Colorado peaks

4,865 peaks

Highest peak

Mount Elbert

14,440 ft / 4,401 m

Most summited peak

Mount Elbert

283 summits

Most prominent peak

Mount Elbert

9,093 ft / 2,771 m prom

Colorado summits

10,448 summits

First Ascent Awards

1635 of 4,865 peaks 33%

Top climbing months

July 20%

August 18%

September 12%

Colorado mountains highlights

  • In summer months beware of near-daily afternoon thunderstorms up high. Best to start really early and plan to be off the top usually by 12-1pm at the latest.
  • Numerous mountain ranges, such as the Sawatch, Elk, San Juan, Sangre de Cristo, Mosquito, Ten Mile, and Front, contain a diverse collection of mountains worthy of exploration.
  • One of the most famous and popular peak challenges in the world, the Colorado 14ers Peak Challenge, permeates every aspect of Colorado culture
  • The highest peak in Colorado, Mount Elbert 14,440 ft, is the highest in the Rocky Mountains and 2nd highest in the contiguous United States
  • The Rocky Mountains reach their zenith in the heart of Colorado, with over 50 peaks reaching above 14,000 ft high.
"Plan was to summit Monday but weather said to go Saturday. Flew into Denver at 11pm Friday drove through a snow storm to the TH and started hiking 3 hours later. Had bad stomach issues right away assuming because of the altitude and it sent me down before attaining the windy summit. " — Happyjoecappy • Apr 27, 2019
" Great, impromptu bushwhack. Steep as a bastard, lots of clumpy snow that makes you taller as you hike, some sweet scrambling, and great views. Also tacked on Olympus Knob for extra cred." — LGH-Dan • Apr 14, 2019
"Great, impromptu bushwhack. Steep as a bastard, lots of clumpy snow that makes you taller as you hike, some sweet scrambling, and great views. Also tacked on Olympus Knob for extra cred. " — LGH-Dan • Apr 13, 2019
"That first real challenging hike of the year after fat season (Halloween to St. Paddys) is always a doozy. After putting in a solid effort and gaining about 1600’ and 2.5 miles in an hour, I came up behind two hikers, one with a handgun holstered. I swear these guys saw me at the last switchback and looked right at me, but apparently not, because suddenly the guy with the gun turned around and screamed. This ended up scaring the shit out of me, and somehow it instantly triggered a severe charly horse in my leg, and I dropped to the ground hard, holding my leg. Within a few seconds all three of us were dying laughing from this ridiculous scenario. After I recovered, I summited Sheep Mountain, then hiked over to Stone Mountain, which had a much nicer view, and a small class 3 scramble at the top. After that, I bushwhacked up Peak 7692, and then headed back down, eventually intersecting the trail again as some rain clouds moved in." — LGH-Dan • Apr 7, 2019
"That first real challenging hike of the year after fat season (Halloween to St. Paddys) is always a doozy. After putting in a solid effort and gaining about 1600’ and 2.5 miles in an hour, I came up behind two hikers, one with a handgun holstered. I swear these guys saw me at the last switchback and looked right at me, but apparently not, because suddenly the guy with the gun turned around and screamed. This ended up scaring the shit out of me, and somehow it instantly triggered a severe charly horse in my leg, and I dropped to the ground hard, holding my leg. Within a few seconds all three of us were dying laughing from this ridiculous scenario. After I recovered, I summited Sheep Mountain, then hiked over to Stone Mountain, which had a much nicer view, and a small class 3 scramble at the top. After that, I bushwhacked up Peak 7692, and then headed back down, eventually intersecting the trail again as some rain clouds moved in. " — LGH-Dan • Apr 6, 2019

Popular Colorado mountains