Best Climb in Colorado - Longs Peak 14,259' | Colorado 14er

Standing proudly at 14,259', Longs Peak dominates the northern front range of the Colorado Rockies. It's a dangerous mountain so hike with caution and check the forecast ahead of time. Be willing to turn back at the first sign of bad weather, the last thing you want is to be on the back side of the mountain when a storm hits - even a seemingly mild one. Longs is a great 14er though. It's located in Rocky Mountain National Park and can be seen from almost anywhere in the park. Plan for it to take 12-16 hours to walk from the parking lot off highway 7 to the summit and back. I'd recommend starting around 2am; early enough to get to the Keyhole by sunrise. If you get to the Keyhole before sunrise you can certainly continue on, no on is there to stop you, but I personally think you need some sunlight to see better on that section of the mountain. Be off the summit well before noon, and on Longs it may take 2 hours to go from the summit back down to the Boulder Field. From the Boulder Fields it's another hour or so back down to tree line if you're really moving. Afternoon thunderstorms are a huge threat so get down sooner rather than later.