Route Description

The trailhead is west of Colorado 7 and can be reached from the north or the south. For the northern approach, drive 9.2 miles south from the intersection of US 36 and CO 7 to the turnoff for the Ranger Station. For the southern approach, drive north 10 miles from the junction of CO 7 and CO 72 on the Peak to Peak Highway to the Ranger Station turnoff. From the turnoff drive west 1 mile to the trailhead. Note: Car-camping is not allowed in the parking area. There is a tent campground nearby and a couple of full campgrounds near Meeker Park.

Details:

From the Ranger Station, start up the great East Longs Peak trail. Hike 0.5 miles to a signed trail junction - stay left on the main trail. Continue up through the forest and pass Goblins Forest. The trail comes close to Alpine Brook a couple of times. Switchback up a hill before crossing Alpine Brook on some log bridges. Leave the heavy forest shortly after the stream crossing and continue up to tree line near 11,000' (approximately 2.5 miles from the trailhead). Longs is now in view as well as the route past Mt. Lady Washington and to Granite Pass - Photo #1. Keep hiking southwest along Mills Moraine to the Chasm Lake trail junction at 11,550'.

Turn right and traverse west and northwest across the northeast slope of Mt. Lady Washington. Photo #2 was taken part way across the slope. Hike all the way to Granite Pass to find another trail junction. The North Longs Peak Trail heads off to the right. Stay left on the East Longs Peak Trail. The next portion of the hike is the ascent of an easy slope (Photo #3) just north of the Boulder Field. Switchback up the slope to reach the north end of the Boulder Field near 12,400'. The north and east faces of Longs come into view, as well as Storm Peak (13,326') ahead. Follow the trail south into the Boulder Field (Photo #4) and eventually to some established tent sites in the middle of the field. There is a restroom in this area. Little elevation has been gained throughout the long Boulder Field crossing. Your next goal is to reach the Keyhole - a notch in the rugged ridge between Longs Peak and Storm Peak. The trail finally runs out near 12,800' on the south end of the Boulder Field. Follow cairns up through the rocks as the terrain becomes more steep under the Keyhole. Photo #5 was taken near 13,000' - looking up at the east scramble to the Keyhole. Scramble up into the Keyhole - Photo #6. Many people only make it this far. The terrain beyond the Keyhole is more serious and it's not a place to get stuck in foul weather.

Pass through the Keyhole to the west side of the ridge. Glacier Gorge is down to the right and the next section of the route is off to the left. The remaining route to the summit is just under 1 mile, with a slower pace. Turn left and follow painted bull's-eyes that mark the remaining route to the summit. Scramble south along ledges toward the Trough - Photo #7. The Trough is a large gully that ascends southeast toward the summit of Longs, but it's more than just a hike to overcome terrain leading to the Trough. About 1/3 of the way across, the route climbs up about 50' before descending 100'. This up and down adds a bit of complexity, but just keep looking for the route markers. Photo #8 was taken 1/2 way across the ledges and shows where the route intersects the Trough. Photo #9 was taken from the same location and looks back on the traverse across from the Keyhole.

Enter the Trough near 13,300' and turn left to begin the 600' ascent - Photo #10. The route is still well marked but it can take a bit of searching to find the bull's-eyes. Generally, climb (difficult hiking really) up the center of the Trough. Some easy scrambling is required in several areas. The rock is mostly stable but there are a few sections of small, loose rock. Photo #11 looks down the Trough from approximately 13,700' - climbers can be seen in the center of the photo. Near the top of the Trough, climb 30' of more difficult rock to reach the top (Photo #12) at a small, flat area. You're now on the upper portion of the ridge that runs from Longs over to Pagoda Mountain (13,497'). Longs' south side, and much more scrambling, is beyond this point.

Next, you must cross The Narrows - an exposed ledge the descends slightly as it heads east across the south side of Longs. It is safest when conditions are dry. Photo #13 was taken from the flat spot between the top of the Trough and the start of the Narrows. Carefully climb around a couple of badly positioned rocks and continue on the Narrows - Photo #14. Descend slightly and continue to follow the route markers. Photo #15 was taken after crossing most of the Narrows. Photo #16 (also looking back after crossing) is a closer look at some of the features in the Narrows. After crossing the Narrows, scramble up onto more difficult rock to reach a point where the remaining route to the summit is visible - Photo #17. The final pitch is called the Homestretch. It looks worse than it is, although water or ice will make it much more difficult. A bit of concentration is still required in this area to keep the difficulty at Class 3. Again, follow the route markers. Climb up through a couple more sections of rock to reach the final portion of the Homestretch - Photo #18. This pitch is straightforward - follow the cracks up to the summit. Care must be taken to avoid a slide down the smooth rock. In total, climb about 300' up the Homestretch to reach the flat summit - Photo #19. Photo #20 is the view of Mt. Meeker.