Colorado has 54 peaks rising 14,000 feet or higher, the most of any state. For a celebration of the joys that come from climbing colorados highest peaks, see gerry and jennifers guidebook, colorados thirteeners. Copper local writes new ebook on hiking 14ers for beginners. If youre interested in climbing a 14er, read the route description to make sure its within your ability and then print a version for the trail. The standard routes on page 18 and when the photocopy blows away in the wind or is ruined by rain, they are lost. Colorado has 58 mountains over 14,000 feet 4,266 meters in height but only 53 are noted as 14ers.
Heres a quick rundown of standard route difficulty rankings, as ranked on 14ers. The mission of is to provide free access to peak information, photos, climbing routes and an active forum, all in an open environment thats easy to use. The spectacular photography by todd caudle provides inspiration to get out and achieve those summits. The book begins with the story of talus monkey, climber david worthingtons handle on the forums. Skip the crowded colorado 14ers and hike one of these. Besides the oftenclimbed standard routes, the guide describes many alternative and technical routes, with each route rated by. In this portable book format, each description includes clear, concise directions for driving to the trailhead, where to park. Many books have been written on colorados fourteeners i believe this guide is the most useful. An introduction to hiking colorados 14ers denverdavis. A number of famous peaks near telluride draw mountain climbers from all over the world, but its hiking colorados 14ers mountains with an elevation over 14k feet, that puts hikers and mountaineers in a special club. The california list of california 14ers has some historical importance, given the characters who completed the first ascents, but i prefer to think of this issue as not a right or wrong debate, but saying something about the seriousness of peak lists in the grand scheme of natural things. May 20, 2009 along with a number of less involved accidents, mark covers two complex ones in great detail. The standard routes the colorado mountain club guidebook colorado. Some peaks are simple walkups simple if you ignore the challenges of the high altitude, but others are class 3 scrambles and class 4 climbs.
Mark obmascik will be in portland this week for an author appearance at powells city of books wednesday, may 20, 7. Fulcrum publishing in golden co published the 3rd edition of gerrys fourteener book in 2011. While this book is very useful for those climbing in the dry season, the true strength lies in snow and skiroutes. Book overview this completely rewritten and redesigned second edition is organised by mountain rangethe only book you will need to find the most popular route up each of the 54 colorado 14ers. If you are just beginning to explore colorados 14ers, stay away from longs peak, the elk. In the mountaineering parlance of the western united states, a fourteener is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet 4270 meters. For the first time, all the routes, maps and pictures you need to climb the 14ers were available in a single book. I played with the thought of quitting my job, if necessary, to assemble the required amount of freetime. Worthington came to climbing later in his life and became obsessed with 14er bagging. The main fourteener article has a list of all of the fourteeners in the united states, as well as.
The colorado mountain club recognizes a historical list of 54 summits which drops 1 peak and adds 2 from the 53 ranked fourteeners. It reads like the third edition blue spine of gerrys famous 14er book rather than the first or second editions with efferculty scores that put into perspective the pitch, terrain, distance, complexity, etc. They are the some of the most amazing mountains in the world and have been the number one object of adoration for hundreds of thousands of coloradoans. Additionally we also offer guided climbs of easier 14ers in the lake city area in the san juan mountains. The colorados 14ers pack guide features the most popular routes for all 54 of colorados fourteeners and fits in your pack. From hikes to climbs by gerry roach 1999, paperback, revised at the best online prices at ebay. In the mountaineering parlance of the western united states, a fourteener is a mountain peak. In total, 96 peaks are members of the wider us 14ers club. Mount elbert in the sawatch range is the highest peak of the rocky mountains and the highest point in the u. This set off a climbing frenzy over the next decade, culminating in the launch of in the early 2000s. Colorados fourteeners from hikes to climbs by gerry roach.
In the end well actually have 57 of the 58 since we missed conundrum due to a thunder head. Jul 08, 2019 most are among the leastclimbed 14ers in colorado, which makes the number of deaths even more sobering. Our mission is to preserve and protect the natural integrity of colorados fourteeners after a 1993 study noted significant environmental impacts due to rapidly expanding recreational use. The colorado 14ers book jefferson county public library.
Many books have been written on colorado s fourteeners i believe this guide is the most useful. Along with a number of less involved accidents, mark covers two complex ones in great detail. Pretrip preparation using summitpost to become familiar with some of what colorado has to offer, i began forming the idea of a 14ers trip. Each description includes clear, concise directions for driving to the trailhead, where to park, a map of the route, difficulty rating, elevation.
Colorado has 58 mountain peaks exceeding 14,000 feet known as fourteeners or 14ers locally the most of any state. Colorado mountain ranges in the book are colorcoded for easy recognition and understanding. A more thorough, albeit rarely used, list was created by gerry roach with no regards to official names and only 40 of prominence enough to see with contour lines which puts the total to 75. There are skidescents on virtually ever peak except for maybe. This is a complete list of the 12 fourteeners in the u. The softcover 6x9inch book contains 400 pages, 256 routes, 49 of which are rated classic, 79 extra credits, and 79 variations on colorados 56 fourteeners, 60 fine annotated color photographs, and 31 fullyrevised, color, annotated topographic maps. A portable guide to the standard routes up all 54 fourteeners. Jun 15, 2017 this really should go without saying, but if you are a slow driver and have a number of cars behind you, take advantage of a pullout along the road to let them pass. This is the perfect book for anyone working their way through the list. Eightynine peaks in the united states meet or exceed 14,000 feet. Colorado 14ers list and map of the fourteeners in colorado.
In this portable book format, each description includes clear, concise directions for driving to the trailhead, where to park, a route description, a map of the route, difficulty rating, elevation gain, roundtrip distance, estimated time to the summit and back. Many are technical, requiring glacier travel or vertical climbing skills. The most beta on the 14ers for the least amount of money. In the mountaineering parlance of the western united states, a fourteener is a. The best routes is the definitive guidebook from the people who volunteer countless hours building trails, educating hikers, and working with land management agencies. How all of colorados fourteeners were named outthere colorado. If you need a warm up, there are 200 more peaks in colorado that arent quite 14ers but still tower above,500 feet. Formed in 2000 by breckenridge, colorado resident bill middlebrook, 14ers. One popular guide book explains that in colorado tree line is typically about 3,000 feet below the summit of the 14ers. What is the approximate number of people who have summited all of the colorado 14ers. Most 14er guides including roachs book and use the yosemite decimal system to describe trail conditions. Ethan greene, director of the colorado avalanche information center, discusses the unique avalanche hazards posed in spring time on colorado s 14,000foot pe. The second highest number are found in alaska 28 followed by california 12. Since many climbers go beyond the 14ers and climb ers, 14ers.
Some say that 3,000 feet is just a nice round number. We keep the book on the coffee table yearround and often thumb through it in the dead of winter, looking forward to our next adventure. If you like to hike mountains, and want to hike the 14,000 foot mountains fourteeners in colorado, this is the musthave book. Includes a lot of info and routes you wont find online at or summitpost nice for when you want to climb a nonstandard route and avoid the crowds. For the nba development league team, see colorado 14ers. Mount evans featured on 14ers maps 1 of 16 is the 14er peak most prominently visible from denver and one of only a handful where one can drive almost to the summit. The colorado 14ers pack guide measures 4 x 7 inches and weighs less than 4 ounces. Climbing a fourteener is the quintessential colorado bucket list item. Well, after 7 years in the making and 11 years of climbing 14ers with his golden retriever named sawyer, josh aho of denver completed his wonderful coffee tablestyle book chronicling his and sawyers 14er adventures together in an attempt to become the 2nd humandog duo to climb all of colorados 14ers. The colorado ers are peaks between,000 and,999 feet in elevation.
No book that i know of addresses or even attempts to address all of colorados 637 ranked ers. All the routes have been approved by the colorado fourteeners initiative cfi or the responsible agency, be that the us forest service, bureau of land management. The descriptions and maps provide the information you need for the best route to each summit. This edition is probably a bit old now, but still the benchmark book to learning the routes, difficulties, directions to trailheads, and the payoff of each mountains routes, from hikes to climbs. Climbing 14ers has become a favorite activity of locals as well as climbers from all over north america. Colorados 14ers ranked by difficulty outthere colorado. The best dry season 14er guide would be gary roachs colorado s fourteeners, 3rd edfrom hikes to climbs there are number of routes over snow, including ones that are only safe over snow, and even some new routes. Jun 03, 2019 the number of people hiking 14ers is no doubt growing, based on population growth and the popularity of mountaineering and outdoor sports in general, said colorado mountain clubs. Protecting colorado 14ers colorado fourteeners initiative. Secluded wilderness, stunning views, abundant wildlife, lost lakes, alpine meadows, and unforgettable memories are waiting.
There are a variety of routes to the summit of varying difficulty, but expect this to be one of the busiest 14ers in colorado in the summer due to. The best routes is the definitive guidebook from the. Backbone adventures is an atv, jeep, dirt bike, and razor rental tour facility in estes park colorado. As as state, colorado boasts approximately 550 mountain peaks that exceed,120 ft 4,000 m. We also have a limited number of days to climb in rocky mountain national park which includes longs peak. The colorado 14ers by the colorado mountain club, paperback. As the most uptodate book available, the colorado 14ers covers all access issues as of this writing in 2010, one 14er is closed to climbers and one has limited access and a fee. The north face of meeker, together with the east face of longs, form colorados greatest mountain cirque, in the opinion of noted mountaineer and guide book author gerry roach. The colorados 14ers pack guide 3rd edition rei coop. Now in its second edition, this climbing and hiking guide to colorados 14,000foot peaks has been updated to include 250 routes. This list picks up where the colorado 14ers list leaves off. In the mountaineering parlance of the western united states, a fourteener is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet 4267 meters. The colorado 14ers pack guide measures 4 x 7 inches and weighs less than 5 ounces.
This page lists colorados summits between,000 and,999 feet. The colorado s 14ers pack guide features the most popular routes for all 54 of colorado s fourteeners and fits in your pack. Formed in 2000 by breckenridge, colorado resident bill middlebrook, is the premier resource for climbing the high peaks in colorado. The standard routes, from the colorado mountain club. Since 1992, colorados fourteeners has sold more than 40,000 copies, a testament to its accuracy and completeness.
This is another one of those arbitrary rules that doesnt have much merit. Aug 08, 2019 the north face of meeker, together with the east face of longs, form colorados greatest mountain cirque, in the opinion of noted mountaineer and guide book author gerry roach. There are a variety of routes to the summit of varying difficulty, but expect this to be one of the busiest 14ers in colorado in the summer due to the ease of access and proximity to denver and the front. The colorado list of california 14ers is different than the california list of california 14ers. His consistent nononsense approach gives climbers what they need for a successful experience. This is a complete list of the 53 fourteeners in the u. Shasta, another california 14ers, has a much different story. Colorados summits,000 to,999 feet sorted by elevation. Colorados 14ers are more populous than any other us states. Colorado fourteeners initiative was formed in 1994 as a partnership of nonprofit organizations, concerned individuals, and public agencies. Sep 28, 2009 using the 3,000 foot rule, a climber must gain over 3,000 feet of elevation to have climbed the peak. Includes a lot of info and routes you wont find online at 14ers. New 14er dog book seven summits brandon and kristine.
Colorado 14ers list and map of the fourteeners in colorado a 14er is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 according to the colorado geological survey, using information form the usgs and national geodetic survey, colorado is home to 58 named peaks greater than 14,000 feet above sea level. Most are among the leastclimbed 14ers in colorado, which makes the number of deaths even more sobering. Visit their website for detailed accounts of multiple routes up every peak. My wife and i have found gerrys book to be invaluable in getting the beta necessary to climb colorado s 14ers. They photocopy the route description from the big guidebook see the colorado 14ers. Color maps of the standard routes a portable format that fits. To climb all 54 of the 14,000foot peaks in colorado is truly an achievement, no matter how. Colorado has a lifetimes worth of mountains to climb so you better get started. Outdoor enthusiasts of all skill levels will find peaks ranging from easy to very difficult, with hiking trails for exploring the states scenery, wildlife and rugged beauty. In fact, more than half a million climbers attempt at least one colorado 14er per year. Married in 1978, tim finished all the 14ers in 1983 and carrie finished in 1987after given birth to two children, shaun and sharon. Additionally, heres a list of a few basic tips that can help you get started climbing colorado s beautiful mountains.
This really should go without saying, but if you are a slow driver and have a number of cars behind you, take advantage of a pullout along the road to let them pass. Each of the 53 ranked peaks offers unique challenges and rewards. A notable exception is north maroon peak so 54 has become the official number. My son and i are close to finishing all of the primary 14ers the 55 in roachs book together. Organized by mountain range, the colorado 14ers is a basic guidebook written in clear, concise, nontechnical language with a certain amount of wit. Shasta is a volcanic peak in the northern part of the state, visible for miles in every direction, with a climbing route only half as long as mt. This article focuses on training for the nontechnical 14ers, which test your mettle against a long day or two of hiking at altitude. To qualify as a 14er the peak must be 300 feet higher than the saddle of an adjacent peak.