Vermejo Peak
13,715' · private land, permission only
Vermejo Peak is on private land
Vermejo Peak is on the Cielo Vista Ranch. You can only climb it with the ranch's permission, usually for a fee. Trespassers have been prosecuted. We don't give a full route; if the ranch lets you go, confirm the route with them.
Vermejo Peak is one of the southernmost 13ers in Colorado, in the far southern Sangre de Cristo, with some of the richest wildlife in the state.
Route in brief: from the 4WD parking above the ranch's Four Way junction, climbers with permission have contoured high above North Vallejos Creek on elk trails, climbed Alamosito and Purgatoire, then crossed back over Alamosito to Vermejo's long summit ridge. It is Class 2, mostly tundra, about 15 miles and 6,300 feet for all three.
In recent years (last checked by our source in 2024), the ranch has allowed climbing only Friday through Sunday, not from August 1 through December, with a fee, a signed waiver, a 6 a.m. gate time and a 6 p.m. sign-out. It has mainly allowed Culebra Peak and Red Mountain; other summits have cost more and are not always permitted. Contact the ranch well ahead and get clear permission for your exact route. Rules change with owners. Nearby 13ers on public land include Trinchera Peak, Cuatro Peak and Mount Maxwell.