Hike MT. Elbert on 8/13 after flying in from Seattle the night before. First couple miles were chill and ran / hiked them. The last three were more of a hike and the scramble can be avoided by staying right - there’s a path. Lots of people but easy to get around. Worth the views! 3 hours up, 1.5 hour down.
Lots of places to camp and bathrooms were clean!
Beware - my partner got sick form the dramatic altitude change. Leadville is very high up consider the altitude difference even if you’re just driving out to the trailhead.
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Very beautiful hike all along the trail to the lake. The nearby Booth, Pitkin and Deluge Lake hikes are all equally beautiful.
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We did an early Sept hike, starting at 8:45am on a Tuesday so only saw 3 other hikers on the way up. Passed quite a few more on the way back down though. It's a steady incline most of the way until the last 1/2 mile. Early on the trail passes through a Aspen forest, then opens up a bit when the trail runs along Pine Creek where you see the debris field from a previous avalanche(?) on the other side of the creek. Meadows, rock fields, and a stream crossing near the top all along the route make the hike very picturesque. But nothing compares to the clear waters of Cathedral Lake in front of the Rocky backdrop of the mountains springing up behind it. Beautiful spot, and worth the hike up!
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Great hike with very rewarding views of the surrounding mountains once on top. We started out from the trailhead at 5am and reached the top by 8:30am. It's a fairly steady incline the entire time outside of one flat section within the first 1.5miles under the treeline. Getting above the treeline (about 2.8 miles in) before sunrise was worth it if you can get an early start.
There is what appears to be one split in the trail, just as you hit the steepest section (around 13,400ft). Stay to the right on the way up! To the left looks like a trail and many hikers were making that mistake only to have to turn around or scramble across the rock field to the correct trail.
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Very windy above treeline. Needed my smartwool layer the entire time. Beautiful views all around. The first mile is probably the most difficult. Once you get over the first hill of switchbacks, its gentle up and down. Stanley mountain doesn't have a sign, but there is a rock pile and pole on top of it to the left of the trail.
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Fun in-and-out hike with plenty of shade most the way. Be cautious early morning / late-evening of the few massive moose in the area.
And as of 6.17.19, getting across the creek is sketchy due to a forest blowdown from a massive avalanche. Doable, but takes some time crawling over trees and other debris.
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Beautiful views and not too difficult of a hike with the grade being not too steep.
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Easy hike to a beautiful alpine lake. Most of the elevation gain comes at the end of the hike. Our family did this in deep snow over Memorial Day weekend and had a great time! Luckily most of the trail had been broken, but still had some areas of post-holing (GAIA app was helpful as there were multiple trails in the snow). Ate lunch at the snow covered lake.
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This is a relatively short but strenuous hike, but worth every mile! Hiking in late October will have a lot fewer hikers, but expect cooler temperatures and patches of snow and ice. The majority of the trail was clear, but the last switchbacks up to the lake were snow covered and I broke trail through about a foot of snow. Some sort of ice grippers on your hiking shoes are required as well as hiking poles for that stretch. I had Stabilicers and poles. I took a leisurely pace up and took photos, so it was about 2 hours up to the lake. I got chased back down by a small snow squall, so that took about an hour and 40 minutes down.
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My wife and I hiked Mt. Elbert on July 10th, 2018. Not being from the area, we got an early start at 5:20 AM after camping just down the road. The trail was clear and even in the dawn light headlamps were not needed. After breaking through the treeline, we started to slow as the altitude got to us. The trail is not as well marked in two locations where scrambling is necessary, so it was helpful to have the GPS. Once on the ridge, the trail levels out a little for the final approach to the summit. Overall, it was a great experience, and one of the best hikes I have ever completed.
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This is a great through hike. We started in Frisco and caught the free Summit Stage bus to Copper Mountain. The hike starts there and you hike back to Frisco over Uneva Pass and through some nice high country. Very nice trail. Some fall aspen colors at the beginning and end of the hike. The hike ended up being a total of nearly 14 miles. So it can be a longer day.
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