Ranking the Sawatch

[kmoss2]

Started exploring Colorado 14ers in summer 2024. Did about 2/3 of the Sawatch that summer & I am so fond of that range!! Have only done the standard route for all so these rankings reflect that, but this thread was too fun not to join in..

1. Mt Massive. Thoroughly enjoyed the trail through the forest & then this mountain blew my mind when I got to ridge. Between the views and my first proper taste of scrambling (I think this was my 10th 14er), I was in heaven! There’s a poem called “Coconuts” by Paul Hostovsky.. a line that goes, “and this was happiness”… I remember starting my descent from the summit and thinking of that poem… thinking to myself, wow. This is happiness. (Going back to the POV of someone early in their 14ers journey, I really think Massive delivers a full, fun experience.)
2. Mt of the Holy Cross. Enchanted forest, epic views, fun scramble to the top. (Can you tell this is my hiking holy trinity by now??) Not gonna lie, feeling strong charging up the 1000’ you have to re-ascend on the way back may have played into my hype for this one…
3. Mt Harvard. Everything great about Massive + Mt of the Holy Cross, but way more solitude on this one. Also opted for my first class 3 move on the way to the summit & that was pretty exhilarating.
4. La Plata. This is a full, fun day. Great views at the top. If you’ve got endurance, I’d argue you enjoy this one more than Huron.
5. Mt. Elbert. No, the trail is nothing spectacular, but there’s a nice trail flow to drop into when route-finding is easy. This was 14er #3 for me and I’ll never forget Courtney Dauwalter & her husband passing me about 3 miles in. ONE OF MY HEROES ON THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN COLORADO?! C’MON! Would not rank as high if it weren’t for that encounter.
6. Mt Oxford (via Belford). Um, tell me that ridge from Belford to Oxford isn’t beautiful??! You have charted into new territory by the time you get to Oxford and that seemed special. Less crowded over there than Belford, too.
7. Mt Belford. Fastest I ever climbed 4,000’ and that felt nice. Sherpa-ed a full size doodle named Duncan (who had an injured paw) with a small group of folks on the descent. Super memorable. The rock is a deeper color at the summit – not quite Redcloud, but I remember thinking it was pretty cool.
8. Tabeguache Peak (via Shavano). All I’m saying is, similar to Oxford, you feel pretty damn accomplished by the time you make it to Tabeguache after Shavano. It’s a rocky little climb to the top but I remember feeling like the summit had a nice small, intimate vibe, and the views were beautiful.
9. Mt Columbia*. CFI has done amazing work here. Felt like Harvard’s little sister. That false summit will break your heart if you’re not prepared, lol. I liked Harvard more.
10. Mt Yale. This is an amazing trail & hike! Easy road to access trailhead! And, a lot of folks. I’d choose Harvard 11/10x over Yale. (For what it’s worth, in mountains AND academia...)
11. Huron. Short & sweet (and in places, a little steep.) This one gets a lot of hype but I honestly thought La Plata had a similarly spectacular summit, and La Plata felt like a more interesting journey. More crowded. I didn’t love that.
12. Missouri Mountain*. Views, stunning, but was NOT a fan of the steep scree climb to gain the ridge. Also had worn out shoes and was so freaked I was gonna slip and fall way down to the right on what felt like a loose trail to the final summit. Stayed ridge proper on the way back & much preferred that spice. Gained some climbing skills that day.
13. Mt Shavano. As someone who loves to fly down on the descent, didn’t love how scree-ish the trail to the saddle forces you to be patient on your way down. 40-50mph wind gusts at the saddle was probably my favorite part of the hike when I did it. (Yeah, I'm high voltage. Alright?!) Trail is in good shape but didn’t think it was anything remarkable.
14. Mt Antero*. Look, the miles fly by on the road but just felt like a sustained plain vanilla vibe. The only part that felt somewhat exciting to me was the final push to the summit. Did this in shoulder season and was tracing frozen slush footprints to the top.
15. Mt Princeton*. Did this in the shoulder season last year and post-holed to my waist about 1-1.5k from the summit. Beginning is road hiking, then talus hopping, then… yeah, sorry. Not a fan, Princeton. Thought you were ugly and unenjoyable compared to your Sawatch siblings.

[*= had the summit to myself, always a pleasant surprise]

All of these are totally subjective based on my preferences but hey! Too fun not to play along. At 49/58 now. Unless (until??) I move to Colorado, will probably hold off on alternative routes until I finish, but definitely would love to re-climb the entire range someday AND plan to do Nolan's 14 in the next few years as well. LOVE THE SAWATCH!!