Notch Mountain Trail Provides Heavenly Vistas

After zig-zagging up a series of moderately pitched, well-built switchbacks in the Mount of the Holy Cross Wilderness, the Notch Mountain Trail tops out at 13,224 feet, where a stone shelter dating to the 1920s was built for pilgrims who flocked to view the iconic cross-shaped couloir of Mount of the Holy Cross from Notch Mountain’s south summit ridge. The historic structure now serves as a rest stop for experienced and well-equipped endurance hikers who attempt to summit the 14,009-foot peak via the challenging Halo Route, and a landmark for many more who trek here just for the view, especially at dawn, when the rising sun extinguishes stars and sets the couloir ablaze.

Published in the Great Escapes issue of Vailmag.