Mount of the Holy Cross is the 14,005-foot peak in the northern Sawatch Range whose northeast face holds a giant cross of snow, formed by a vertical couloir and a horizontal ledge. Hidden behind other mountains, it became a national sensation when photographer William Henry Jackson captured it in 1873.

For years the cross was more legend than fact, glimpsed by a few prospectors and rarely seen from any road. In 1873, Jackson, traveling with the Hayden Survey, climbed neighboring Notch Mountain and made the first photographs of the snow cross, and painter Thomas Moran later turned it into a famous canvas. The mountain became a pilgrimage site, and President Herbert Hoover designated it a national monument in 1929, a status it held until 1950. Today it sits in the Holy Cross Wilderness of White River National Forest and is the highest point in Eagle County.

The standard climb uses Mount of the Holy Cross Trail #2009 from the Half Moon Trailhead at the end of Tigiwon Road, 8 miles of rough dirt road off Highway 24 south of Minturn. The Forest Service calls it a very strenuous hike, with more than 8,000 vertical feet of total elevation change: up to Half Moon Pass, down to East Cross Creek, then up long talus slopes to the summit, and back the same way. Holy Cross is notorious for bad weather and route-finding mistakes, so start before dawn and have strong navigation skills. Camping along the route is limited to 10 designated sites near East Cross Creek.

For the view that made the mountain famous, hike the Notch Mountain Trail, which follows Fall Creek Trail #2001 for 2.1 miles, then climbs about 3 more miles of switchbacks to the stone Notch Mountain Shelter at about 13,077 feet, directly across from the cross. Insider tip: the cross fills best in early summer, after the road opens in late June. Base yourself in Minturn or Vail, and add Quandary Peak or Mount Elbert to your 14er list.

Tigiwon Road is usually gated for the winter in late November and stays closed to motor vehicles through June 21 (it opens then if snow-free), though hiking and biking the road are allowed. In winter the Forest Service lists Tigiwon Road as a groomed ski and snowshoe route climbing about 8 miles toward Halfmoon Campground. Contact the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District at 970-827-5715 for current conditions, or see fs.usda.gov.