Hasn't voted | I posted this under Mt. Elbert trail also, so forgive the redundancy if you've already seen this.
There are apparently three trailheads for Mount Elbert. There is a ranger station in Leadville, just south of the junction of 24 and 91 which lists the three trails. I took the North trail and camped at Elbert Creek campground, which is the closest campground to both Mount Ebert and Mount Massive trailheads. (Just across the road.)
I found the campground in The Best in Tent Camping--Colorado. by Johnny Molloy. It gives good directions to the site. Basically, you take 24 to CR110 (watch for signs for the Fish Hatchery). CR 110 is about 4 miles south of Leadville. Take a left onto Halfmoon Creek Road. The road curves sharply to the right. Follow it as it turns to FS 110. Elbert Creek Campground is about four miles in. So is the North Elbert trailhead parking lot. There is a big sign, you can't miss it. Mount Massive trailhead is just a bit further up the road and is also well marked.
According to the trail list on the ranger station bulletin board, the North Trail is 4.6 miles, while the South trail is listed as 5.5 miles. Don't know which of the two is more difficult, but there is a third/middle trail, which the ranger station says is considered the toughest of the three. It also gives directions how to get to each of the three trails. (Or it did when I last stopped there.)
A note on the North trail itself. I would break it into thirds to explain. The first third or so is a beautiful, not too tough entry to the mountain. Lots of shade and pretty. Good solid and somewhat wide trail. I passed a mountain biker on it and horse dung. The middle section is when you get above treeline. It has a lot of moderate switchbacks. A steady climb, but not too steep. Nice views too even at this lower point. The third section begins at the false summit. The first false summit is the most strenuous part of the route. The trail is rocky-rough and steep. It probably takes about 1-2 hours to summit from the beginning of this false summit. After you get to the top of the false summit, you are most of the way there. Still a few other bumps before you summit, but they are not as steep as the first. Once you get to the top of the false summit, I would estimate that it takes about a half hour/45 minutes to top it out.
Though the trail is usually excellent, it's a hike. I would say that for the average hiker it would take between 6 and 7 hours to finish. Some are faster, some take longer. It took me 3 1/2 hours from trailhead to summit (at a medium pace) and about 2 1/2 to descend. The woman running the campground also told me, as a guide, to try to summit before noontime, because the weather tends to get stormy in the afternoons.
It's a beautiful view from the top of Colorado, let me tell you. Worth the effort.
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Sawatch Range