Challenger Point: The 14er named for the 1986 space shuttle crew

Challenger Point is one of Colorado's most meaningfully-named 14ers. On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven astronauts on board: Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe — the first teacher selected to fly in space. In 1987 the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved the dedication of a previously-unnamed 14,087-foot summit on the Kit Carson massif as Challenger Point, in their memory.

The peak at a glance

• Elevation: 14,087 ft (4,294 m)
• Rank in Colorado: 36th of 56 peaks above 14,000 ft
• Range: Sangre de Cristo Range
• County: Saguache County
• Coordinates: 37.9803° N, 105.6097° W
• Standard route: North Slopes via Willow Lake (Class 2) — 13.5 mi RT or as Kit Carson traverse
• Public land: Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, Rio Grande National Forest

How Challenger Point got its name

Before the 1987 dedication, the summit was simply an unnamed sub-point on Kit Carson Peak's connecting ridge. The peak's prominence over the Kit Carson saddle is just 84 feet — well below the 300-foot rule — and the peak had not previously been counted as a separate 14er. The naming both honored the Challenger crew and elevated the summit into the Colorado climbing community's recognized list.

The standard route

Climbed almost always as a traverse from Kit Carson Peak via the connecting ridge. The standalone north-slopes route from Willow Lake is also viable — about 13.5 miles round-trip with 5,000 feet of gain.

When to climb

The Colorado fourteener climbing season is short. The standard window runs from late June through mid-September — after the snow has melted off the trail and before the first serious autumn storm. Outside that window, you're committing to a winter ascent: snow travel, avalanche assessment, post-holing through drifts, and route-finding without a visible trail.

Inside the window, the rule that has saved more Colorado lives than any other is be off the summit by noon. Afternoon convective storms build over the high peaks almost daily in July and August. Lightning is the leading weather killer in the Rockies. Plan for a pre-dawn start — most experienced climbers leave the trailhead between 4:00 and 5:30 AM.

Where it sits

What climbers wish they'd known

This is a memorial. The summit register reflects the dedication. Climbers often note the day of climb in the context of remembering the crew.

Before you go

A 14er is a long, exposed day at altitude. Read these first if you haven't already:

• Planning your first multi-day backpacking trip — same logistics apply to a long single-day summit push.
• How to choose the right trail difficulty — converting class ratings into honest fitness estimates.
• Leave No Trace, in one minute — alpine tundra heals on a geological clock. Stay on the trail.

Looking for the standard route on the map? Browse Colorado trails on the Outdoors App or jump to the Near Me view if you're already in-state.

If you liked this peak

• Kit Carson Peak — the traverse partner
• Crestone Needle — the Sangres' classic
• Humboldt Peak — the Sangres' Class 2

Hero photograph: Challenger Point viewed from Kit Carson Avenue, Sangre de Cristo Range. by Fredlyfish4, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.