{"id":75813,"date":"2024-05-17T11:33:32","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T17:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=75813"},"modified":"2024-05-20T17:46:01","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T23:46:01","slug":"want-to-try-climbing-a-colorado-14er-start-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/want-to-try-climbing-a-colorado-14er-start-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to try climbing a Colorado 14er? Now is the time to start planning."},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_76110\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76110\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-76110 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/05\/17105543\/Torreys-Peak-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Sunrise on Torreys Peak, one of Colorado's most accessible 14ers. Photo: Getty Images.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-76110\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunrise on Torreys Peak, one of Colorado&#8217;s most accessible 14ers. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All sports have a season. And like baseball, summer and early fall are the seasons to enjoy climbing Colorado\u2019s famous 14ers.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re interested in climbing your first \u2014 or your 14<sup>th <\/sup>\u2014 14er, now is the time to start planning.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly all hikers <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.14ers.org\/2022-colorado-14er-hiking-use-estimates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">summit <\/a>14ers from June through September. That\u2019s when the snow melts off the most popular routes, and the weather generally turns mild enough to attempt them. Climbing a 14er isn\u2019t just a way to stretch your legs; it\u2019s a rite of passage for living here in Colorado.<br \/>\n<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-12 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<h2>What are the best guides for Colorado 14ers? Learn more before you venture out.<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>For more information on all the 14ers, including all routes and how to get to the trailheads, go to\u00a0<a id=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/14ers.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"0\">14ers.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>If you want a guidebook, Gerry Roach&#8217;s &#8220;Colorado&#8217;s Fourtneeners: From Hikes to Climbs&#8221;\u00a0is one of the best.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>So let\u2019s talk about some of the most popular peaks located near the Front Range cities of Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Fort Collins and Greeley.<\/p>\n<p>Consider this a guide for the unique traits of each 14er along with safety tips and advice about treating 14ers with respect.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Pikes Peak: 14,115 feet<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Most of the people who reach the top of the mountain that inspired \u201cAmerica the Beautiful\u201d don\u2019t actually hike it, so prepare yourself for some strange looks as you stumble into the recently expanded cafeteria haggard and hungry. Wear your musky scent as a badge of honor and eat those donuts guilt-free as you ponder whether you need a coffee mug to remember your journey. The gift store is a great place to hang out if there\u2019s a thunderstorm too.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, you can drive up Pikes or take the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cograilway.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cog Railway<\/a>, making this the only 14er you can ride down after summiting. You can decide whether this fits with your own ethics, but there\u2019s nothing in the rule book that says you have to hike down after you climb a mountain. The railway can take you, and you can even <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/myrockymountainride.com\/hiker-shuttles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">schedule a ride down <\/a>with a shuttle.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t the only civilization you\u2019ll encounter on Pikes either: <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/barrcamp.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barr Camp<\/a>, about halfway up, can offer you a cozy place to sleep, breaking up the long trip into two days, and they sell Skittles and other snacks, hot food, Gatorade and a chance to top off your water bottle.<\/p>\n<p>Start your hike at the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manitouspringsco.gov\/587\/Barr-Trail-Barr-Camp-Parking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barr Lot<\/a> and pay for parking. There\u2019s a trail all the way to the top, but it\u2019s more than 13 miles, and you gain 8,000 feet, the most by far of any single 14er. If you don\u2019t think hiking is enough, you can enter the popular <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pikespeakmarathon.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pikes Peak Ascent<\/a>, a long half marathon, and run as much as you can, or you can do the Pikes Peak Marathon the next day, what some consider harder than an ultra. Some people do both, but those people are weird or superhuman or both. Let\u2019s go with both.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Mount Bierstadt: 14,065 feet<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This is one of the most popular 14ers for beginners, and for good reason: The trail all the way to the top is gentle, and the hike is seven miles and just under 3,000 elevation gain. That\u2019s still a lot, but compare it to Pikes Peak. Besides, no 14er is easy, regardless of what some bros may tell you. This drive IS easy, as there\u2019s a paved road and two paved parking lots at the trailhead. It\u2019s crowded\u2014some say this one is the busiest\u2014but every 14er is crowded.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Grays and Torreys: 14,278 and 14,267 feet<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Remember what we were saying about a paved road and plentiful parking? These mountains will remind you what luxuries those are, as the rocky road, Forest Road 189, to the trailhead will challenge most passenger cars that aren\u2019t 4WD (yes, there are people who still drive those here). Once you get to the top, you\u2019ll have to scrounge for a spot. If you can\u2019t find one, be careful about parking on the road instead of dirt parking at the start of Forest Road 189: Clear Creek has occasionally enforced a rule that does not allow parking on the road. Tickets were reportedly $200. The best way to get a spot at the top of the road is, of course, to leave early, which is something you should do anyway.<\/p>\n<p>The peaks are gorgeous and wild, with a view at the base and the summits that rivals any pair of 14ers in the state. You\u2019ll find it hard to believe you can follow a trail to the top of them, but you can, even if, at times, it\u2019s more of a faint social trail.It\u2019s nearly nine miles and 3,600 feet of elevation gain to do both. Nearly everyone climbs Grays first, then walks over Grays and down to the saddle separating the two: It\u2019s a few hundred more feet to Torreys. A trail between the two means you don\u2019t have to climb Grays again to get home, which will be a relief. The Kelso Ridge on Torreys is one of the most thrilling climbs up a 14er, but it\u2019s only for experienced and skilled scramblers.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Quandary: 14,271 feet<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This mountain is known for being another \u201ceasy\u201d 14er, but don\u2019t let the distance\u2014three miles one way\u2014fool you. The trail is gentle but steep at 3,500 elevation gain. Your quads will burn on the way down. This peak also has an official hard way up, the West Ridge, that\u2019s well marked but only for the experienced.<\/p>\n<p>This mountain gives you a good chance to see goats, though you know better than to approach them, right? They may approach you for food, but do your best to ignore them. They are generally harmless but still wild. Don\u2019t try to pet them, in other words.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll need to <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/hikequandary.com\/?doing_wp_cron=1685398238.7920799255371093750000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reserve a parking spot<\/a> or ride a shuttle to the trailhead from June 15 through Sept. 15, which covers nearly all of the climbing season. This system started last year in response to the hundreds of cars parked along the county road close to Quandary, which is illegal, and it\u2019s the reality of the number of people who want to climb the 14ers.<\/p>\n<p>Parking is $30 for \u201cnon-peak\u201d full days of Monday-Thursday, excluding holidays, and $55 all other days. The shuttle is a much better deal at $7 and dogs ride for free, as well as Summit County residents if they e-mail proof of residency. You can reserve a spot two weeks in advance of your trip starting June 1.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Democrat, Lincoln, Bross: 14,148, 14,293 and 14,321 feet<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This route even has its own name, the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.14ers.com\/route.php?route=bros6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decalibron<\/a>, It offers a chance to climb two official 14ers, but only if you sign a wavier <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/waiver.smartwaiver.com\/w\/c2d3wpisftzvbznpjhsbnb\/kiosk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> releasing the owner of any liability from his mining activities. Bross, another official 14er, remains closed. Landowners are concerned that hikers may sue if they get hurt on their property. The Kite Lake route bypasses Bross\u2019 summit, and hikers should stay off it. The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, which has worked to restore access, <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.14ers.org\/peaks\/mosquito-range\/mount-bross\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">urges <\/a>hikers to stay off during negotiations. There\u2019s a fourth 14er, Cameron Peak, that you can access from the trail, although this one isn\u2019t considered official because it doesn\u2019t rise 300 feet from the saddle of the other two peaks. It\u2019s still worth a visit.<\/p>\n<p>The hike is worth it, too, as it\u2019s a pretty, fun and relatively gentle hike up two 14ers.<\/p>\n<h2>Longs Peak: 14,259 feet<\/h2>\n<p>Whoa, pardner, hold on there a minute. Yes, you can see <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/romo\/planyourvisit\/longs_peak_conditions_report.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Longs Peak<\/a> from most places along the Front Range, and yes, it sure looks awesome, doesn\u2019t it? It is. It\u2019s considered one of the most awesome faces in the world. Is that enough to give you pause? No? Read on.<\/p>\n<p>Longs is, well, long, at 15 miles, and you gain nearly 5,000 feet. You\u2019ll gain a chunk of that over an exposed route called the Keyhole, through sections called the Ledges, the Trough, the Narrows and the Homestretch, which is not nearly as friendly as the name implies (the other names are accurate).<\/p>\n<p>Not only is the route dangerous, it <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/climbing\/why-colorados-most-dangerous-peak-also-its-most-appealing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">creates<\/a> its own weather, and nearly all of the route is above treeline, leaving hikers exposed to hail, hard rain, wild wind and, worst of all, lighting. It\u2019s Colorado\u2019s <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.onlyinyourstate.com\/colorado\/dangerous-mountain-co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deadliest <\/a>mountain.<\/p>\n<p>And yet many people pick Longs as their first 14er because it\u2019s so close\u2014it\u2019s the only 14er in Rocky Mountain National Park\u2014and we can see it every day.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure, try a hike to <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/thingstodo\/romo_chasmlake.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chasm Lake <\/a>first, which acts as a good preview to the approach to Longs and will also offer incredible views of Longs\u2019 fierce east face.<\/p>\n<p>If you think you\u2019re ready, you\u2019ll need sturdy footwear, warm, weather-tough clothes and the ability to scramble, hike and just keep going on little sleep, as you should be at the trailhead well before sunrise.<\/p>\n<p>Climbing Longs is a day you\u2019ll never forget. We just want that to be for the right reasons.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Things that can kill you on a 14er<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The weather \u2014 Be off the summit and close to treeline by noon, as afternoon thunderstorms occur more often than bacon cheeseburgers after you\u2019ve reached the top. Why is it important to be below treeline? Well, lighting strikes the tallest thing, and when there are no trees around\u2026<\/li>\n<li>The elevation \u2014 Living at 5,000 feet helps, but you\u2019ll still likely get short of breath, a headache or some nausea. If you get dizzy or forgetful, head down immediately. Eating and drinking helps but is not a cure.<\/li>\n<li>The way \u2014 Stay on the path, as even Longs Peak is well marked, and don\u2019t take shortcuts. People have disappeared on 14ers for that reason, and even the gentlest routes can turn scary if you leave them.<\/li>\n<li>The crowds \u2014 You should embrace the fact that you won\u2019t be alone on a 14er, but crowds can kick rocks down on you, trip you or, in theory, threaten you. Keep an ear out for the warning \u201cROCK!\u201d and put your head down and cover it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-style: inherit;font-weight: inherit\"><strong>How to treat the 14ers with respect\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-style: inherit;font-weight: inherit\">Stay on the trail or route &#8211; Social trails are eroding the 14ers, and it only takes a few footfalls to gash the land. Shortcuts are inexcusable.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-style: inherit;font-weight: inherit\">Leave No Trace &#8211; Pack out your trash, including those cardboard signs you use for summit shots, and pick up after your dog and, yes, yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-style: inherit;font-weight: inherit\">Pick a weekday to hike &#8211; This will help alleviate overcrowded trails and parking lots.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-style: inherit;font-weight: inherit\">Keep the wildlife wild &#8211; Don\u2019t approach animals for selfies and don\u2019t feed them.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All sports have a season. And like baseball, summer and early fall are the seasons to enjoy climbing Colorado\u2019s famous 14ers. If you\u2019re interested in climbing your first \u2014 or your 14th \u2014 14er, now is the time to start planning. Nearly all hikers summit 14ers from June through September. That\u2019s when the snow melts [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2401,"featured_media":76110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2474,4792],"class_list":["post-75813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-colorado","tag-hiking","tag-to-do-in-colorado"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Want to try climbing a Colorado 14er? Start planning. - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you\u2019re interested in climbing your first \u2014 or your 14th \u2014 14er, now is the time to start planning. Here are popular 14ers and advice.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/want-to-try-climbing-a-colorado-14er-start-planning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Want to try climbing a Colorado 14er? Now is the time to start planning.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re interested in climbing your first \u2014 or your 14th \u2014 14er, now is the time to start planning. Here are popular 14ers and advice.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/want-to-try-climbing-a-colorado-14er-start-planning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-17T17:33:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-20T23:46:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/05\/17105543\/Torreys-Peak-tiny.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan England\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan England\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/want-to-try-climbing-a-colorado-14er-start-planning\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/want-to-try-climbing-a-colorado-14er-start-planning\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dan England\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c47b1f40c42cdb71b141209a60feb8ec\"},\"headline\":\"Want to try climbing a Colorado 14er? 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