncha Pass |
| Drive from Boulder | 3h 37m via Google Maps (176 mi via US 285 S, origin: 1162 Peakview Circle) |
| Access road | FR 980 (gravel, 3.65 mi east of US 285) → jct with FR 982 (camping area) → 0.6 mi SE to TH |
| Vehicle | 2WD OK to the camping area at FR 980/982 junction; last 0.6 mi narrow, two creek crossings, room for ~2 vehicles — better to park at the camping area on weekends/wet days |
| Start elev | ~9,500' |
| Seasonal closure | Gate on FR 980 closed for Sage Grouse mating season — reopens May 15. Verify each year before driving in. |
| Facilities | None |
| Trail | Old road behind the closed gate at TH (no vehicle access past gate) |
Permits / access:
- Sangre de Cristo Wilderness — no permits required
- San Isabel National Forest — no fee
- Sage Grouse seasonal gate closure — see trailhead table above
- Day-use only is fine; standard wilderness rules (no motorized, leash dogs, etc.)
Gear & season¶
- Best window: mid-May through October (gate-dependent on the low end)
- Snow: WildWanderer reports consolidated patches mid-May, manageable without traction. By mid-June expect mostly dry
- Storms: Standard Sangre afternoon storm risk on the long west ridge — get an early start
- Burn zone: wet/dripping vegetation after rain; no shade on the ascent
- Wind: WildWanderer noted "very cold and very windy" on the summit even in mid-May → bring layers
- Cell coverage: 0 community reports for both Hunts Pk and Rock Creek TH (no data). Geographic reasoning: TH likely dead — Rock Creek drainage is tucked behind the W flank of the range; approach (lower ridge / burn zone) likely some signal as you gain ~11,000'+ and the W aspect opens to the San Luis Valley (Salida ~17 mi N has line-of-sight to the upper ridge); summit likely good signal — Hunts is the obvious high point at the N tip of the range with clean LOS to Salida and US 285 corridor towers. Carry an InReach — community data is non-existent for this peak.
Trip reports¶
14ers.com (per existing research, 2026-05-21)¶
| Date | Source | Stats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/16/2021 | WildWanderer TR 21037 | 6.79 mi / 3,528' / 4h20 | Recommended baseline. Standard W Slopes from Rock Creek TH, solo. Detailed road + gate notes. GPX in 14ers library. |
| 7/12/2022 | brianr56 TR 21757 | 12 mi / 3,890' gain | Traverse over Hunts to Rainbow Trail (Hunts Lake gully descent). Class 2 but "scralus" gully. Needs shuttle. |
| 8/11/2021 | Mtnman200 (multi-peak) | 9 pages of photos | Hunts + Red Mtn (12,994 — sub-13k, doesn't count) + UN 12,924 + Twin Sisters N + Bushnell — big northern Sangres day |
| 7/26/2020 | astranko "Sangre Traverse" | reference | Multi-day epic, includes Hunts |
| Route info | 14ers W Slopes route | 6 mi / 3,450' / Class 2 | Official route page; 281 member ascents, 11 winter, 2 ski |
GPX library: 6 entries for Hunts (1 route + 4 TR tracks + 1 library upload) — all available on the GPX library locator.
listsofjohn.com (added 2026-05-29 freshness pass — 6 TRs)¶
| Date | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-07 | josephnephi TR 26782 | Recent solo, post-existing-research |
| 2023-07-13 | longranger TR 28359 | Solo summer |
| 2020-05-21 | whileyh TR 16208 | Spring conditions, near gate-open date |
| 2011-06-18 | Brian Kalet TR 1244 | Earlier-era reference |
| 2011-03-25 | Furthermore TR 1984 | Early-spring ski/snow ascent — relevant for shoulder-season planning |
| 2006-06-11 | Gary Neben TR 23840 | Classic-era reference |
LoJ summary: 137 members ascended, Class 2, Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, Fremont & Saguache counties — reconfirms existing report's elevation/coords/class. No discrepancies with 14ers data.
peakbagger.com¶
Existing peak page: https://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=5648 (linked from LoJ). Reference for additional climber ascents beyond the 14ers + LoJ pool. Freshness pass did not deep-dive PB ascents — existing 14ers TRs (WildWanderer 5/16/2021 baseline) remain the recommended planning source.
Existing CalTopo data (map C105AEV)¶
Already layered from prior planning of Bushnell/Twin Sisters: - Markers: Hunts Peak, HuntsPeak1, Bushnell Peak, Twin Sisters North (x3), Trailhead (x2), "drove this far" (x2), "Tree in road1", switchback (x2) - Tracks: Hunts 001, Hunts 002, plus several Kyle Knutson tracks and 62s GPS dumps in the area
→ When building a dedicated Hunts research map, layer in the WildWanderer GPX from the 14ers library on top of this existing data.
Sources checked: 14ers.com · listsofjohn.com · peakbagger.com