My Tour of Six Colorado Fourteeners - 7/3/2025 - 7/13/2025
Intro
This first time tour of six Colorado fourteeners started off as an itch to climb something taller than what Arizona offered. This year I started off with a determination to get back into hiking again. Staying home on the weekends was not something I wanted to keep doing. My first hike in January was with a small group of strangers that I met from an Arizona Discord server. We did the Hieroglyphic Trail to Petroglyphs in the Superstitions, which was a very easy hike, and almost not worth the long drive to get to the trailhead. But it was worth it though because I ended up making a new friend that would become my hiking buddy for more adventurous hikes. On that first hike they recommended we come back again, and take the same trail all the way up to Peak 5057. We ended up hiking up Peak 5057 a week later. It was a challenging, and fun hike that triggered the beginning of our hiking adventures. Next we hiked Tom's Thumb, Elephant Mountain Loop, and Thompson Peak. I also went on a few solo hikes and hiked Flatiron, Go John Trail, Wilson Mountain, Spruce Mountain (my longest day hike ever at 18 miles), Granite Mountain, North Mingus Trail, Kendrick Peak, Bill Williams Mountain, and finally Humphreys Peak (my first time over 12k feet).
Several people cautioned me that Humphreys Peak would be potentially difficult due to the 12,633 foot elevation. Undeterred, I woke up one morning at 4am and left my house at 5am to reach the Humphreys Peak trailhead at Snowbowl at 7am. I took it slow on this first Humphreys climb, so that I wouldn't suffer an altitude issues. While I could feel that the air was thin it seemed to have little impact on me. A week later I hiked Humphreys Peak again, and this time at a much quicker pace, and passed about dozen hikers on my way up. My time up and down was four hours and fifty minutes. A couple weeks later my hiking partner joined me for another Humphreys Peak climb. This third attempt was spoiled by the extreme wind on the ridge, and with the wind blowing perpendicular to the ridge we decided it wasn't safe to go all the way up. We'll be back to try again, and hopefully get amazing fish and chips at Dark Sky Brewing.
A Bigger Plan
After hiking Humphreys Peak several times I began to look into other higher peaks, and after a little bit of research I discovered the world of Colorado Fourteeners. It turns out Colorado has over fifty peaks that are over fourteen thousand feet tall. Just for fun I asked ChatGPT to create a five day five fourteener peak itinerary, and what it gave me was Sherman, Elbert, Belford, Oxford, Yale and Quandary. With these results, I did my own research, and figured out that it was mostly a sound plan. I posted this plan to the Colorado 14ers Facebook Group , and received positive feedback and recommendations. I changed a few routes, and base camps around. The biggest change was the route up Sherman which ChatGPT had suggested going at from the Leadville side. The trailhead on the Fairplay side is much easier for a first time climb. A rest day was also added between most of the hikes. What I ended up with was a ten day vacation trip starting on July 3rd and ending on July 13th.
- July 3, 2025 - Drive from Denver airport to Fairplay and spend the night at the Hand Hotel.
- July 4, 2025 - Check out of the hotel at Fairplay and head to the Mt Sherman Fourmile Creek Trailhead. After the hike, drive to Leadville and check into the History Delaware Hotel.
- July 5, 2025 - Wake up early in Leadville and head to the Mt Elbert North Trailhead. Head back to Leadville and get some good food.
- July 6, 2025 - Rest and enjoy Leadville.
- July 7, 2025 - Check out of the hotel in Leadville and head to Belford and Oxford Trailhead (41 minute drive). Drive to Buena Vista after the hike.
- July 8, 2025 - Rest and enjoy Buena Vista.
- July 9, 2025 - Head to Denny Creek Trailhead to hike Mt Yale (get there at 6am). Go back to Buena Vista for food and relax.
- July 10, 2025 - Rest day in Buena Vista.
- July 11, 2025 -Check out of the hotel in Buena Vista, and head to Breckenridge. (1 hour 31 minute drive)
- July 12, 2025 - Wake up early in Breckenridge and head to the Quandary Trailhead.
- July 13, 2025 - Check out of the hotel and head to Denver Airport.
Executing The Plan
July 3rd: Driving from Denver to Fairplay was a nightmare. What was supposed to be a two hour drive ended up being about six hours due to the holiday traffic. The 285 was just stop and go traffic almost the entire way. Lesson learned.
July 4th - Mt Sherman: I chose this date so that I would summit my first fourteener on my 46th birthday. I was only partially successful in this endeavour. The climb up Mount Sherman started off great. My legs were perfectly okay with the climb and I felt great. I met a hiker named Jennifer at the beginning of the hike and we stuck together the entire time, encouraging each other to make it to the top. She recently had significant spinal surgery and hadn't hiked in about a year. We both had our reasons for conquering this first fourteener. Jennifer fell behind a bit as I pushed on. She ended up with another group of hikers holding hands as the wind intensified. As we hiked up the mountain the weather became increasingly more ominous. As we approached 13,000 feet the wind had started picking up and it started raining and hailing. Every person we passed on the way up told us the wind stopped them from reaching the summit. Eventually as we approached 13,700 on the ridge the wind and hail stopped us in our tracks. I was being blinded by the rain and hail hitting my face. The mountain and weather had humbled us. It was no longer safe to continue. We took our pictures with the soaked sign I had printed on the ridge so very close to the summit. I loaned my new hiking buddy an extra pair of gloves so that she could double up on gloves. The temperature had dipped into the thirties, and with the wind chill her gloves were no longer good enough. My gloves were barely adequate, and I ended up buying a new pair later in Leadville. Even though we didn't make it to the peak it was an accomplishment and learning experience. The hike down was uneventful as we dipped below the clouds and howling winds. We both got the chance to glissade for the first time which was a blast. (Distance: 4.39 miles. Elevation gain: 2,172 feet. Time: 2h 24m)
July 5th - Mt Elbert: I didn't schedule a break between Sherman and Elbert. I woke up early and headed straight to the trailhead for Mount Elbert. Elbert is the second tallest mountain in the lower 48 at 14,440 feet. The hike itself was relatively easy. At the beginning of the hike I met a hiker named Andrea, and I ended up becoming her guide up and down the mountain. This slowed my pace significantly but I assured her that it was nice to have a hiking partner. The weather was absolutely perfect for this hike. When we reached the summit we took our photos and hung out for a while. A few of her friends also showed up after us and I helped take a few nice photos of them with my new camera. The hike down was uneventful. Afterwards Andrea insisted on buying me lunch. I had the most amazing hamburger at The Leadville Grill and Cantina. (Distance: 10.34 miles. Elevation gain4,344 feet. Time: 5h 55m)
July 6th - Kayaking: I rented a kayak from Twin Lakes Adventures and spent four hours on the lake. My legs got a rest, and my arms got a nice workout.
July 7th - Belford and Oxford: These two peaks are typically done as pairs as they're very close together. You can even add Missouri as a third if you're feeling particularly adventurous. This will end up being the most grueling hike I have ever done. The hike up to Belford was fairly straightforward. My legs were a little sore from Elbert two days prior but I was okay. Where things got crazy was the hike from Belford to Oxford. This involved a half mile very steep hike down a saddle to get to Oxford. The entire area was absolutely beautiful. Both mountains were covered in wildflowers. If it wasn't for this beauty I would have seriously questioned my sanity for doing this. Once off Oxford I hiked back down the saddle and up the very steep slope to Belford. I ended up stopping a few times on my way back up to Belford. I was really questioning my life choices during this final climb. Eventually I made it up to Belford and took the Missouri Gulch trail back to the Belford trailhead. This added an extra mile or so but it was much more gradual. It was another successful, but grueling, fourteener summit. (Distance: 12.81 miles. Elevation gain: 5,912 feet. Time: 7h 29m)
July 8th - Kayaking: I took another rest day and headed out to Twin Lakes for another four hours of kayaking. I only managed about three and half hours of fun on the water until the wind picked up and I had to return to shore. I learned very quickly what wind and waves will do to a kayak. I was pummeled by a large wave and completely drenched. I found out that the first aid kit in my bag was not at all water proof and completely ruined. Luckily I found a nice waterproof first aid kit in Buena Vista along with a few other supplies.
July 9th - Mt Yale: I headed to the Denny Creek Trailhead to hike Mount Yale. This hike was fairly easy. My legs were still angry at me for what I did on Belford and Oxford but I really had no issues with the hike. Yale was a wonderful hike from beginning to end. Near the top of the summit I had to contend with a boulder field and do a bit of scrambling. I had to put my camera and poles away to do some class 2 scrambling. I managed to bang the inside of one of my ankles on a sharp rock. The ankle bled quite a bit, but luckily it already had a bandage on it from a previous injury. This kept the blood contained so that I could deal with it later. The hike down was uneventful. The weather was perfect the entire time. I returned to the car and drove back into town for a much deserved early dinner. (Distance: 9.89 miles. Elevation gain: 4,409 feet. Time: 5h 51m)
July 10th - Whitewater Rafting: I decided to do something I had never done before, and signed up for a three hour whitewater rafting tour from River Runners near Buena Vista. My legs sort of got a rest day from this. I learned that your legs play an important part in keeping yourself from falling out of the raft. I almost fell out one time when we crashed straight into a boulder. It was still mostly an upper body workout. I had an absolute blast, and will do this again when the opportunity presents itself.
July 11th - Kayaking: I had a second rest day for my legs. I rented a kayak for a couple of hours from Stand Up Paddle at Dillon Lake. The weather was great, though some cloud cover would have been nice. It was my first time on a “sit on top” kayak. I think I really prefer the “sit inside” style.
July 12th - Quandary Peak: I completed my final fourteener by hiking up Quandary Peak. This was a very easy hike, and I finished it in four hours and eight minutes. There was a mountain goat on the trail which was a wonderful sight. The hike back down was easy and I even did a little bit of trail running. It was nice to conclude my tour of the fourteeners with a relatively easy hike. (Distance: 7.34 miles. Elevation gain: 3,448 feet. Time: 4h 8m)
July 13th - Homeward: I left early from Breckenridge and drove to Denver International Airport. Traffic was no problem and I arrived way too early at the airport. In hindsight I should have gone kayaking, or maybe even hiked Quandary again before driving to Denver.
Photos
More photos can be found on SmugMug.
What's Next?
Now that I've gotten a taste of what it's like to hike these mountains I'll be creating a new list of fourteeners for my next adventure. I probably won't stop at fourteen thousand feet either. I have my eyes on Kilimanjaro (19,341'), Aconcagua (22,837'), Acatenango (13,045'), and Everest Base Camp (17,598', not the peak, I'm not that crazy). There are also a few good hikes in Utah that Andrea had recommended.
References