Mount of the Holy Cross

Mount of the Holy Cross is the highest point in the northern Sawatch Range located a little northwest of the city of Leadville, Colorado. This 14,005-foot “fourteener” was named for the distinctive cross-shaped snowfield on the northeast face. Under USDA Forest Service administration, the mountain was proclaimed “Holy Cross National Monument” by Herbert Hoover on May 11, 1929. Though the mountain has since lost its National Monument status, it has been an inspiration for many, hikers and artists alike, being the subject of painters, photographers and even a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, (“The Cross of Snow”).