Fast Facts
- Highest Mountain in Colorado:
- Mt. Elbert
- Elevation:
- 14,433 feet, (4399 m) when it was originally measured, but adjusted to 14,440 (4,400 m) in 1988.
- Named after:
- Colorado statesman Samuel Hitt Elbert, who was active in the formative period of the state and Governor of the Territory of Colorado from 1873 to 1874
- First ascent:
- 1874 - Henry W. Stuckle of the Hayden Survey was the first to record an ascent of the peak.
- Trail Length and elevation:
- The standard trail is 4.6 miles (7.4 km) and gains about 4,500 feet (1,400 m).
- 14'ers along The Drive From DIA to Summit County:
- Longs Peak, 14,259 (4346 m);
- Pikes Peak, 14,115 (4302 m);
- Mt. Evans, 14,265 (4348 m);
- Grays, 14, 278 (4352 m);
- Torreys, 14,275 (4351 m);
- Quandary 14,271 (4349 m)
Colorado fourteeners are mountains that have peaks over 14,000 feet. There is ongoing debate on how many of these peaks there are in Colorado. How can that be, either it is or it isn’t right? That is where how high the summit rises above its surroundings comes into play or topographical prominence. Even with that said, you can find 14’er list’s that name 53 up to 58 peaks, but 54 seems to be the most agreed upon number of peaks over 14,000 feet among hikers.
Pikes Peak
Fast Facts
- Elevation: 14,115 (4302 m)
- One of only two Colorado 14'ers that have a paved road to the top.
- Named after Zebulon Pike, who originally named the mountain "Highest Peak."
- AdAmAn - In 1922, a group of avid mountaineers hiked to the top of Pikes Peak on New Years eve, and has been a tradition every year. Starting with five, the group "Adds A Man" (hence the name of the group) every year.
- Cog Railway - June 30th, 1891, saw the first passenger train to the top of Pikes Peak.
- In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates, was inspired to write America The Beautiful after a visit to Colorado and the top of Pikes Peak.
Longs Peak
Fast Facts
- Elevation: 14,259 foot (4346 m)
- More than 50% of those who attempt Longs don’t reach the summit.
- Keyhole route - Time for the 15 mile round- trip averages 10 to 15 hours.
- Named for Major Stephen Long, who is said to be the first to spot the great mountains on behalf of the U.S. Government on June 30, 1820 (Wikipedia)
- Historical name: "Les Deux Oreilles" (named by French fur traders), translation: "The Two Ears" (Wikipedia)
- Mills Glacier is the last remaining glacier on Longs Peak
Mt. Evans
Fast Facts
- Elevation: 14,271 (4349 m)
- One of only two Colorado 14'ers that have a paved road to the top.
- Highest Paved road in North America with a top elevation of 14,130 feet
- Named after John Evans, second governor of the Colorado Territory from 1862-1865
- Originally named Mount Rosa or Mt. Rosalie
- The Crest House, built in 1940-1, was the highest business structure in the United States until its destruction on Sept 1, 1979 by fire which started while refilling a propane tank.
Grays and Torreys Peaks
Fast Facts
- Grays Elevation: 14,278 feet (4352 m)
- Torreys Elevation: 14,275 feet (4351 m)
- Located along the Continental Divide.
- From the trailhead, it is a hike of about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) and a climb of 3,040 feet (930 m).
- Named for botanists John Torrey and Asa Gray (Wikipedia)
- First recorded ascent was in 1861 by Botanist Charles C. Parry who named the peaks (Wikipedia)
Quandary
Fast Facts
- Elevation: 14,271 (4349 m)
- 13th highest peak in Colorado
- Names by a group of miners who were unable to identify a mineral specimen found on the slopes in 1860's. They were in a quandary over the exact nature of the mineral (14ers.com)
- Considered one of the "easier" or beginner Colorado 14'ers hike
- Roundtrip length: 6.75 miles
Why do the elevations vary from different sources?
Note: The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is responsible for mapping and naming geographic features in the United States.
The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) is responsible for measuring
geographic features in the United States. This list was compiled by the Colorado Geological Survey during 11/08 using the best, most
up‐to‐date, information from the USGS and NGS. Many of these elevations will not agree with elevations on USGS topo maps because the
NGS has recently made corrections based on satellite information regarding the GEOID, that has not been updated on the USGS maps yet.
An asterisk (*) denotes the corrected elevations by NGS. There are a few minor peaks >14,000 feet in Colorado that are not named.
Colorado has 58 Named Peaks greater than 14,000 feet above sea level.
OFFICIAL LIST OF COLORADO FOURTEENERS - compiled by the Colorado Geological Survey
Arranged by Elevation
Rank Peak Elevation
1 Mt. Elbert 14,440 *
2 Mt. Massive 14,421
3 Mt. Harvard 14,421 *
4 Blanca Peak 14,345
5 La Plata Peak 14,336
6 Uncompahgre Peak 14,321 *
7 Crestone Peak 14,294
8 Mt. Lincoln 14,293 *
9 Castle Peak 14,279 *
10 Grays Peak 14,278 *
11 Mt. Antero 14,276 *
12 Torreys Peak 14,275 *
13 Quandary Peak 14,271 *
14 Mt. Evans 14,265 *
15 Longs Peak 14,259 *
16 Mt. Wilson 14,246
17 Mt. Cameron 14,238
18 Mt. Shavano 14,231 *
19 Mt. Princeton 14,204 *
Arranged by Elevation
Rank Peak Elevation
20 Mt. Belford 14,203 *
21 Mt. Yale 14,200 *
22 Crestone Needle 14,197
23 Mt. Bross 14,172
24 Kit Carson Peak 14,165
25 Maroon Peak 14,163 *
26 Tabeguache Peak 14,162 *
27 Mt. Oxford 14,160 *
28 El Diente Peak 14,159
29 Mt. Democrat 14,155 *
30 Mt. Sneffels 14,150
31 Capitol Peak 14,130
32 Pikes Peak 14,115 *
33 Snowmass Mtn. 14,099 *
34 Mt. Eolus 14,083
35 Windom Peak 14,082
36 Challenger Point 14,081
37 Mt. Columbia 14,077 *
38 Missouri Mountain 14,074 *
Arranged by Elevation
Rank Peak Elevation
39 Humboldt Peak 14,064
40 Mt. Bierstadt 14,060
41 Conundrum Peak 14,060
42 Sunlight Peak 14,059
43 Handies Peak 14,058 *
44 Culebra Peak 14,047
45 Ellingwood Point 14,042
46 Mt. Lindsey 14,042
47 North Eolus 14,039
48 Little Bear Peak 14,037
49 Mt. Sherman 14,036
50 Redcloud Peak 14,034
51 Pyramid Peak 14,025 *
52 North Maroon Peak 14,019 *
53 Wilson Peak 14,017
54 Wetterhorn Peak 14,015
55 San Luis Peak 14,014
56 Huron Peak 14,010 *
57 Mt. of the Holy Cross 14,009 *
58 Sunshine Peak 14,001
