Colorado Fourteeners Initiative

The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) was founded in 1994 by the USDA Forest Service. The mission of this organization is to preserve the 14,000 foot Colorado Peaks through education and stewardship. With the help of the U.S. Forest Service, CFI has completed impact studies on all of Colorado’s 54 Fourteeners. By examining damage to resources, rate of change, impacts on sensitive species, and U.S. Forest Service priorities at the district level, CFI recognized 35 peaks for priority action. Thus far, CFI has conducted trail restoration and other work on 18 Colorado Fourteeners.

With the increased use of the current trails due to the popularity of hiking 14ers the work of CFI has become more and more necessary. I believe strongly in preserving the open area that we all love. It is possible to love a place to death through over use. It is important that we all practice the Leave No Trace principles and even pitch in with helping CFI with their efforts. They accept cash donations and volunteer time. Spending a day of repairing a trail is the ultimate way to give back.

For more information on the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative check out their website here.

Peak Bagging

What is it about peak bagging? Some of us just get the fever and can't stop and others just don't get it. What is it that does it for you?

I personally have always loved spending time outdoors and have enjoyed hiking, biking, kayaking, and a number of other outdoor sports. Hiking in the Rocky Mountains is amazing and is something I have enjoyed since I was a child. But something inside of me changed once I first started summiting peaks.

I love maps, playing with a GPS, and reading guide books. There is just something about the journey and the need for a well planned strategy to get to the summit.

I also love the route finding. I love trying to decide which way looks best. I don't always pick the easiest route. I occasionally find myself crawling up a scree field knowing that I made a mistake. But that is part of the fun.

Standing on top of a mountain that I have climbed under my own power is priceless. The views are breathtaking and the sense of accomplishment is worth the effort.

The check on my checklist feels good but is such a small part of the overall experience. I love climbing peaks for everything mentioned above, but mostly for the solitude, the physical test, and the sense of accomplishment.

That's why I climb mountains. What about you?

The Colorado Front Range

The Front Range stretches over 175 miles from the Colorado/ Wyoming border to west of Pueblo in southern Colorado. The Front Range jets out of the plains and creates a dramatic change in scenery for travelers out of the Midwest. The city of Denver as well as many other cities and towns from Fort Collins to Pueblo a situated at the base of these mountains.

There are 6 14ers located in the Front Range. Due to Colorado's population distribution along the Front Range, these peaks see the most traffic and can be very busy on any summer weekend. These peaks are all easily accessible from I-25 or I-70 making them great peaks for visitors to climb also.

The Front Range Peaks include Long's Peak (14,255), Grays Peak (14,270), Torreys Peak (14,267), Mount Evans (14,264), Mount Bierstadt (14,060), and Pikes Peak (14,110).

Easiest 14ers Near the Front Range

One of the most common questions on message boards is always: What is the easiest 14er? Or Which 14er is a good first climb for a beginner? Or What 14er is close to Denver?

The two 14ers that I suggest a beginner start with to get a taste of altitude on their first 14er hike is Quandary or Bierstadt.

The Quandary standard route up the east ridge is a nice hike. It is a semi gradual slope all the way up the ridge to the top. You can follow a trail (and often a line of people) all the way to the summit. The trail head is located south of Breckenridge just off of highway 9. More info available here.

Mount Bierstadt is an easy climb from the West Slopes accessible from Guanella Pass. This is a nice easy hike with no exposure. The trail is good and the terrain is easy for most beginners. The trail head is on Guanella Pass Road south of Georgetown. More info available here.

I would suggest either of these two to get a taste of climbing Fourteeners. Other easy peaks include Mount Sherman, Mount Elbert, Handies Peak, Grays, and Torreys.

Hiking Poles

Are Hiking Poles useful and worth them money? Absolutely.

When I first started hiking I noticed a lot of people using hiking poles. I thought it was just a phase. I thought these were just one more thing that people bought just to feel like they were real hikers. When I hiked my first 14er, my friend had brought poles with him. He was a few years older than me so I teased him about needing a cane to get up the hill. But I tried them out and I actually saw a big advantage in using them.

Some of the advantages of using hiking poles is that they help you keep good balance and posture. Many people begin to lean forward after hours of hiking especially with a heavy backpack. The poles keep you standing straight and keep you away from aggravating back ache.

The poles are also very helpful on loose gravel to help support you when your feet slip out from under you. They also come in very handy when rock hopping through talus and small boulders. By using the poles you can keep your balance. They are like hand extensions to help you climb down from one boulder to another (not rock climbing, just light scrambling).

Some people even like having poles in their hands to feel save in case of an attack by human or animal in the wild. They give you something easily available to scare off any critters or the rare human attack.

I never hike without them. They are a very valuable addition to my necessary gear. I highly recommend you purchase poles. There are poles of all price ranges and honestly the functionality doesn't change much so a lower end pole may be all you need to get started.

What Makes a Mountain Ranked?

In the world of Mountain Climbing or 'Peak Bagging' there has been much discussion and disagreement about what separates a true Peak from a false summit. You can find lists of fourteeners ranging from 52 to 55 true fourteeners in Colorado. I have even seen some list 59 14ers. The most widely accepted rule for whether a peak is ranked or unranked is the "300-foot" rule.

Under the 300 foot rule a peak or mountain must rise at least 300 feet above the saddle that connects the peak or mountain to its closest higher neighboring peak to be an "official" peak.

For example the saddle between Cameron and Lincoln drops only 157 feet below the summit of Cameron. Since Lincoln is the taller of the two peaks, Lincoln is a ranked peak but Cameron is technically unranked.

Most people accept that Cameron is unranked because it is just an easy stroll from Lincoln. However, El Diente's saddle with Mt. Wilson is only 259 feet below El Diente's summit and many people add it to their list even though it doesn't meet the 300 foot rule. The jagged rocky traverse to El Diente's summit is not easy and most people who climb it feel as though they have climbed a separate peak.

In my personal opinion, I think it is all about the experience and not about the list. I say climb them all. If it looks like something you want to climb, do it. I don't know anyone who has climbed El Diente and regretted it or wished they hadn't done it. I use the 300 foot rule because it has been around for a long time and although I've never determined why the round number of 300 was chosen, it seems to work well for Colorado's Peaks.

So following the 300 foot rule I list 53 official ranked peaks. Have I climbed some of the unranked peaks? Absolutely. Sometimes you have to leave the list behind and explore other fun hikes and climbs.

Lists of Colorado 14ers

Here is a list of the 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado separated by Ranges. The list includes Name, Height, and it's rank by height.

The Front Range
Grays Peak 14,270' 9th

Torreys Peak 14,267' 11th

Mount Evans 14,264' 14th

Longs Peak 14,255' 15th

Pikes Peak 14,110' 30th

Mount Bierstadt 14,060' 38th

Tenmile Range
Quandary Peak 14,265' 13th

Mosquito Range
Mount Lincoln 14,286’ 8th


Mount Cameron 14,238’ unranked*

Mount Bross 14,172’ 22nd

Mount Democrat 14,148’ 28th

Mount Sherman 14,036’ 45th

Sawatch Range
Mount Elbert 14,433' 1st

Mount Massive 14,421’ 2nd

Mount Harvard 14,420’ 3rd

La Plata Peak 14,336’ 5th

Mount Antero 14,269’ 10th

Mount Shavano 14,229’ 17th

Mount Princeton 14,197’ 18th

Mount Belford 14,197’ 19th

Mount Yale 14,196’ 21st

Tabequache Peak 14,155’ 25th

Mount Oxford 14,153’ 26th

Mount Columbia 14,073’ 35th

Missouri Mountain 14,067’ 36th

Mount of the Holy Cross 14,005’ 51st

Huron Peak 14,003’ 52nd

Elk Mountains
Castle Peak 14,265’ 12th

Maroon Peak 14,156’ 24th

Capitol Peak 14,130’ 29th

Snowmass Mountain 14,092’ 31st

Conundrum Peak 14,060’ unranked*

Pyramid Peak 14,018’ 47th

North Maroon Peak 14,014’ unranked*

San Juan Mountains
Uncompahgre Peak 14,309’ 6th

Mount Wilson 14,246’ 16th

El Diente Peak 14,159’ unranked*


Mount Sneffels 14,150’ 27th

Mount Eolus 14,083’ 32nd

Windom Peak 14,082’ 33rd

Sunlight Peak 14,059’ 39th

Handies Peak 14,048’ 40th

North Eolus 14,039’ unranked*

Redcloud Peak 14,034’ 46th

Wilson Peak 14,017’ 48th

Wetterhorn Peak 14,015’ 49th

San Luis Peak 14,014’ 50th

Sunshine Peak 14,001’ 53rd

Sangre de Cristo Range
Blanca Peak 14,345’ 4th

Crestone Peak 14,294’ 7th

Crestone Needle 14,197’ 20th

Kit Carson Peak 14,165’ 23rd

Challenger Point 14,081’ 34th

Humboldt Peak 14,064’ 37th

Culebra Peak 14,047’ 41st

Mount Lindsey 14,042’ 42nd

Ellingwood Point 14,042’ 43rd

Little Bear Peak 14,037’ 44th

*see Ranked/Unranked Post for details about what makes a peak ranked.

Introduction

This site is being formed to be a resource for hikers. I plan on providing valuable information about climbing Colorado's 54 peaks taller than 14,000 feet. I also plan on providing information about hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and other family friendly hikes across the Front Range.

I am an avid hiker. I have a deep passion for the mountains of Colorado. I was born in Iowa and managed to live there for 19 years before my thirst to live in the mountains was finally quenched. I have lived in Summit County, Durango, and Loveland. I began leisurely hiking in Colorado in 1996. I climbed my first 14er in 2005 and I immediately caught the fever. I have not climbed them all but I plan to finish climbing all of the top 100 peaks within a few years. I also love climbing interesting 13ers and nearly all the named peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park.

But this site is not about me. This site is about the mountains and about getting you into the mountains. I will provide information about the mountains, the gear necessary, and tips to keep you safe. There are other great sites available to find up to date information about current conditions, such as http://www.14ers.com/. While the forum sites are valuable in gaining knowledge about current conditions they quickly become hostile environments with people arguing and putting new comers down. I plan on covering the most commonly asked questions on those forums here where the information is easy to find and available in a safe and non intimidating environment.

My vision for this site is to be a place that you can come and educate yourself about the risks and rewards of climbing mountains. I will work on continually adding new content including lists, maps, trail information, and general tips. I may occasionally add a recent trip report but that won't be the focus of this site.

So check back often, give me feedback on what you like or don't like about the site, and be sure to share this site with your friends.