You can't miss this mountain. At 14,259 feet, Longs Peak towers above all other summits in Rocky Mountain. The flat-topped monarch is seen from almost anywhere in the park. Different angles show the great mountain's unique profiles. Changing weather reflects Longs Peak's many moods.
In the summertime - the season when thousands hike or climb to Longs' summit - those moods are fairly predictable. Early mornings break calm, clear and blue. Clouds build in the afternoon sky, often exploding in storms of brief, heavy rain, thunder and dangerous lightning. Begin the trek early, way before dawn, to be back in the car before the weather turns.
For most of the year climbing Longs Peak requires technical climbing equipment. This includes crampons, ice axe, rope, and mountaineering experience. The most important is experience. Disregard for the mountain environment has meant danger, injury and even death.
For current conditions on various routes contact the Rocky Mountain National Park Information Office at 970-586-1206 or see the link to the trail conditions report at the top of this web page. Top of page.
The Keyhole Route, Longs Peak's only non-technical hiking pathway, is open for hiking for only a short time most summers. It is currently (since July 11) a non-technical climb. In 2007 park rangers rated the route non-technical July 14 to September 15.
This eight-mile, one-way hike has an elevation gain of 4,850 feet. Typically free of ice and snow from mid-July through mid-September, this challenging route was the choice of celebrated British adventurer Isabella Bird in 1873. See our climbing Longs Peak brochure (above) and our High Country Hazards page for essential information.
Tragically, there are those who never left Longs Peak alive. A stone gazebo at the Keyhole formation displays a plaque memorializing Agnes Vaille, a well-known climber in the 1920s. The pioneer of numerous mountain routes in the Rockies, Vaille attempted the first winter ascent of the mountain's precipitous east face in January 1925. She and her climbing partner, Walter Kiener, succeeded after more than 24 hours of dangerous mountaineering through frigid blizzard conditions. While descending the North Face, Vaille fell 100 feet down the rock cliff, coming to a stop in a snowdrift. Her injuries were minor, but because of fatigue and hypothermia, Vaille was unable walk. Battling frostbite that would cost him toes and fingers, Kiener promptly summoned help. Vaille's rescuers arrived to find her dead from exposure.
Agnes Vaille and about 50 other climbers have lost their lives on Longs Peak. It is not a mountain tolerant of the unprepared. But hiking and technical climbing on the mountain are exciting and rewarding experiences. And they are comparatively safe if common-sense safety principles are applied. Give yourself time to acclimate to the altitude before attempting to climb. Carry all the hiking essentials. Use caution when ascending or descending steep areas. Don't be afraid to back down when bad weather threatens. Enjoy your adventure.
