Mt. Lincoln

The standard approach is the Decalibron Loop, which begins at the Kite Lake Trailhead outside of Alma. Most hikers complete the loop clockwise, summiting Democrat and Cameron first before traversing the wide, high-altitude saddle over to Mount Lincoln. The push from the Lincoln-Cameron saddle is a short, straightforward Class 2 walk up a wide, rocky ridge, meaning you get a 14er summit with very little extra vertical climbing once you are already up on the high ridge.

If you choose to hike the entire four-peak Decalibron group, the loop spans over 7 miles and takes between 4 and 6 hours for the average hiker. Because the entire route stays above 13,000 feet once you make the initial climb out of Kite Lake, you are heavily exposed to the elements for hours. To ensure your safety against sudden, violent afternoon alpine thunderstorms on this high-altitude ridge, you should plan to leave the trailhead no later than 5:30 AM.

No, but a low-clearance vehicle will have trouble. The standard trailhead for Mount Lincoln sits at Kite Lake (elevation 12,000 feet), accessed via Kite Lake Road out of Alma. While the first few miles are a well-graded dirt road passable for standard 2WD passenger cars, the final mile becomes rough, rocky, and can develop ruts. A high-clearance AWD or 4WD vehicle is recommended to drive all the way to the upper parking lot; low-clearance cars should park further down the road at designated pullouts to avoid bottoming out.

These peaks were the absolute epicenter of Colorado's late-1800s silver rush, hosting legendary operations like the Moose Mine and the Russia Mine. Because miners found rich silver deposits right in the horizontal limestone layers rather than vertical granite veins, the interior of these mountains was hollowed out like Swiss cheese. The peaks are pockmarked with partially collapsing underground tunnels and open vertical shafts that sit just inches beneath the surface, which is exactly why the land remains private property and hikers must stay strictly on the established trail to avoid hazards.