Planning Our First 14er(s): What do you recommend?

[Wigniter]

Typical newbie/flatlander/first post thing...

I live in Oklahoma, and have a group of about 8-12 friends that have been doing some backpacking / hiking for the last few years. Our previous mountain summit experience is hiking up Little Costilla (~12,600 elevation with about 2,500 ft of gain) in northern NM. No trails, no established campsites, and we backpacked in to our base camp. Very remote and wild. Its an awesome trip. But we want to try a 14er this year.

I've done a fair amount of reading and research, and want to try either Quandary or the Decalibron for our upcoming trip (summer 2019) - maybe both.
Question 1: Is the Decalibron a good idea with relatively young, in shape folks who train a little beforehand? (I'm building in a full day and half at 10-12,000 ft to acclimate before attempting the hike.)

On a related note, we would like to car camp at Kite Lake.
Question 2: Can anyone comment on how crowded that will be in July?

thanks so much for all the input you're willing to share with a first-timer!

UPDATE / TL;DR:
After 6 pages of great input, a lot of Googling, and talking with friends with experience, we have decided to do 4 total days on the ground. Our trip will look like this.
Day 1: Camp near Salida with acclimation hike to Waterdog Lakes (~10,300 ---> 11,500)
Day 2: Camp near Aspen with acclimation hike at Maroon-Snowmass, mostly just to sight-see (~9,600 ---> 10,100)
Day 3: Camp near Winfield and attempt Huron
Day 4: Camp near Buena Vista and attempt Yale. Alternatively, we may stay in Winfield and attempt La Plata so we don't have to move camps too many times.

[Ptglhs]

Imo try Quandary 1st and see how you feel. It's not as arduous as DeCaLiBross, and I think it's much prettier. If you can try Quandary, then give yourself at least a day to rest, then you can try the mined out talus pile known as DeCaLiBross. I tend to make conservative recommendations for another's 1st 14er.

If you go on a weekend in July it will be crowded. Very crowded. Think 1$ drink night at a bar with supermodel hot wait staff, during a Friday playoff game crowded. Go on a week day if you want to do a front range or Tensquito 14er. Sawatch is still crowded; Elks, Sangres, or San Juans less so (though the approaches near Aspen will be jammed).

[Wigniter]

Imo try Quandary 1st and see how you feel. It's not as arduous as DeCaLiBross, and I think it's much prettier. If you can try Quandary, then give yourself at least a day to rest, then you can try the mined out talus pile known as DeCaLiBross. I tend to make conservative recommendations for another's 1st 14er.

If you go on a weekend in July it will be crowded. Very crowded. Think 1$ drink night at a bar with supermodel hot wait staff, during a Friday playoff game crowded. Go on a week day if you want to do a front range or Tensquito 14er. Sawatch is still crowded; Elks, Sangres, or San Juans less so (though the approaches near Aspen will be jammed.

Good info, thanks! We're planning to be there between July 3rd-7th. My "wishlist" for locations is,
1. 3-4 hrs max from Denver
2. A good beginner 14er
3. Car camping nearby (we will try something with backpacking later, maybe Mt. of the Holy Cross)
4. Less crowded is a plus

That's how I came up with Quandary / DeCaLiBross group...

I'll discuss with the group and see if we could leave a day earlier and avoid summit hikes on the weekend altogether.

[LarryM]

No to Delcalibron. Not that it will be too hard (it's really not) for first timers, but crowded and not pretty. Kite Lake will be a zoo.

Quandary is a better pick but also likely to be quite crowded.

I'd recommend Huron. Great first timer, a little less crowded (still crowded, but less so than most within 3-4 hours from Denver), prettier than Quandary & much prettier than Decalibron & ample car camping nearby. A little further than the other 2 but still within your 3-4 hour from Denver range (assuming you can avoid peak traffic times which might be an issue that weekend).

[Eli Boardman]

I know you said you're looking for car camping for now, but I would still recommend something like this:

day 1: backpack in to Missouri Gulch (ok to start in afternoon if necessary; short steep hike)
day 2: Belford (and Oxford if you're feeling strong), return to camp
day 3: Missouri and backpack out (a little harder, but not too bad)

It's still probably somewhat crowded in the summer (I've only been to Missouri Gulch in November), but it would be nothing like the crowds in the Quandary area, and you get the benefit of a shorter summit day in a more scenic location. The shorter summit day could be really advantageous.

Alternatively, if you're willing to settle for a single 14er, you could do Humboldt on a similar schedule from the gorgeous South Colony Lakes. Humboldt would probably have the best views on a beginner 14er within 4 hours of Denver IMO.

[LarryM]

You mentioned you like backpacking. I would recommend something like this:

day 1: backpack in to Missouri Gulch (ok to start in afternoon if necessary; short steep hike)
day 2: Belford (and Oxford if you're feeling strong), return to camp
day 3: Missouri and backpack out (a little harder, but not too bad)

It's still probably somewhat crowded in the summer (I've only been to Missouri Gulch in November), but it would be nothing like the crowds in the Quandary area, and you get the benefit of a shorter summit day in a more scenic location.

OP said that they don't want to backpack this time, but if they do this is very sound advice. Moreover, I HAVE been to Missouri Gulch on 4th of July weekend, and it was surprisingly non-crowded. We camped just above tree line, got an early start, and actually had the summit of Belford to ourselves (briefly) on July 5 (2015). We descended via Elkhead pass & for the majority of the hike saw almost no one. Also Missouri Gulch is ridiculously beautiful that time of year.

But yes, the backpack in is quite steep - about 2 miles with 1,800 feet of gain.

[Wigniter]

No to Delcalibron. Not that it will be too hard (it's really not) for first timers, but crowded and not pretty. Kite Lake will be a zoo.

Quandary is a better pick but also likely to be quite crowded.

I'd recommend Huron. Great first timer, a little less crowded (still crowded, but less so than most within 3-4 hours from Denver), prettier than Quandary & much prettier than Decalibron & ample car camping nearby. A little further than the other 2 but still within your 3-4 hour from Denver range (assuming you can avoid peak traffic times which might be an issue that weekend).

Cool, I'll look around that area and see if it would work as well. Thanks!

[Wigniter]

I know you said you're looking for car camping for now, but I would still recommend something like this:

day 1: backpack in to Missouri Gulch (ok to start in afternoon if necessary; short steep hike)
day 2: Belford (and Oxford if you're feeling strong), return to camp
day 3: Missouri and backpack out (a little harder, but not too bad)

It's still probably somewhat crowded in the summer (I've only been to Missouri Gulch in November), but it would be nothing like the crowds in the Quandary area, and you get the benefit of a shorter summit day in a more scenic location. The shorter summit day could be really advantageous.

Alternatively, if you're willing to settle for a single 14er, you could do Humboldt on a similar schedule from the gorgeous South Colony Lakes. Humboldt would probably have the best views on a beginner 14er within 4 hours of Denver IMO.

Appreciate the advice! I'll look into this one as well.

[peter303]

I recommend Quandry with car camping at Lake Dillion about 20 miles north (4 campgrounds). Camping sites reserve quickly for that week. They are several brewpubs in that area to celebrate post-climb.

[Wigniter]

I know you said you're looking for car camping for now, but I would still recommend something like this:

day 1: backpack in to Missouri Gulch (ok to start in afternoon if necessary; short steep hike)
day 2: Belford (and Oxford if you're feeling strong), return to camp
day 3: Missouri and backpack out (a little harder, but not too bad)

It's still probably somewhat crowded in the summer (I've only been to Missouri Gulch in November), but it would be nothing like the crowds in the Quandary area, and you get the benefit of a shorter summit day in a more scenic location. The shorter summit day could be really advantageous.

Alternatively, if you're willing to settle for a single 14er, you could do Humboldt on a similar schedule from the gorgeous South Colony Lakes. Humboldt would probably have the best views on a beginner 14er within 4 hours of Denver IMO.

Now that I'm home and on a computer, I can properly respond to this.

I'm not 100% against backpacking, but most of us are flying into Denver, and the logistics would be more complex in trying to bring equipment for car camping, hiking, and backpacking all within the confines of what can boarded on a plane. Definitely wouldn't mind doing your trek if we can figure out gear transportation.

So.......Humboldt. Assuming you mean the East route. The 4,300 ft gain on the easier routes seem intimidating to me. Is that doable for a group like ours? It definitely looks like a gradual ascent.....just a lot of gain.

[Wigniter]

No to Delcalibron. Not that it will be too hard (it's really not) for first timers, but crowded and not pretty. Kite Lake will be a zoo.

Quandary is a better pick but also likely to be quite crowded.

I'd recommend Huron. Great first timer, a little less crowded (still crowded, but less so than most within 3-4 hours from Denver), prettier than Quandary & much prettier than Decalibron & ample car camping nearby. A little further than the other 2 but still within your 3-4 hour from Denver range (assuming you can avoid peak traffic times which might be an issue that weekend).

Huron intrigues me. Several of us have discussed the possibility of tackling two 14ers on this trip. That said, I wonder if we could do Quandary on Friday, then skip over to Huron for the Saturday hike. That way we could theoretically miss some of the rush. Just not sure if we're physically up for that much up and down, and wonder if we'll have the energy to pack and setup camps a few times like that right after doing our first 14er. Hmm....

[Ptglhs]

Huron intrigues me. Several of us have discussed the possibility of tackling two 14ers on this trip. That said, I wonder if we could do Quandary on Friday, then skip over to Huron for the Saturday hike. That way we could theoretically miss some of the rush. Just not sure if we're physically up for that much up and down, and wonder if we'll have the energy to pack and setup camps a few times like that right after doing our first 14er. Hmm....

Huron is a pretty hike. You can turn it into a pretty, less crowded loop with the possibility of a couple of 13ers. Look into the Lulu Gulch route. You can car camp at the 2wd or 4wd Lulu Gulch TH, hike up Lulu Gulch, tag Brown's Peak -and another ranked 13er if you're feeling ambitious- head up Huron and then down Huron's standard route and hike out a mile or 2 on the road to your cars.