Google Earth satellite image of route

Click to enlarge (91 KB)

Rating: 3/10

The Santa Fe Peak trail starts at the small town of Montezuma and climbs to some impressive views to the surrounding area, or so I hear, as the day my friend, Alan, and I went up, we had some pretty heavy cloud cover. Actually, it was no less beautiful on this day as the clouds really made for a spectacular show. This road doesn't ascend to the top of the 13,180-foot summit, as it ends at the Silver Wave Mine on the southern ridge, at around 12,800'. We didn't make it all the way to the mine on this day, so I can't speak for the last section of the road. Massey and Wilson suggest in their 4WD Adventures Colorado book to park at the last switchback, about 150 yards from the mine, as there isn't any place to turn around.