A Whole New World II

[Biscut]

From my last thread, it certainly looks like you guys saved me from a test in futility in a melted out col on Holy Cross. I guess we (hikers/climbers/backcountry boarders) or I should say ME, are so use to just doing and planning solo that I didn't really thing to ask. I just buried my head in forums and Roach's book and maps. In retrospect, I probably should have gotten a start and advice from those of you in the know....SO here I am.

I am travelling to CO for the sole purpose of beginning the 14ers. I will be in town Sept. 7-10. I am fine with strenuous; I'd like to keep it to class 3 or 2; would appreciate a decent trail head to camp at (I will be renting a 4x4); of course I want a great view!! I have all the equipment needed for summer to winter conditions. I've camped in severe cold many a time and have cold weather/snow skills. Just letting you know up front I have skill and ability but zero experience in the world of 14ers. I would like to base camp out od the trail head around 10k ft to help with my acclimatization.

For thos eof you with lots of 14ers under your belt, if you could do your first 14er all over again, knowing what you know now, what would be your recommendation to me AND what would be your first??

[3rdGenNative]

Read through your previous thread. Sorry that you rec'd responses that I'm sure weren't what you were looking for but they were all correct.

For starting out, here are my recommendations. You won't need to rent a 4x4. You could camp on Guanella Pass and get Mt. Bierstadt done. From there, you could drive a little farther up I70 and find a place to camp out near the TH of Grays & Torreys. After those, you could drive over to Alma and carefully, drive a car up to Kite Lake and camp there at the base of Lincoln, Bross, and Democrat. If this were a perfect world and you can acclimate and tolerate the exertion, you'll have 6 (six, VI) 14ers done in one trip. That's ambitious but do-able. Each of these has a well-defined trail and plenty of people around in case something goes weird.

[Jim Davies]

I'd probably go to the San Juans (fly to Durango or Grand Junction), climb Handies and Wetterhorn, and have info on another one or two in the area if time permits. Sneffels is probably the next best in the car-camp class-3 range, but camping near the trailhead is more difficult.

[12ersRule]

Huron.

And thanks for getting this stuck in my head:

[Scott P]

If you know how to read a map, you could still do Holy Cross. The road can be a big rough though.

There are lots of peaks available.

Some peaks are more impressive than others. Other than Holy Cross and maybe Huron, be aware that the Sawatch or Mosquito 14ers aren't any more scenic than the peaks of New England, so you may want to consider areas such as the San Juans or Sangres. Those places have easier peaks, but tend to be more scenic than the much of the Sawatch or Mosquitoes.

Holy Cross, as mentioned, is scenic as well.

The Elks tend to be very scenic, but by 14er standards, the ascents are harder than in some other areas. Castle might be doable though.

If I was coming from a long distance to climb in Colorado, I'd head for those areas.

[Jim Davies]

If you're coming from Denver with a high-clearance vehicle, Huron and Humboldt would be probably be my first choices, although they're over an hour drive apart. Huron, Holy Cross, and Harvard would also be a good set of challenges. H's are the best.

[AlexeyD]

the Sawatch or Mosquito 14ers aren't any more scenic than the peaks of New England

Well, these things are subjective of course, but...as an almost life-long New Englander, I would definitely disagree with that statement - unless you're talking about just the particular mountain in question, and not taking the surrounding scenery into consideration.

[BillMiddlebrook]

be aware that the Sawatch or Mosquito 14ers aren't any more scenic than the peaks of New England

Horse poo!

I grew up in NE and the view from any peak in either of those CO ranges is better than anything in New England. Waaaaay more scenic unless you prefer rolling, tree-covered hills.

[Scott P]

I should have said some New England peaks. I actually thought that visually peaks such as Katahdin (for example) were as scenic as much of the Sawatch or Mosquitoes, but apparently others don't agree. (I do agree however that Colorado is better than the rest of the East put together multiplied several times).

It can't be argued however, that the San Juans or Sangres, overall and on average, are more scenic than much of the Sawatch or Mosquitoes. If someone is coming from far away to climb 14ers, I'd suggest visiting some of the best Colorado has to offer.

[blakhawk]

Honestly if this is your first time out west ya can't go wrong with any of them. Just make sure to pick something within your skill set. Just subtract a few miles and elevation gain that is the maximum effort for you in a day out east in Appalachia here as the altitude will slow ya down a tad. If your someone that can currently do dayhikes like the pemi loop,presi traverse, great range traverse,devils path etc in a day then hikes like holy cross in a day wood be attainable for you(jus not the cross cooly that time of year)pending on how your body reacts to the thinner air.

Now that being said the more scenic ranges in the state are with the San jauns always being voted number one,then everything else in not so much particular order is the elks,sangres,and the gore hipsters(no 14ers there tho). But those are my fav alpine ranges in co.

Wherever ya go you'll see about 30+ peaks from the top of another peak saying "what's that over there..I wanna climb that" lol.

[AlexeyD]

I actually thought that visually peaks such as Katahdin (for example) were as scenic as much of the Sawatch or Mosquitoes, but apparently others don't agree.

Well, yes - if you were to compare two side-by-side photos showing Katahdin next to, say, Bross, and photoshop them to edit out anything in the background, I'd have to agree. And, what I'll certainly agree with is that as actual hikes or climbs, a route like Katahdin via the Knife Edge is WAY more interesting and challenging than most of the Sawatch or Mosquito 14ers.

If you don't mind 3rd class, Longs could be a pretty good choice...assuming you have a few days to acclimate, since it's a very long day. Crowded, yes - but incredibly scenic and certainly unlike anything in NE.

[BillMiddlebrook]

It can't be argued however, that the San Juans or Sangres, overall and on average, are more scenic than much of the Sawatch or Mosquitoes. If someone is coming from far away to climb 14ers, I'd suggest visiting some of the best Colorado has to offer.

Absolutely.

If you're coming to CO to visit a few mellow 14ers and want to get some excellent views, these are tops:
Sawatch > Huron Peak
Sangres > Humboldt Peak
San Juans > Handies Peak
Mosquito > Mt. Democrat
Tenmile > Quandary Peak (like you had a choice)
Front > Grays/Torreys
Elks > Castle Peak