The 14ers. This mega-classic, ultra-popular challenge permeates every aspect of Colorado culture. Includes all Colorado peaks over 14,000 ft high with at least 300 ft of prominence... with 2 "sentimental" exceptions (El Diente and North Maroon Peak). A true showcase of Colorado's diverse mountains, encompassing the highest peaks in the Sawatch, Elk, San Juan, Sangre de Cristo, Mosquito, Ten Mile, and Front Ranges. The wide range of difficulty of these peaks lets you start out slowly with easier hikes to gain experience before tackling the harder peaks.
Highest peak
Mount Elbert
14,440 ft / 4,401 m
Most prominent peak
Mount Elbert
9,093 ft / 2,771 m prom
Most summited peak
Mount Elbert
336 summits
Most difficult peak
Mount Elbert
Class 1
Difficulty breakdown
Class 1/2 36 peaks
Class 3/4 17 peaks
Class 5+ 1 peak
Highlights
- Climb the iconic Class 3 Keyhole route of Longs Peak, the majestic centerpiece peak of Rocky Mountain National Park
- Stand on the highest peak in Colorado, Mt Elbert. Then stand on all of the surrounding 14ers of the Sawatch Range and look back at Elbert and see other hikers looking back at you.
- Head to the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado to experience what many consider the most spectacular mountains in the state. Get off the Durango steam train mid-route and head to the remote Chicago Basin to climb the elusive trio of Sunlight, Windom, and Eolus. Start preparing now for the leap-of-faith summit block move on Sunlight.
- Peer down on the sprawling Great Sand Dunes National Park from the jagged heights of the Crestones in the Sangre de Cristos. Attempt the famous Crestone Traverse if you've got the skills.
- When you're ready to dial up the challenge, visit the incredible Elk Range near Aspen to climb exhilarating peaks like the deadly Maroon Bells, Pyramid, and Capitol Peak with its Knife Edge traverse.
- Jog up and back on the 13-mile Barr Trail on Pikes Peak in the annual Pikes Peak Marathon... or just take it slow. Just don't drive!
Latest summits
"Southwest Ridge up, south slopes down. Ridge had some loose rock and several short scrambles, slopes had one short class 3 down climb and a long loose gulley. Bring a helmet for either one!
https://youtu.be/JXRoExhq7-w" — cheeseishappiness • Sep 26, 2021
"Torreys and Grays via the Class 3 Kelso Ridge route. Our first 14ers! The road to the trailhead was as scary as the climb haha. We camped in the woods at the upper lot and got an alpine start up the route. Beautiful weather and great company made for a fun day of scrambling in the alpine. " — wacbravo • Sep 15, 2021
"Torreys and Grays via the Class 3 Kelso Ridge route. Our first 14ers! The road to the trailhead was as scary as the climb haha. We camped in the woods at the upper lot and got an alpine start up the route. Beautiful weather and great company made for a fun day of scrambling in the alpine. " — wacbravo • Sep 15, 2021
"Climbed the east ridge with the Lockwood Foundation's annual Trailride a 14er event. Beautiful experience with dozens of other people helping a woman with ALS gain one more peak.
https://youtu.be/Ji-oBhXbwNU" — cheeseishappiness • Sep 12, 2021
"WOW. Hard to describe this "great traverse" of the Maroon Bells without writing a novel, so I'll sum it up briefly- Godawful long and steep ascent, awesome class 3-4 ridge scrambling and route finding in a rock climbers playground (lots of variations), with a few class 5 moves, then another godawful long and steep descent. This was my first time leading a group across some gnarly class 4-5 , and I had never been on it before, but this was absolutely amazing. This peak taught me a lot about myself, and that is saying something! " — LGH-Dan • Sep 7, 2021