First 14er, Advice on which of these.

Colorado peak questions, condition requests and other info.
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xcmike
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First 14er, Advice on which of these.

Post by xcmike »

Hi! So I will be road tripping to Colorado this week and I plan on doing 1 or 2 14ers while i stay out there. I will be in boulder for most of the trip, but i would love to do a Fourteener while I'm out there. I've done research on a couple of 14ers I'm interested in doing and what to know your all's opinion on them. I'm in pretty good shape, i can run for about 8 miles. I did some hiking in the smoky mountains last week (one was 12 miles RT). So the 14ers I'm interested in are: Mt. Elbert, Mt of the Holy Cross, La Plata (if opened), Mt Harvard, and Mt Huron.

What I'm kinda looking for. Ill be doing the hike on Sunday (20th), and one Tuesday (22nd). I would like one that is on the less crowded side(I know that most of them will have a good amount of people but still). A trail with overall great view especially at the top is a huge plus. I have a huge desire to hike Holy Cross but I'm just worried on the climb back up returning to the trail-head. I also only have a 2wd car so i need parking that is reachable with that. I'm not sure when I'll be back to Colorado so i want to make the most of this trip (but not over do it haha).

Can't wait to hear your all's feedback :)
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Scott P
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Re: First 14er, Advice on which of these.

Post by Scott P »

Huron would be the easiest of those (though you will have some extra walking with a 2wd) and Holy Cross the most difficult (routefinding issues have been mostly mitigated). In a strenuous sense, it's definitely a step up from the others.

As long as you are in reasonable shape, can acclimatize, and have basic map skills, all of those should be within reach. Elbert will be the most crowded, so if you want to do that one, opt for the Tuesday for that one.

As far as scenery goes, I'd rank Holy Cross as the most scenic, followed by Huron, but all will be pretty nice.
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cougar
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Re: First 14er, Advice on which of these.

Post by cougar »

you can climb La Plata southwest slopes route and Huron from Winfield on back-to-back days. SW slopes doesn't get much traffic normally except the standard NW route on LaPlata is closed currently, and is similar to Harvard scenery and route-wise, but a few miles shorter. 2WD road to Winfield, great place to camp.

Holy Cross would be more scenic (most scenic of your list) but also a lot more effort. The uphill on the way back is on a good trail, but it can get pretty hot depending on the weather that day.
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