I decided to start from square one on the access issue. I just called theUte Mountain Tribal Park and spoke to a very nice woman. She did not really have any idea whether it would be OK to hike Ute Peak(also called Sleeping Ute Mountain?) with or without a guide, but asked me to call back tomorrow and talk to Veronica. If nothing else, at least she didn't know that it is forbidden, and she did sound like she wished me luck.
The website does state that people cannot enter tribal lands without a Ute guide, and there is mention of a special day tour on Ute trails for $60/person, minimum 4 people. (A real bargain compared to Culebra!)
So, while I doubt they'll let a group hike unguided for free, perhaps they will allow a guided fee hike. Yes, I'm ignoring the fact that if it was that simple Bob Martin would have already done this!
I plan to call again tomorrow and will post updates as I get them. To get ahead of myself, how would a Saturday in May work for people?