Cross Mountain Trail to Lizard Head Peak

The Cross Mountain Trail is in the Lizard Head Wilderness in the San Juan National Forest in southwest Colorado.  The starting elevation at the trail head is about 10,080 feet. The elevation at the junction with the Lizard Head Trail, below the peak, is about 12,000 feet.

The trail directly approaches the signature Lizard Head Peak and connects to a network of trails that visit this area of high peaks including Colorado 14ers Mt. Wilson and El Diente.

The Cross Mountain Trail Head is about two miles south of the Lizard Head Pass on the west side of Highway 145. There are other trail heads at the Lizard Head pass also, including the Wilson Meadows Trail and the Galloping Goose Trail. This trail head also provides access to the Groundhog Stock Trail,  and the East Fork Trail begins directly across the highway on the east side.

After passing the junction leading left with the Groundhog Stock Trail that travels to The Meadows area, the trail cuts through a thick forest of Fir and Spruce, and then it opens on to a high meadow giving spectacular mountain views.

To the south is Cross Mountain, 12,703 ft, showing off an orange color. The group of mountains to the east of the Lizard Head Pass show some similar colors.

Lizard head is an odd formation, a spike that sticks up, in an area with a mostly normally shaped mountain peaks. The elevation is given at 13,113 feet. From this angle it doesn't look like the head of a lizard, but it does stand out and is visible in the Cortez, CO area more than 60 miles away.

It took me about 2:15 hours to go about 3 miles to the base of the Lizard Head, where there is a T junction with the Lizard Head Trail. I turned right and continued east along the trail, along the base of the Head for a few more minutes to a point where is a saddle giving views of all the peaks to the east.

The trail leading to the left goes into the Bilk Basin where there is a large waterfall. Try viewing from the different angle there before deciding if the Lizard Head is mis-named

The Lizard Head Trail going east connects to the Wilson Meadows Trail that starts at the Lizard Head Pass allowing for a loop hike. This segment stays snowy longer into the season than other segments of the trail. The Lizard Head is very difficult to climb due to the rotten nature of the rock and is only for extreme experts.