FAQ and threads for those just starting to hike the Colorado 14ers.
Forum rules
This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
I'm planning a trip to Colorado for mid to late June and I'm hoping for some recommendations for beautiful peaks to check out. I have a lot of experience backcountry camping in California but my only experience in Colorado is at Comanche Peak. I was planning on hiking Mt. Elbert, a peak in the Mt. Yale area, and the Mt. Wilson area. I'd like to avoid rocky mountain NP and I'm planning on staying in Leadville a couple nights but otherwise I'm free to go where I like. I'm hoping you all can recommend some of your favorite peaks that I could hike during my trip.
Thank you all for this website it is a fabulous recourse for people like me!
The San Juans are the best range in CO imo. So many options in terms of difficulty, proximity to civilization, length of hike...etc. The 13ers are as good as/better than the 14ers, and you'll have a great time if you pick a 14er or two in there (though Wilson is a pretty tough one to start).
If you're new to CO, you'll hike in most ranges and go "oh, these are gorgeous and fun". You'll hike in the San Juans and go "I'm literally booking my next trip as soon as I get cell service again. THIS is old-school Colorado wilderness".
Elbert is the highest 14er in Colorado and specifically called out on your list. It's a bit more of a bite than the standard recommendations for 1st 14er (Quandary, Sherman, Bierstadt) but might be ok for an "experienced hiker" assuming that experience includes being at altitude.
Antero will give you a chance to try out some 4WD driving to get ready for Yankee Boy Basin which is incredibly beautiful and where you'll find stop #3:
Sneffels. This is class 3 so I would make sure you're ok on doing the other peaks first but situated in the unparalleled Yankee Boy Basin, even if you bail on the class 3 and don't summit, you'll still have had a memorable experience of a very beautiful region. But you'll want a good clearance 4WD vehicle for the road.
Wentzl asked about my experience. I have gone all over California with my family and in boy scouts when I was younger. Mostly 3 to 7 night back country camping trips. We went to Lassen, lost coast, evolution valley, mt diablo, Shasta, desolation wilderness, Granite chief, Los padres, big sur, and more in the sierras I can't remember. I have less experience with mountaineering at high altitudes but lots of time spent hiking in the mountains
Based on what you have said, I'm going to go to Chicago basin and avoid Wilson. I'm staying in Leadville so I'm going to at least attempt Elbert. Antero and Sneffels sound like great options too. I will look into some of the 13ers although I am overwhelmed with the number of fantastic peaks in Colorado.
Not sure if you have any experience at all on snow.
It was a low snow winter in CO, but even so there will be at least some snowfields to cross on most mountains in mid/late June.
Check conditions reports before you go. A set of cheap clamp-on mini-crampons might be all that you need, but those can make a big difference when crossing snowfields that have steep run-outs below them.
seannunn wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 12:21 pm
Not sure if you have any experience at all on snow.
It was a low snow winter in CO, but even so there will be at least some snowfields to cross on most mountains in mid/late June.
Check conditions reports before you go. A set of cheap clamp-on mini-crampons might be all that you need, but those can make a big difference when crossing snowfields that have steep run-outs below them.
Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO
Bad advice! You need an ice axe and be well acquainted with its use when you cross snowfields and especially couloirs that have steep run outs below them!
I would not recommend Antero by the standard route given pretty much any other option in the area. Huron or backpacking into Harvard or Columbia sound like they would be a much better choice for you. Backpacking Little Browns Creek on Antero sounds more up your alley however. Let alone any other lower elevation peaks.
You also don't mention what kind of vehicle you have. No point in doing Antero as prep (?) for Yankee Boy basin as suggested if you will just be parking at the 2wd anyways..
I think its also worth tempering expectations a bit. Hiking experience is great, but sometimes does not exactly transfer to high elevation. Be prepared to alter your peak plans as needed and take rest days to do other activities/hikes Colorado has to offer. The list is pretty much endless.
MSCHERTLE wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 11:36 am
Based on what you have said, I'm going to go to Chicago basin
…I’m not going to tell you to avoid Chicago Basin - it’s a beautiful area, worth it for the backpack alone - but I am going to point out that the fourteeners in that area are some of the most technically difficult in the state. The “easiest” is Windom, which at Difficult Class 2 doesn’t have a lot of scrambling (although YMMV depending on whether there’s snow you need to avoid…might not be a major concern this year, even in June, but then again, we’ve been known to get decent amounts of snow in June), but it is a long, steep boulder-hop. Climbers usually do that one after Sunlight, which does have some exposed scrambling, especially its summit block, then go back to camp and do Eolus and North the next day. Plus, if you don’t already have train tickets (and you might or might not be able to get them this last-minute), the hike from Purgatory Flats adds another ~20 miles round trip. Again, not saying avoid at all costs, just suggesting you read up on route descriptions and maybe trip reports before committing to something that would likely be a significant chunk of your trip.
"I'm not selling drugs, dude. Drugs sell themselves. I'm selling stoke!"
- Guy at the table next to mine at Alta's Slopeside Cafe, in what I can't help but selfishly hope were (will be?) his verbatim words to the arresting officer(s)
Yes, Chicago Basin is typically an overnight camp after riding the train in (for most people) and that area holds snow longer than other spots and is less heavily travelled early season. Hike in without the train is very long with uphill on the return.
Elbert will be fine by then as heavily traveled as it is and, yes, Yankee Boy Basin (for Sneffels) is contingent upon having a vehicle that can get you there (if not then the Antero standard route suggestion drops as well).
Yale does have the advantage of an easily accessible trailhead for any vehicle, so if you don’t have something that can handle the 4WD roads mentioned then Yale is a good option.
And keep in mind, even the "easy" 14ers (Quandary, Sherman, Bierstadt) are good solid peaks that will give you your money's worth and have some really nice views. There really are no bad options - many folks here have done the "easy" ones multiple times and Search and Rescue teams have had to pull people off of even these easy peaks so don't let the "easy" label fool you. Also, Sherman has multiple 13ers around it if you want to add a little more difficulty... Or Bierstadt has the class 3 Sawtooth Traverse... or... the options are pretty much endless...
