Purgatoire Peak
13,679' · private land, permission only
Purgatoire Peak is on private land
Purgatoire 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.
Purgatoire Peak is Colorado's southernmost 13er, out on the far southern Sangre crest.
Route in brief: from the 4WD parking above Four Way, the route contours high above North Vallejos Creek to Alamosito, then south to a saddle near 12,827 feet and up Purgatoire's north ridge on tundra and a game path to a broad summit with a huge cairn. Class 2.
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.