Mount of the Holy Cross owes its fame to the 1,500-foot snowfield cross etched into its northeast face, a natural feature formed by glacial erosion in a pattern of gullies that hold snow long into summer. When William Henry Jackson photographed it on an 1873 survey expedition, the image transfixed the nation, inspiring Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's sonnet and drawing Christian pilgrims who climbed nearby Notch Mountain to witness the cross from across the valley. The mountain briefly held National Monument status from 1929 to 1950 before the designation was rescinded and the land returned to White River National Forest.
The standard approach follows the North Ridge route from the Half Moon trailhead, an approximately 11-mile round trip with around 5,600 feet of elevation gain. The trail climbs over Half Moon Pass, then drops more than 1,000 feet into the East Cross Creek basin before rising steeply up the broad north ridge to the rocky summit. The loss-and-regain pattern makes the day longer than the mileage suggests. The Halo Ridge route offers an alternative that avoids some of the descent and traces a higher line above the valley. Both routes converge on a summit with wide views across the Sawatch and Elk Ranges.
The cross snowfield is best seen from Notch Mountain directly across the valley. The trailhead road typically opens in late June; afternoon thunderstorms make early starts essential in midsummer.
