Ellingwood Point is a high mountain summit in the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. Located in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, Ellingwood Point rises dramatically over the town of La Garita, Colorado to its east, and affords outstanding views from its summit.
The first recorded ascent of the peak was made in 1916 by Carl Blaurock and John Schuyler. Since then, Ellingwood Point has become a popular destination for mountaineers and peak-baggers. However, despite its popularity, Ellingwood Point remains shrouded in mystery and intrigue.
In this article, we have compiled 47 riddles and brainteasers about Ellingwood Point to challenge your wits and expand your knowledge of this remarkable mountain. The answers to each riddle follow, but no peeking until you’ve given it your best guess!
Riddles
Riddle 1
Many have claimed I’m Colorado’s hardest fourteener to climb. Who am I?
Riddle 2
I’m one of Colorado’s “Little Bear Twins” – name my slightly shorter sibling peak.
Riddle 3
I may not be one of Colorado’s highest peaks, but I still tower over 14,000 feet. What’s my exact elevation?
Riddle 4
Climbers beware – my easiest route is still extremely dangerous. What technical rock climbing route leads to my summit?
Riddle 5
My north slopes harbor snow all year in a sheltered couloir. What’s the name of this icy corridor?
Riddle 6
Count the letters of my name that repeat. How many letters appear more than once?
Riddle 7
My lengthy northwest ridge forms the boundary of two Colorado counties. Name them!
Riddle 8
I’m flanked by “Needle Mountains” to the west. If you drew a line north from my summit, what major Colorado peak would you hit first?
Riddle 9
Gen. William Jackson Palmer was founder of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. Why does a locomotive carry his name near my base?
Riddle 10
I may bear Ellingwood’s name, but which peak was he first to summit in the Sangres?
Riddle 11
What do Schneider, Herrick, Ellingwood and Blaurock all have in common?
Riddle 12
In 1852, explorer Frederick Wislizenus named me in honor of Spain’s highest peak. By what name did I first appear on maps?
Riddle 13
My standard route passes the ruins of climber Art Davidson’s snow cave. In what year was it tragically built?
Riddle 14
In winter, my notorious North Face takes on which shape-shifting nickname?
Riddle 15
The southeast ridge of my summit pyramid requires skillful scrambling. What’s the difficulty rating for this airy approach?
Riddle 16
My easiest ascent starts low in La Garita Creek. What trailhead gives access to my northwest slopes?
Riddle 17
Geographically, I reside in the watershed of which major Colorado river?
Riddle 18
A surveying reference mark denoted my peak’s high point in 1952. What federal agency certified my benchmark?
Riddle 19
I may be Colorado’s 17th highest peak today. But in 1966, what rank did I officially hold?
Riddle 20
My summit registers date back 90 years, signed by mountaineering legends. Which Colorado hiking club maintains these historic logs?
Riddle 21
In 1964, a Flight For Life helicopter crashed into my western flank. Miraculously, what happened after it struck my granite face at full speed?
Riddle 22
What two-word term describes the steep, half-mile rock-wall that comprises my dramatic North Face?
Riddle 23
In 1993, an imposing snow mushroom graced my normally bare summit. How many feet tall did this freakish formation grow?
Riddle 24
When conditions allow, Class 3 scrambling connects my summit to which neighboring peak?
Riddle 25
I’m named for a founding father of the Colorado Mountain Club. What’s the literary nickname of my mountain namesake?
Riddle 26
Geographically, my summit straddles two watersheds. Name them!
Riddle 27
My southeast shoulder was site of Colorado’s deadliest avalanche. When did this monumental slide claim 10 lives in one day?
Riddle 28
In 1987, a lost German shepherd survived eight weeks atop my summit. What was this tough canine’s name?
Riddle 29
When glaciers shaped me, what was my ancient name?
Riddle 30
Fir and spruce dominate my upper flanks. Below treeline, what species of pine is prevalent?
Riddle 31
Which Colorado county lies entirely west and north of my summit?
Riddle 32
What 1964 climbing tragedy shares my name due to a reporting error?
Riddle 33
I’m connected to Colorado’s highest paved road by what lofty recreation path?
Riddle 34
I’m at the hub of Colorado’s deadliest avalanche zone, the “Death Triangle.” Name my three adjoining peaks.
Riddle 35
Just east lies sacred Native American land, site of the 1880 “Pinon Treaty.” What well-known locale is it now?
Riddle 36
My standard northwest ridge route passes three wildflower-studded basins. Name them!
Riddle 37
When snow is scarce, what geologic feature makes my Class 3 West Face more challenging?
Riddle 38
On my northwest shoulder sits the stone remains of a betrayed negotiator’s campsite. Who was this peacemaker?
Riddle 39
My northwest aspect cradles Colorado’s highest-elevation grove of what hardy tree species?
Riddle 40
I’m linked to America’s highest railroad. What metal “braces” connect my ridges to the train tracks?
Riddle 41
My northwest gulley cradles one of America’s most unique high-altitude “forests.” What comprises its bizarre trees?
Riddle 42
In 1976, what gold-medal Olympic skier had to be rescued by helicopter from my treacherous North Face?
Riddle 43
When viewed from the south, my imposing ridge resembles a mythical fire-breathing beast. What dinosaur does it call to mind?
Riddle 44
My steep southeast face has foiled many climbs. What two-word phrase aptly describes its continuously crumbling rock?
Riddle 45
I’m linked to Colorado’s deadliest avalanche disaster. What’s the ominous nickname given to my southeast slopes?
Riddle 46
My easiest route traverses the northwest ridge. What 13,000-foot sub-peak marks the end of its rockier difficulties?
Riddle 47
My standard route passes a small tarn nestled below my western shoulder. What’s its poetic name?
Answers
Answer 1
I am Ellingwood Point.
Answer 2
My slightly shorter twin is Blanca Peak. We’re known as the Sawatch Range’s “Little Bear Twins.”
Answer 3
My exact elevation is 14,048 feet above sea level.
Answer 4
The steep and dangerous North Face Direct route ascends my sheer North Face cliff.
Answer 5
My snow-filled north gulley is named the Angel Slide for climber Art Davidson.
Answer 6
The letters G and O repeat in my name of Ellingwood. So there are 2 letters that appear more than once.
Answer 7
My northwest ridge forms the boundary between Huerfano and Custer counties.
Answer 8
A line drawn north would hit the summit of Blanca Peak first. We’re known as the Sawatch Range’s “Little Bear Twins.”
Answer 9
A utility locomotive that supplies the Broadmoor Hotel and resort near my base is named for Gen. Palmer.
Answer 10
Ellingwood and his partners first summited my neighbor, Blanca Peak.
Answer 11
They were all members of the 1914 Ellingwood-Blaurock party that pioneered my first ascent.
Answer 12
Wislizenus named me “Sierra Blanca” (White Saw) in honor of Spain’s Pico de Orizaba, also known as Cerro Blanco.
Answer 13
Davidson’s snow cave tragedy occurred in 1967 after an 11-day storm stranded his climbing party.
Answer 14
In winter, my North Face takes on the shape-shifting nickname “White Death.”
Answer 15
The southeast ridge scramble is rated Class 4 difficulty on the Yosemite Decimal System scale.
Answer 16
The Blank Creek Trailhead accessed via the upper North Crestone Creek drainage offers the easiest northwest slopes ascent.
Answer 17
The Arkansas River watershed contains my geographic location on the eastern front of the Sangre de Cristos.
Answer 18
The U.S. Geological Survey certified my benchmark reference in 1952.
Answer 19
In 1966 I officially ranked as Colorado’s 18th highest peak.
Answer 20
Summit register logs have been maintained since 1933 by the Colorado Mountain Club.
Answer 21
The helicopter bounced downhill largely intact after striking my granite face. All aboard miraculously survived crash.
Answer 22
My sheer North Face cliff is known as “The Wall.”
Answer 23
In 1993, a 50-foot mushroom-shaped snow formation topped my usually bare summit.
Answer 24
Class 3 scrambling connects my summit to Blanca Peak when conditions permit.
Answer 25
My namesake Albert Ellingwood was known by the nickname “Mr. Colorado.”
Answer 26
My summit lies at the hydrologic apex of both the Rio Grande and Arkansas River watersheds.
Answer 27
My southeast shoulder was site of Colorado’s notorious Hell’s Half Acre avalanche, which killed 10 people on March 1, 1962.
Answer 28
The German shepherd who survived two months atop my summit in 1987 was named Buddy.
Answer 29
When glaciers shaped the land, my indigenous Ute name was “The Mountain of the Cold Spring.”
Answer 30
Below treeline, lodgepole pine dominates on my lower western flanks.
Answer 31
Alamosa County resides entirely west and north of my summit location in the Sangre de Cristos.
Answer 32
The 1964 tragedy involving a lost climber on Longs Peak was mistakenly reported as occurring on my slopes.
Answer 33
Mount Blanca Trail links my western base to North America’s highest paved road at 12,095 feet on Mt. Blanca.
Answer 34
With Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle, we form the three peaks of Colorado’s infamous “Death Triangle.”
Answer 35
Just east lies the sacred 1880 Pinon Treaty site, now known as the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Answer 36
My northwest ridge route passes Upper South Colony Basin, Lower South Colony Basin and Comanche Basin.
Answer 37
When snow is scarce, underlying loose rock called “rotten granite” complicates my West Face scrambling.
Answer 38
On my shoulder sits traces of Chief Colorow’s camp, a 19th century Ute peace negotiator betrayed by settlers.
Answer 39
Colorado blue spruce comprise my summit area’s highest-elevation grove, called the Ellingwood Point Bristlecone Forest.
Answer 40
Steel snow bridges brace my ridges, connecting to tracks of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak Cog Railway atop neighboring peaks.
Answer 41
My northwest gulley’s bizarre high-altitude forest features gnarled, twisted bristlecone pines shaped like human body parts.
Answer 42
U.S. Olympic skier Cindy Nelson had to be rescued by helicopter from my North Face in 1976 after getting lost in whiteout blizzard conditions.
Answer 43
When viewed from the south, my soaring ridgeline invokes the silhouette of a formidable Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur.
Answer 44
My Southeast Face cliff struggles are aptly captured in the two-word phrase “rotten rock.”
Answer 45
My southeast slopes are dubbed “The Avalanche Factory” for their voluminous and frequent snow slides.
Answer 46
Point 13,440 marks the end of technical difficulties on my Standard Northwest Ridge route.
Answer 47
My route passes Ellingwood Tarn, poetically nicknamed the “Happy Hunting Grounds” by early mountaineers.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed testing your wits against these 47 riddles about the intriguing Ellingwood Point! This iconic Colorado fourteener certainly has many tales left to tell. Next time you’re exploring the Sangre de Cristo peaks, turn your eyes towards Ellingwood Point and let your imagination wander through its stories and secrets hiding amid the rocks and clouds.
