Culebra is Spanish for snake. However, it is uncertain if Culebra Peak was named for snakes in the area, after the winding snake-like Culebra Creek that flows through the town of San Luis or the mountain’s prominent S-shaped ridge.

Culebra is the southernmost fourteener in the state, and the only one that comes with an admission fee. The mountain is split between the private property of two ranches. The ranch on the eastern side allows no public access, and the ranch on the western side, currently known as the Cielo Vista Ranch, has gone through a lot of access changes.

There have been times when access was denied and times when only a handful of Colorado Mountain Club members were allowed access once each year.

Currently, anyone can reserve one of 25 available spots each Saturday and Sunday after the snow clears during the summer.

Access is $100 per person and buys you nothing more than the opportunity to climb. No refunds if you don’t reach the summit. Many complain about the steep price, but as owner Bobby Hill puts it, “They weren’t around when it was time to write a check for the ranch.”

I appreciate Bobby’s point and am thankful that for now it is possible to climb it legally. I recommend climbing it while the current policy exists; there is no guarantee that public access will remain available.

The access fee has more benefits than being able to cross off another mountain from your list. The limited availability of climbing access has kept this mountain quite pristine. Though there is a road to treeline and remnants of another one a short way beyond that, there aren’t really any trails to the summit.

The owners even ask that people disperse when hiking to prevent trails from forming. As far as I saw, there was only one cairn — a large one on the ridge that appears to have been built as more than a trail marker. Even the road shows minimal wear from human use. On most fourteeners, you’ll likely come across several old fire rings and worn campsites along the trail, but on Culebra you’ll see more signs of animals than humans. You’re guaranteed that, at most, only 24 other people besides you will be on the mountain that day.

The terrain is gentle, though without trails you have to negotiate your way through some talus fields. It’s a small taste of what the fourteeners used to be like.

Don’t just visit the mountain on this trip. It’s a long drive to not take the time to stop and appreciate the local culture. San Luis was the first town in Colorado, and when you visit it you get the impression that things haven’t changed much since 1851. Many of the residents are descendants of the people that settled this area and continue to live the agricultural lifestyle. You can get some truly authentic cuisine in the restaurants, and don’t miss the impressive Stations of the Cross trail on the La Mesa de la Piedad y de la Misericordia (Mesa of Piety and Mercy) above the town.

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Friesema is a Colorado native who’s scaled each of the state’s 14,000-foot peaks. He’s been a member of Teller County Search and Rescue since 2003. Read about his high-country adventures at hikingintherockies.com.