Mount of the Holy Cross (14,005') earned fame when William Henry Jackson photographed a snow-filled couloir that resembled a cross on the peak's NE face in 1873. The CCC was commissioned in the mid 1920s to build the Notch Mountain Shelter (13,077'), located on a nearby saddle with spectacular views of the cross and adjacent peaks on the Holy Cross Ridge.

The Notch Mountain Trail scales a south-facing slope that supports an archetypal collection of alpine grasses - Blue Grass, Tufted Hair Grass, Spreading Wheatgrass, Kobresia and Pyrennian Sedge

Old Man of the Mountain (Hymenoxys grandiflora) typically face east to capture early morning sunlight

The Notch Mountain Trail ends at the shelter, but you may continue on the 'Halo Ridge' route to Holy Cross

The ptarmigan's scientific name is lagopus leucrus - lagopus refers to the bird's feathered feet; leucrus refers to its white feathers

The Notch Mountain Shelter was built in 1924 by the CCC to accommodate visitors who came to view the Holy Cross

Alpine Bistort (Polygonum viviparum) roots have a starchy root system that provides valuable nutrients to alpine birds and mammals

Mount of the Holy Cross (14,005') is the 51st highest peak in Colorado; despite just earning 14er status, the trail is fairly challenging with over 4600' elevation gain on the 11+ mile route

Moss Campion is a high-alpine cushion plant that may only bloom for several weeks during the peak of summer

Despite scaling steep slopes at high elevation, this well-constructed trail facilitates travel on relatively moderate switchbacks

Haustorium on the roots of Indian Paintbrush physically connect this parasitic plant to the host root

Beard Tongue is a member of the Penstemon genus, in which there are at least 250 species

Marmots are among the most active alpine mammals in the summer, but enter burrows by early October and don't emerge again until April or May

The Holy Cross Wilderness is named after Mount of the Holy Cross (14,005'), which earned fame in 1873 when William Henry Jackson photographed a 'snow cross' on the mountain

Mountain clover favors montane and subalpine meadows, and can generally tolerate both damp and dry conditions

The Holy Cross Wilderness was established in 1980 and covers over 122,000 acres

Bluebells or Chiming Bells (Mertensia genus) are common in damp subalpine areas; their flowers have both male and female organs

The trail offers a brief glimpse of Lake Constantine in the upper valley

Indian Paintbrush belongs to a genus of 200 species of partially or fully parasitic plants that derive nourishment from the roots of other plants