I’ll second everybody who’s said rent a vehicle. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy or even 4wd, but get something as cheap as possible that can handle a dirt or rocky road without getting high-pointed on the first obstacle that’s bigger than a paperback book.
And then… Bierstadt is a great choice for a first 14er. If that goes well and you realize that you’ve got the lungs and stamina and want-to, I can’t recommend Leadville enough. It’s a natural base camp for half a dozen or so of some of the best class 1 and 2 14ers in the state: Elbert, Massive, La Plata, Harvard, Yale, and even the Belford group are all easily drivable from Leadville. And these are all great choices if Bierstadt goes well and you want to try your hand at something a little longer and/or steeper.
Heck, I even got Sherman and a couple of 13ers from Leadville. And as far as I can recall, none of these trailheads required anything more than 2wd and a little patience.
My 1st 14'er planned for late June early July
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mnsebourn
- Posts: 111
- Joined: 12/31/2011
- 14ers: 27
- 13ers: 5
- Trip Reports (6)
