3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

FAQ and threads for those just starting to hike the Colorado 14ers.
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Wentzl
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by Wentzl »

Anyone else find this comment amusing?

From the OP:

We're also not opposed to driving deeper into the mountains to avoid the crowds.

How deep is deep enough? How deep worthy is your vehicle?

for OP, to avoid crowds, timing matters more than penetration.
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by ltlFish99 »

Sbenfield wrote: Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:50 pm From the Lake City area you have good access to Handies Pk, Sunshine Pk, Redcloud Pk, Uncompaghre Pk & Wetterhorn Pk. All those are peaks are easy to moderate apart from Wetterhorn which does have Class 3 section at the top
+1 on the above recommendations. I was in that area twice this summer and it was great.

If camping at grizzly gulch trailhead, bring earplugs since that is on cinnamon pass and the OHVs run up and down that road until late at night.
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by ltlFish99 »

Trotter wrote: Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:13 am
nyker wrote: Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:56 pm
Missouri Gulch - Belford/Oxford/Missouri in 1-2 days, and add on a day for both 13ers on the other side of the ridge (Iowa and Emerald) and pack out.
+1
+2
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by peter303 »

Hiking_TheRockies wrote: Mon Jan 04, 2021 7:58 am Chicago Basin could be good, you've got Eolus, North Eolus, Sunlight, and Windom. Many other peaks around there to hike as well, not sure what the snow situation is though.
Not a good first 14ers hike due to length of approach, peak difficulty and distance from civilization.
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by aaronnorlund »

Thanks for this thread. My spouse and I are planning something similar.
~/)~
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by Scott P »

peter303 wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:39 am Chicago Basin-Not a good first 14ers hike due to length of approach, peak difficulty and distance from civilization.
I respectfully disagree, especially since they said they had mountain experience.

Except for perhaps the last move on Sunlight, it would be a great trip for someone with a bit of mountain experience.

My four year old did Windom and it was a great trip:

https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... m=tripmine
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by 3DCJ »

Consider a trip to Mt. Lindsey. Lindsey isn’t overly difficult but has some exposure. There are several 13ers nearby and the east face of Blanca shines beautifully in the morning
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by nmjameswilson »

jrshusko wrote: Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:36 pm Hi All,

Love the site, definitely a great resource to the 14ers!

A friend and I are planning to spend 3-5 days in the CO mountains this summer (Jun-Aug sometime). We're both interested in trying to hike a few 14ers during the trip. We both have a fair bit of mountain hiking experience but neither have done a 14er yet so we're not looking for any technical climbing. We'd like to setup camp somewhere that would allow us to try 2 or 3 peaks without moving around a ton. We're also not opposed to driving deeper into the mountains to avoid the crowds.

Any recommendations of 2-3 easy to moderate peaks to try or towns/places to use as a "basecamp" over a 3-5 day period? Thanks!
Others have said the answer I was going to give but I will add a couple comments about the ones stated. I went out last year to a few of the suggestions and they are spot on.

1. You will not get away from crowds on any climb entirely but it helps to go on a weekday like Tuesday-Thursday to at least see less people. This is especially important on climbs like say Wetterhorn where you can get bogged down by skittish climbers on the staircase. Leave before first light wearing headlamps is the best advice I can give you there.

2. Some of the suggestions given depend on if you are camping or staying in hotels or both. For example if you do the Chicago Basin that will take up a large portion of the 3-5 days you want to be out there climbing. This is due to the train to get there and back out plus a night or two camping. So gear will probably impact any choices.

3. You stated June as a possible time to head out. Be sure to check the snow pack melting before going. Snow might not matter in your decision but it does make for all new challenges.

I would go with Lake city if you want to hotel it. If you are driving in from the east you can hit San Luis on your way in for an easier climb to get acclimated and see how you feel. From there on to Lake City where you can start with a pretty climb up American Basin and Handies. You will be able to get a double day in with Redcloud/Sunshine which are easier peaks as well. You will be able to get introduced next to class 3 and exposure with Wetterhorn. It is a easy hike up with the final portion being class 3. That gives you five peaks and a great taste of the amazing views Colorado has and will prepare you for future trips if you like.

If you do not want to drive so far or are flying in there are always peaks closer to Denver. You can hit Grays/Torreys then Quandary, Evans and or Bierstadt. There will be WAY more people on these however and the standard routes do not get you the class 3 you wanted.

Happy Climbing!
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by nmjameswilson »

Scott P wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:20 pm
peter303 wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:39 am Chicago Basin-Not a good first 14ers hike due to length of approach, peak difficulty and distance from civilization.
I respectfully disagree, especially since they said they had mountain experience.

Except for perhaps the last move on Sunlight, it would be a great trip for someone with a bit of mountain experience.

My four year old did Windom and it was a great trip:

https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... m=tripmine
What a great story! Your son and father are bad@sses. Curious since this was 2006 did your son continue climbing? I want my son to join me someday too :-)
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by Scott P »

nmjameswilson wrote: Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:49 am
Scott P wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:20 pm
peter303 wrote: Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:39 am Chicago Basin-Not a good first 14ers hike due to length of approach, peak difficulty and distance from civilization.
I respectfully disagree, especially since they said they had mountain experience.

Except for perhaps the last move on Sunlight, it would be a great trip for someone with a bit of mountain experience.

My four year old did Windom and it was a great trip:

https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... m=tripmine
What a great story! Your son and father are bad@sses. Curious since this was 2006 did your son continue climbing? I want my son to join me someday too :-)
Yes, he still does stuff. Now he's more interested in climbs that are too hard for me though.
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by Dan_Suitor »

ltlFish99 wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:06 pm
Sbenfield wrote: Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:50 pm From the Lake City area you have good access to Handies Pk, Sunshine Pk, Redcloud Pk, Uncompaghre Pk & Wetterhorn Pk. All those are peaks are easy to moderate apart from Wetterhorn which does have Class 3 section at the top
+1 on the above recommendations. I was in that area twice this summer and it was great.

If camping at grizzly gulch trailhead, bring earplugs since that is on cinnamon pass and the OHVs run up and down that road until late at night.
Another +1 on this, including the warning about Grizzly Gulch TH camping. I highly recommend Handies from Grizzly Gulch over American Basin. Also, make sure you have a good vehicle when venturing back there. The roads get rougher the further back you go.
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Re: 3-5 day trip to hike 14ers

Post by Dan_Suitor »

CaptCO wrote: Mon Jan 11, 2021 10:31 am I’ve camped at grizzly twice without issue. Probably since I didn’t go on 4th of July weekend. Amazing area to camp
I have too, and certainly would do it again for the convenience. Just warning the OP who is planning on spending 3-5 days there. Here is the view and proximity to the road.
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