Elevation

14,130 ft / 4,307 m

#40 in Colorado

#77 in United States

Prominence

1,730 ft / 527 m

#85 in Colorado

#1,239 in United States

Summits

39 summits

#70 in Colorado

#923 in United States

Top climbing months

July   37%

August   35%

September  17%

Most climbed route

Northeast Ridge from Capitol Lake (Standard)

8.3 mi • 2,762 ft gain • Class 4

Highlights

  • Capitol Peak is a mighty Colorado 14er in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness in the heart of the Elk Mountains.
  • The mountain bears a faint resemblence to the domed U.S. Capitol building.
  • Many regard Capitol Peak as the most difficult Colorado fourteener to climb.
  • The only non-technical route, the Class 4 Northeast Ridge, requires crossing the famously exposed "Knife Edge" and the K2 sub-peak.
  • Capitol Peak's north face is one of Colorado's biggest walls, offering a sheer 1,800 feet of technical rock climbing routes.
  • These routes have significant rockfall danger due to a great deal of loose rock; however the rock is substantially more solid than on the nearby Maroon Bells or Pyramid Peak.
11 summits • 8.3 mi • 2,762 ft gain • 7 hr 34 min • Class 4
1 summit • 18.2 mi • 5,504 ft gain • 11 hr 24 min • Class 4
1 summit • 19.5 mi • 4,719 ft gain • 20 hr 34 min

Awards

Challenges