I'd Advise People To Stop Recommending Quandary as a Beginner 14er

[Sbenfield]

I think Quandary is a good beginner 14er because it gives a flavor of how steep other 14ers can be. The last 1000’ is pretty steep! People who summitted Quandary might then feel good translating their skills to other longer 14ers

[speth]

Welcome to hiking 14ers, the outdoor activity where everything's made up and the points don't matter.

For brevity's sake, we'll just say that anything with more than 3,500ft of gain is "not for beginners". Both Class 1 and Class 2 are included.

Ranked by shortest miles:

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Ranked by least elevation gain:

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Ranked by lowest grade ("steepness"):

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[speth]

And then, because I lied and rules do matter, and this is ain't no game or fun activity at all - it's serious business.

Same as above, but anything under 3,000ft of gain has been excluded to conform with generally agreed upon guidelines for not driving to the top of Mount Evans.

Ranked by shortest miles:

Screenshot from 2022-09-01 01-33-39.png (92.94 KiB) Viewed 2961 times

Ranked by least elevation gain:

Screenshot from 2022-09-01 01-34-07.png (91.38 KiB) Viewed 2961 times

Ranked by lowest grade ("steepness"):

Screenshot from 2022-09-01 01-34-36.png (92.7 KiB) Viewed 2961 times

If you wanted to get even more nitpicky, you'd then exclude everything outside of Class 1 which would leave two options - Quandary Peak, and Grays Peak.

[hellmanm]

Other commenters have alluded to this, but what makes Quandary a beginner 14er is the simplicity of logistics involved with getting to the top. You can show up on a Saturday morning without any planning and have a realistic shot of summiting/descending safely. That's not true for a lot of 14ers. Many have gnarly 4wd roads, many have complicated terrain with loose rock and/or exposure, and many are in some remote part of the state that's way away from help.

Quandary, by comparison is very forgiving. If you get hurt, there will be tons of folks around to help out. If you get lost, you're probably not heading off a cliff. If you blow out a tire, improperly set up a tent, or run away from a lightning storm...etc, it'll probably still be fine. I don't recommend testing this, but you get the point.

Anyway, all this to say, none of the above means it won't kick your ass. It's still a mountain with a fair bit of elevation gain. I always say that every 14er kicks my ass; it's just a matter of when. Don't worry about being overweight and hiking/climbing; plenty of folks are able to do it. Do worry about everything else that goes into a successful summit. Good luck!

[mtree]

The OP brings up a question that hits alot of folks smack in the face. Quandary is NOT a slam dunk. Yes, its a one of the easier 14ers and definitely one for beginners, but that doesn't mean its "easy" by definition. In general, 14ers are not easy, but that's all relative. Would I recommend Quandary as a first 14er to a newby? Depends on the person's conditioning, goals, and capabilities. Quandary compared to Sherman's standard, gate trailhead, is twice as difficult!

That said, lots of folks underestimate Bierstadt, too. The pitch to the saddle is steep and long compared to everything they hiked below. Then they have to scramble up boulders to the summit! And the shock is it could easily be 8+ mile round trip hike depending on where you have to park. And uphill for the finish!

Quandary. Its only a beginner peak for 14ers. You'll have a different perspective after you climb Longs.

[Candace66]

If you live in Colorado, I'd suggest climbing more 12,000-13,000 ft peaks, work on your fitness and technique, understand what gear and clothing works best for you, add on more miles and vertical gain over time and as you get more comfortable and fit, the 14ers will become easier.

Sound advice, and I hope the OP will consider it.

[dan0rama]

So you failed at something repeatedly (i.e., hiking up Quandary), and instead of owning up to your failures, you want to blame someone else for them? Who's to say you wouldn't have failed twice at whatever other 14er you NOW find easier than Quandary?

So I ask: why didn't you do better research to find the "much gentler and shorter" 14ers?

[Chicago Transplant]

The extra elevation gain I could see being issue for some on their first one, but there is a solid trail the whole way while some of the other "easier" ones have a little rougher path to deal with.

I think a better reason to stop recommending Quandary is not the extra elevation gain compared to other "easier" ones, but the parking. Part of the reason its been recommend as a first 14er is the ease of access which is really not valid anymore given you need parking or shuttle reservations to hike it anymore. At least in summer that is...

[speth]

It sounds to me like you’re a fairly new hiker (fairly new to exercise in general…?) - I think 14ers can be pretty tough right out of the gate if you’re not in relatively decent hiking shape already.

I’d echo advice above and recommend some shorter, lower elevation hikes that can get your body better prepared for future hikes. Even something like Sniktau, or School of Mines Peak, stuff like that. Not “half as easy” than a 14er, but I think a decent step between where you are and where you’re trying to get.

I can sympathize with you struggling on Quandary, but I would say that if you took multiple tries to get to the summit, you should try some other peaks to build up your base - we’re splitting hairs on “what’s the easiest 14er”, and while there may be some room for discussion, Quandary is about as easy as it gets.

[colin j]

Congrats on climbing four 14ers, that is four more than the vast majority of people will climb in their lifetimes. There are many inputs that can be used to evaluate the difficulty of any mountain; when it comes to Quandary, I would say the access and route-finding are the main reasons that it is recommended as a beginner 14er. For most hikers who have never stepped off of a well-constructed trail Quandary will be very familiar. Some of the other "easy" 14ers have a great trail for most of the hike until the very end where some route-finding will be needed and beginners may not be comfortable with this. With regards to access, yes it costs money but by reserving a parking space or shuttle you guarantee yourself access to the hike; Grays may be a great first 14er (it was mine) but it would be really discouraging to beginners to get there and find that they can't actually park.

I think another lesson from your experience that may come as a shock to some people is this; just because somebody says something on the internet doesn't mean that it's true.

[frankster]

As you can see, "flabby," I rarely post here, though I do spend a lot of time on the site during the Summer gaining invaluable information from the community before heading out to climb "our" 14ers. I did my first 14er in 1973--Mount Whitney (from Guitar Lake) at age 12, and took a 30 year hiatus before climbing again. A review of my list shows that I rarely try the Class 3 summits. So, with that as my backdrop I encourage you to continue onward with your 14er quest.

I have searched other sites for info, but no other site (IMHO) offers the wealth of "beta" that this website offers. I started out with Gerry Roach's book, but soon found the beta was better on this site. The people on this site--as a group--are likely the most knowledgeable mountaineers in Colorado. Stick around! As you can see, this community is quite supportive, and you have received wonderful advice. Parenthetically, I usually expect 1 reply out of 20 to be somewhat "unfriendly." Don't let such deter you from this site nor from your ongoing journey. You have hit 4 Summits already!

If you are lucky enough to live in Colorado, plan your Summers around these Summits. Train properly. Train regularly. Learn about the necessary gear. Learn more about our Summer weather patterns and adjust accordingly. Buy a COSAR card and carry it--and vow to never have to use it! (LOL). Methodically tackle these Class I and Class II peaks and soon you will have to change your moniker from "flabby". The physical/spiritual/mental/emotional benefits are extraordinary. ...so says the old retired Surgeon.

[Scott P]

Methodically tackle these Class I and Class II peaks and soon you will have to change your moniker from "flabby".

Depends. I have hiked, climbed or canyoneered on 5000+ days including on 214 day so far this year. I'm still flabby. It's still good to get out though.