I'm not a fan of such general requests for information as my subject title, but I'm hoping to get enough of a kickstart with responses to turn this into a rewarding experience for my daughter. I'm not very familiar with Colorado hiking, having only done some day hiking there years ago, but I am an experienced outdoorsman in a wide range of environments, conditions, and elevations. I'm open to any Colorado-specific information (i.e. be aware of the typical afternoon storms) or trip suggestions based on my summary below.

My 14-yr old daughter and I are going to be at a family reunion near Breckenridge in mid-July for a few days. (Helpful for acclimitization.) We are planning to stay in Colorado for a few extra days afterward to experience some of the great Colorado outdoors. We will have a car, and may have to make a drop off at DIA before we journey out, so the specific location is not important, as long as it is roughly within 4-5 hours of Denver (or closer).

Our general intent is to attempt at least one 14-er and get in at least one good 3rd class scramble. Bonus if they can happen at the same time. A scenic approach would be ideal, as the hike in and out will be part of the overall experience. We'll have backpacking gear, so we can hike in and camp overnight to reach the objective. I think I'd like to limit the overall distance traveled on foot to <25 miles. Less distance is probably better. Elevation gain on the objective should probably be limited to <7500 ft, but I suspect that allows most of the options in Colorado, no?

We'll either be able to leave Breckenridge late morning on Sunday, or else leave DIA early afternoon. We'll want to return to the Denver area by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. A little night hiking along the way would be fine (i.e. Sunday night), as long as there is not significant exposure.

My daughter's first real backpacking trip was to climb Pike's Peak. We hiked to the A-frame shelter at timber line the first day (9 miles), summitted (about 3 miles) and then went back to Barr camp (6 miles down) the second night, and then the last 6 miles down on day 3 which got us down by noon.

Definitely not a wilderness experience although we were the only ones at the A-frame. Normal tourist mess at the top, and a lot of people at Barr Camp. There also isn't any 3rd class stuff on the trail and it is a bit of hiking to get to any.

If you want a 3rd class 14er close to Denver, you can't go wrong with Longs Peak. (Bonus if you are going mid-week to avoid the crowds). Standard is a fun scramble, Loft Route is good too. The Scott Gomer Trail to Bierstadt/Evans is good too. The basin is a nice place to camp and Bierstadt's East RIdge is a LOT less crowded than the standard route and 3rd class, Sawtooth is an enjoyable scramble at anywhere between 2nd-4th class depending on your tolerance. http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepor ... m=tripuser (Don't make the trail mistake we did) If you can make a little farther drive, head for the Crestones - gorgeous area and you feel like Spiderman on the conglomerate. Lake Como is okay - you have to deal with the extreme 4WD guys on the road and I don't care to EVER climb Little Bear when dry again. Blanca is a nice peak, but Ellingwood's SW Ridge route may be my favorite route on any of the 14ers. Elks hold great scenery but the rock is awful. San Juans are a haul from Denver but well worth it if you want to extend the trip.

If you don't HAVE to have a 14er, my favorite hike in Colorado is Cascasde Creek in the western IPW - maybe a 2 hour drive from DIA. It's the approach for Lone Eagle Peak (detail on this site). Pick up "HIking Grand County" by Deborah Carr too. A side trip up Pawnee Pass would be nice and allow you to gain a few easy summits (Pawnee/Toll). For more summit info, Roach's IPW guide is far and away the best guide for the area. Blackfoot/Thunderbolt are right there, also Cherokee, etc, are around the Lone Eagle Cirque. If you wanted to entend the hike further, you could hike the trail towards Gourd lake and Buchanan Pass. The options are pretty well endless with the trails on the west side. With the amount of snow still up there the waterfalls will still be going very strong. - probably a half dozen along Cascade Creek. Here is my favorite: http://www.summitpost.org/cascade-creek/546598/c-154100 Lone Eagle Peak is the most beautiful unranked 11er you'll find. http://www.summitpost.org/lone-eagle-pe ... 9/c-154100 You won't be disappointed in this one if you try it out.

Another option for something a little different is the Goose Creek in the Lost Creek Wilderness - again, about 2 hours from DIA. I took my daughter (2 at the time) on her first backpack there: http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepor ... m=tripuser
Here is another good TR, check out his pictures - http://www.aroundcolorado.com/trip_repo ... index.html

Floyd wrote:If you want a 3rd class 14er close to Denver, you can't go wrong with Longs Peak. (Bonus if you are going mid-week to avoid the crowds). Standard is a fun scramble, Loft Route is good too.

http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/l ... report.htm

Current conditions on longs Peak.

This climb requires steep snow climbing and solid snow and ice travel skills due to winter-like conditions on the route. This route is not a good place to learn these skills due to the consequences of a fall.

I'd heed that warning unless you've got the experience on snow/ice.

I just headed over for a fishing trip into Leadville, Elbert/Massive/La Plata plus tons of other 14ers are in the area and didnt appear to have tons of snow, you could actually see most of the trail going up Elbert above treeline.

My experience with backpacking is limited to RMNP and since Longs is the only 14er in the area, doesnt help much. But as said, if you dont HAVE to have a 14er there are some simply awesome mountains/campsites/trails in the Mummy Range to choose from. It might be a bit of a drive though.

Yeah, I don't think a 14er is a requirement. Just a nice-to-have. Preference would be for great scenery with fun trails. We definitely want to get in a scramble, though.

Thanks for the thoughts already!

Don't know if you want to drive this far, but put the San Luis Loop on your list. Instead of up and back using Stewart Creek, the loop uses Cochetopa Creek, longer, prettier, and more gentle than Stewart. You can then ascend San Luis on a good scramble trail from the south, and either descend Stewart or return via Cochetopa, my recommendation. The two trailheads are less than 1/4 mile apart, so the loop is all trail hiking.

I just got back from a 3-day in the La Garita, snow free to 12,500. The previous week I did a loop in the West Elk Wilderness, couldn't get to 10K, too much snow.

TheBootfitter wrote:Yeah, I don't think a 14er is a requirement. Just a nice-to-have. Preference would be for great scenery with fun trails. We definitely want to get in a scramble, though.

Thanks for the thoughts already!

Then I suggest heading over to the western side of the Indian Peaks. Close to Denver, great scenery, fun trails. Check out Cooper/Marten: http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepor ... ki=Include

Again, Roach's IPW book is the best guide you'll find for those peaks. The vast majority of 14ers are just walkups without much in terms of scenery on the approach compared to other parts of the state (IMO) - yes, there are exceptions.

Another place for great hiking/scrambles is the Gore Range. This was my cousin's first mountain trip (he's from Philly.): http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepor ... m=tripuser There isn't a guidebook that is readily available for the Gores. Some peak information on this site though.

Both ranges (IPW/Gore) are still holding a good bit of snow - as well as the Never Summer/Mummy Range. If you want great scrambling and no snow, then I would suggest the middle Sangres. Kit Carson, Columbia, Adams, Crestones, Tijeras and the others in that area.