Colorado Longs Peak Adventure

We will be awaiting your morning arrival to Denver International Airport. From there we will drive up into the mountains of the front range to reach Estes Park, Colorado nestled at the base of the Continental Divide. As we drop into the Estes Park Valley you will get your first glimpse of the stunning Rocky Mountain National Park. This evening will be spent in the comfort of a mountain lodge where we can rest and prepare for the coming adventures.

We will get our first taste of the Colorado high county as we pursue our day’s objective: three peaks forming the iconic Ypsilon massif. Our first stop is Mount Chapin, a worthy tick mark, before heading on to the twin giants of Chiquita and Ypsilon. Rolling alpine meadows will be our hiking terrain with the Rockies in view to the West and the chasm beneath the sheer east faces of Ypsilon and Chiquita to the East. After reaching the summit of Ypsilon, we have an optional two mile extension to West Desolation Peak (12,917). From Ypsilon or Desolation we will head back toward the cars on a slightly more direct descent route. With three or maybe four peaks in the bag on day 2 we will be off to a solid start!

You put in a big day on day 2 and you have another big day coming on day 4 so we will give the legs some rest on day 3. You will have a few options for how to spend your day. For those who want more physical challenge you can try out outdoor rock climbing (included in tour)! Literally only steps away from your hotel rooms is a natural rock wall where locals love to train for the bigger rock faces in the park. Spend a couple of hours trying your hand at this extreme sport with routes from very beginner to advanced. If climbing sounds a bit too much for your rest day, perhaps a day resting by the river and exploring downtown Estes is more your speed. The day is yours! Take your time and enjoy our picturesque mountain town. Wildlife viewing, fly fishing, horseback riding and many other day tours are also available in Estes Park (These activities not included in the cost of this tour, but we are happy to help with reservations). Dinner will be scheduled early as we have a very early start on day 4 to climb the notorious Longs Peak.

A very early start will be in order to take on the giant of Rocky Mountain National Park: Longs Peak. From the trailhead we will make our way up through subalpine forests to mountain meadows and finally past Chasm Lake and the towering east face of Longs all by headlamp. The sun will begin rising as we make our way up to the Loft, a high saddle between Longs Peak and the equally impressive Mount Meeker. From the Loft we will enter class 3 terrain as we skirt narrow ledges on Long’s southwestern flank. Helmets and harnesses will be a requirement as your guide may choose to belay you with a rope on a couple particularly exposed sections. As you work up the final granite slabs to the summit you will begin to understand why Longs Peak has one of the highest failure rates of Colorado’s 14er’s. This is a tall, steep, and challenging mountain! From the football field sized summit plateau, you will be greeted with spectacular views in every direction. After enjoying a few minutes here, it will be time to descend the way we came. On the descent you will find the mountaineering adage “the summit is only halfway” to be painfully true. The descent of Longs can feel never ending but when it is all said and done, we think you will find that this amazing mountain was well worth the effort.

If we find ourselves moving too slowly to make the summit of Longs, Mount Meeker offers a slightly easier though worthy alternative. For very strong and fast groups it is possible to link Longs and Meeker in one of the most epic mountaineering linkups Colorado has to offer.

This is your final day in the Colorado Rockies. Wake up a little later and enjoy breakfast before we make the trek back down out of the mountains and on to whatever adventure awaits you next!