Kit Carson Peak

Kit Carson Peak, officially Kit Carson Mountain, is a 14,165-foot summit in Colorado’s Crestones, east-southeast of Crestone, and the name also applies to the massif including Challenger Point and Columbia Point. Named for Christopher Houston “Kit” Carson, the mountain has also been known by several other names, and local usage was once often confused with neighboring Crestone Peak; “Kit Carson Mountain” became the official name in 1970. It is renowned among climbers for complex, hazardous terrain, including the route via Challenger Point and Kit Carson Avenue, a dangerous couloir descent, a lingering north-face ice patch, and frequent summer lightning. In 2004, it was transferred into the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness within the Rio Grande National Forest.

Colorado · United States