Log In 

Easiest 14ers in Colorado

Grays and Torreys
Grays and Torreys

Planning to climb your first 14er? If so, please visit the Climbing 14ers: Getting Started guide and plan on starting with one of the easiest 14ers. "Easy" is a relative term because each 14er requires you to be in good physical shape. The easier ones are shortest in distance and have a trail all or most of the way to the summit. Some hikers start with a more difficult peak, like Longs Peak, but we don't recommend that approach. Until you acquire the necessary skills and endurance, start with easier peaks. You need to find out how your body handles a long day at high elevation before you tackle a peak like Longs.

So, here's a list of the easiest 14er routes. They have trails, are fairly short, and the hiking is about as easy as you're going to find on a Colorado 14er. Each route is assigned a difficulty rating/class with Class 1 being the easiest because they have a defined trail all the way to the summit. Check out the complete guidebook of 14er routes here on 14ers.com.

Routes Difficulty
Gain
Round-Trip
Distance
Grays Peak: North Slopes Class 1 3,000' 7.5 mi
Torreys Peak: South Slopes Class 1 3,000' 7.75 mi
Quandary Peak: East Ridge Class 1 3,450' 6.75 mi
Combo: Grays and Torreys Class 1 3,600' 8.25 mi
Handies Peak: Southwest Slopes Class 1 2,500' 5.75 mi
Mt. Sherman: Southwest Ridge Class 1 2,100' 5.25 mi
Mt. Bierstadt: West Slopes Class 2 2,850' 7.25 mi
Huron Peak: Northwest Slopes Class 2 3,500' 7 mi
A bit more difficult/longer:      
Mt. Elbert: Northeast Ridge Class 1 4,500' 9.75 mi
San Luis Peak: Northeast Ridge Class 1 3,600' 13.5 mi

You must consider the Overall Difficulty of the route before choosing one from the list above or another route. There's plenty to consider, so let's go over what makes up the overall difficulty of a 14er route:

Explore more: