Hello everyone,
My 16yo son and I are looking to do our first Fourteener. We're thinking Quandary, and we'd like to know if that's a good choice. We're both athletic and in good shape. We'll be hiking around southern Utah for two weeks prior, so we should be pretty salty by the time we do it. We've done Mt Humphreys in AZ and Hallett Peak in RMNP, so we at least have a little experience hiking in the mountains. I'm fully aware that we're flatlanders and rookies, (being 16, he's a little more cocky than I, go figure)! We'll be there near the end of June. One malfunction we have is that we'll be in a 30' rental rv. Can we get that thing to (or close enough to) the trailhead? Is Quandary a good choice for us? If not, is there a better peak?
BTW I arrived at Quandary through the use of this site, which is awesome. Just looking for a little extra confirmation. Thanks in advance, I really appreciate it!
First Timers
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MichiganMan
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peter303
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Re: First Timers
Quandry is a good choice for first time with a large vehicle. Its paved road toward Hoosier pass from Fairplay or Breckenridge side with a small bit of graded forest road. And the trail is pretty hard to get lost on- just follow the conga line to the summit.
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huffy13
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Re: First Timers
Quandary would be a good choice considering what you will be driving. Even if you can't get right up to the TH you will be able to get within a couple hundred yards to it. The TH is just off Highway 9. Another good one would be Mt. Yale or LaPlata as both of those THs are on paved road. Yale would be my personal preference, less crowded than Quandary and it's got some of the best views of the Sawatch peaks I've done.
Seems like the times that I need a mountain the most are the times that I can not get to them.
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justinmann311
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Re: First Timers
I just climbed Quandry a couple months ago for my first winter ascent. I had a blast. Great beginner mountain for all age groups!! Plus it has a decent sized parking lot and the trail is pretty easy to follow.
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MtnHub
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Re: First Timers
I concur with Quandary being an excellent choice for a 1st 14er.
But I also have to agree with huffy13 that Yale or La Plata might make excellent climbs as well. Both have paved, large parking areas and would be easy to access with a large vehicle. But either mountain would offer a more interesting and scenic route to their summits. While you would still have plenty of fellow hikers on any of those peaks, Quandary would likely be much more crowded.
For a 'cocky' independent teen, it might be a little more interesting. The summit ridge of Yale would challenge you to a little more 'bouldering' than just a talus run like Quandary or La Plata, but it is still nothing terribly difficult. It would give you a brief taste of scrambling as opposed to simple trail walking. But I think any of the above would work well for you. Have fun!!
But I also have to agree with huffy13 that Yale or La Plata might make excellent climbs as well. Both have paved, large parking areas and would be easy to access with a large vehicle. But either mountain would offer a more interesting and scenic route to their summits. While you would still have plenty of fellow hikers on any of those peaks, Quandary would likely be much more crowded.
For a 'cocky' independent teen, it might be a little more interesting. The summit ridge of Yale would challenge you to a little more 'bouldering' than just a talus run like Quandary or La Plata, but it is still nothing terribly difficult. It would give you a brief taste of scrambling as opposed to simple trail walking. But I think any of the above would work well for you. Have fun!!
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CreekRunner
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Re: First Timers
Yale is nice on the logistical side because if the parking lot for the standard route is full, the lot for avalanche canyon has plenty of room and is a trailhead for another route, albeit longer and more gain. I can't speak for the trail on avalanche canyon, but I remember the standard route for Yale wasn't too hard at all, and a bit more scenic than quandary.
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JQDivide
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Re: First Timers
Quandary or Bierstadt.
Are good options for first timers, and given your RV, both THs are on paved roads.
Grays is another good option. You can park on the lower/winter TH right off the interstate. And probably catch a ride to the upper TH, or just walk it.
JQ
Are good options for first timers, and given your RV, both THs are on paved roads.
Grays is another good option. You can park on the lower/winter TH right off the interstate. And probably catch a ride to the upper TH, or just walk it.
JQ
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rpdawes
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Re: First Timers
You do not have to be athletic to do a 14er summit unless you are a runner or a fast pacer. I have seen some old ladies making it to a summit. The most important thing is stay in good condition by doing daily exercises. Since you have been at top of Hallett Peak apparently without any problem, you should do well with Mt. Yale.MichiganMan wrote:Hello everyone,
My 16yo son and I are looking to do our first Fourteener. We're thinking Quandary, and we'd like to know if that's a good choice. We're both athletic and in good shape. We'll be hiking around southern Utah for two weeks prior, so we should be pretty salty by the time we do it. . . . .
Good luck with a 14er summit!
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jrbren_vt
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Re: First Timers
Since they are coming from Utah by "car", and not DIA, would they be better off with something in the San Juans to avoid the massive crowds for the front range ? Maybe Handies, Redcloud (those are ones I would like to do but my trips had me coming from DIA and I like to minimize driving so have done RMNP and Sawatch stuff to date) ? Are those just as crowded ? Snowier in late June ?
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Best Regards
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Best Regards
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Jay521
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Re: First Timers
Not sure I would want to drive a 30' RV on the shelf road to get to Redcloud/Handies... But then I hate driving shelf roads period...jrbren_vt wrote:Since they are coming from Utah by "car", and not DIA, would they be better off with something in the San Juans to avoid the massive crowds for the front range ? Maybe Handies, Redcloud (those are ones I would like to do but my trips had me coming from DIA and I like to minimize driving so have done RMNP and Sawatch stuff to date) ? Are those just as crowded ? Snowier in late June ?
I take the mountain climber's approach to housekeeping - don't look down
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Tornadoman
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Re: First Timers
Seconded! I don't think that road would be enjoyable in a 30 foot RV either.... in my wife's 39 14ers the drive on this road is the most afraid she has been although maybe some of that was due to my driving.Jay521 wrote:Not sure I would want to drive a 30' RV on the shelf road to get to Redcloud/Handies... But then I hate driving shelf roads period...jrbren_vt wrote:Since they are coming from Utah by "car", and not DIA, would they be better off with something in the San Juans to avoid the massive crowds for the front range ? Maybe Handies, Redcloud (those are ones I would like to do but my trips had me coming from DIA and I like to minimize driving so have done RMNP and Sawatch stuff to date) ? Are those just as crowded ? Snowier in late June ?
Climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.
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spiderman
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Re: First Timers
If you have already done the AZ highpoint, consider doing Elbert. It is harder than Quandary but very doable if you are already a bit acclimated with a few prep hikes. If you are excited about a peak, an extra hour of ascent is not going to push you over the physical limit. There are lots of camping/parking options on the road to the Halfmoon Creek TH. Warning: the highpointing bug can get addicting for some people.
