First timer looking to hike a 14er

[Manikantha]

Hi,
My name is Manikatha. I will be traveling to Denver end of the month and be there for about a week. Plan is to visit Rocky Mountain National Park, hike a 14er (preferably Gray's and Torreys Peaks), drive up Pike's peak, drive Million Dollar Highway. This would be my first big hike. Had some experience with hiking in general and did a few ruck marches during my time in service. I am looking for guidance on how to approach my hike, especially with all the tragic incidents I have read off late, not to mention bear attacks too. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

[Hungry Jack]

Grays is a great first 14er: beautiful, relatively easy, class 1 trail all the way with zero exposure. The hardest part is getting a parking spot at the trailhead. Given the lateness of the season you might have less to worry about in terms of parking (midweek would be ideal). It’s possible you get snowed out in October on Grays or pretty much anywhere above 10,000 ft.

Bear attacks aren’t really a thing in CO on 14ers.

Get yourself in the best cardio shape possible. Trekking poles are very helpful.

[daway8]

There are some great resources on this site for those just getting started with 14ers. Check out the Getting Started page and be sure to click the "Next" button at the bottom to see recommend gear, safety tips, planning, etc.
https://www.14ers.com/getting-started

There's also a FAQ page with common questions:
https://www.14ers.com/14ers-faq

The one downside of starting with Grays and Torreys is that you'll add a fair amount of distance/elevation if you can't drive up to the 4WD trailhead. Bierstadt is a great intro peak with the trailhead right off Guanella Pass. Or try Quandary if you don't mind making reservations for the shuttle. Sherman is another easy access starter peak.

Key tip is beware of afternoon thunderstorms - usually it's a good idea to try to be down off the summit before noon, which often means starting before sunrise (depending on how fast you are).

[knova]

I'm also relatively early on my journey, I've done 8 unique 14ers now (with 10x 14er summits, confusingly). So maybe take my opinion with a grain of salt:

I would echo the concern about Grays/Torreys. Great peaks to start on, very appealing as you can do two in a day if you are feeling up for it, but unfortunately the trailhead might be challenging to reach and I would not risk the penalties you'll pay if you mess up a rental car. If you have a friend driving you up there, great - carry on. And (at least last time I was there), the G/T trailhead isn't 100% un-navigable in stock crossover vehicles. It's just... unpleasant.

As for the actual Grays/Torreys hike itself, there's almost nothing to it. Well defined trail, low risk (outside of previously mentioned lightning + late season snow).

One thing I'd like to add: I know you want to hike a 14er when you are here, but you absolutely don't need to. I say that because many (but not all, and I don't want to sound insensitive) of the 'tragic incidents' you hear surrounding 14er hiking / mountaineering are preventable - many people just don't know when to turn around, or hit the trail even when they know the forecast isn't great, or they try to push even though they woke up feeling a bit funny from the altitude. If the conditions aren't right or you aren't feeling up for it, maybe err on the side of caution. These mountains will be here even if you can't work it into this trip.

[Mtnman200]

Or try Quandary if you don't mind making reservations for the shuttle.

Parking reservations (or shuttle) for Quandary Peak aren't required after 9/13/2026, according to https://www.summitcountyco.gov/services ... /index.php

[bangerth]

And on the question of dangers: There are obviously dangers to climbing and to altitude, but you should also consider that *hundreds* of people hike 14ers each day in the summer. It is, objectively, quite safe to do so, especially on the non-technical ones. The same is true for bears: Nearly every one of us who have hiked many peaks will have seen bears more than once; but bear attacks are vanishingly rare in Colorado. Again, objectively, Colorado's bears are not out to get you as long as you give them a wide berth.

Good luck!

[mtree]

Grays at the end of September is a solid choice as long as you have a vehicle to get you to the trailhead. Or if you don't mind the extra hiking mileage. Crowds have died down, but you should still get there super early (5am-ish) on weekends. Weekdays may be preferred. If this is a problem Bierstadt or Quandary are excellent alternatives!

Late September is when the weather starts to turn. It is possible to encounter snow, snowstorms, and the dangers that come with it. Cold, wind, wet, visibility, traction. Prepare accordingly or realize its not a great idea to hike today. Otherwise, its a gorgeous time of year to hike a mountain!

Also know its likely the Aspens are still in show depending on weather. So weekends could be crowded with tourists during the day and that includes the roads. Guanella Pass could be a parking lot of traffic. The other areas aren't conducive to leaf viewing, but Breckenridge has Oktoberfest the weekend of Sept 25. I recall last Oktoberfest it was snowing above 11,000 ft with thunderstorms!

As mentioned, bears are not really an issue hiking 14ers. If you're camping you would need to take precautions but doesn't sound like you are. Colorado only has black bears and they don't like to eat people. The tragic incidents, well, those were on far more dangerous hikes/climbs. That's not to say nothing can happen. That's why they're called accidents. Just don't do anything stupid.

[SloanerBroner]

Hi,
My name is Manikatha. I will be traveling to Denver end of the month and be there for about a week. Plan is to visit Rocky Mountain National Park, hike a 14er (preferably Gray's and Torreys Peaks), drive up Pike's peak, drive Million Dollar Highway. This would be my first big hike. Had some experience with hiking in general and did a few ruck marches during my time in service. I am looking for guidance on how to approach my hike, especially with all the tragic incidents I have read off late, not to mention bear attacks too. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

If you want to ease yourself into it for your first one, Mt. Bierstadt is also a really good option as well. It's still very close to Denver, good views over to Mt. Evans (Blue Sky) and an option to take a Class 3 traverse to Evans (although highly not recommended for a first timer if you don't like exposure), and you can go and drive all the way up Mt. Evans as well as hike it from Summit Lake for another easy and short 14er.

Best part is that Bierstadt's trailhead is paved all the way there, so any vehicle can make it, just need to be aware the lot fills quickly and parking on the side of the road is a ticketable offense and I've seen it happen. But show up early enough around 3-4am and you shouldn't have a big parking issue there.

Gray's and Torrey's in much more fun than Bierstadt in my opinion, but like many others have said on here, the road to the trailhead is not for vehicles without AWD and ground clearance. But if that's not an issue, definitely go for Gray's/Torrey's instead.

Hope this helped, and happy hiking!

[mtree]

Best part is that Bierstadt's trailhead is paved all the way there, so any vehicle can make it, just need to be aware the lot fills quickly and parking on the side of the road is a ticketable offense and I've seen it happen. But show up early enough around 3-4am and you shouldn't have a big parking issue there.

As long as you park your vehicle COMPLETELY off the road - meaning don't be over or straddle the breakdown lane line - you won't get a ticket. You don't need to be there by 3-4am this time of year. Even if there's no parking in the lots there's plenty of parking along the road. I climb up there every year in Sept - Oct and never had an issue. And I usually get there around 8-830am! Just be aware there may be leaf lookers driving over the pass all day long.