I have a friend who just moved to Colorado Springs and wants me to go down and take him up a 14er. Any recommendations as to the best bang for the buck as far as distance from Co Springs and feasibility for a newbie? He's in decent shape....but you know how that goes. It would be a day trip. Oh yeah....and time would be early-mid October so it's a bit weather dependant for him.

The hike up Pike's Peak?
http://www.14ers.com/map.php

In general check 14ers.com. If you don't mind driving up near Denver, Bierstadt, Gray's or Torrey's will be possible but crowded on weekends. Just get there EARLY in the day.

October is getting into the very-possible snow season.

MoapaPk wrote:The hike up Pike's Peak?

this. the nw slopes are class 1 all the way, 14 miles rt with 4,000' gain, and you get an ultra to boot.

I think I would maybe suggest Mt Sherman. It has about as little vertical gain as you are going to get on a 14er. It has good views across to Massive and Elbert, and if your friend is feeling energetic after the summit, you can grab a ranked 13er, Sheridan, right next door. Pikes is a good suggestion for a lot of reasons, including proximity to Colorado Springs, but walking up to a parking lot and store seems a little anti-climatic to me.

jdzaharia wrote:I think I would maybe suggest Mt Sherman. It has about as little vertical gain as you are going to get on a 14er. It has good views across to Massive and Elbert, and if your friend is feeling energetic after the summit, you can grab a ranked 13er, Sheridan, right next door. Pikes is a good suggestion for a lot of reasons, including proximity to Colorado Springs, but walking up to a parking lot and store seems a little anti-climatic to me.

I kinda felt that way too. Plus I've done pikes. I'd do it again if he really wanted to, but I'll look into Sherman. Thanks.

You could also consider Quandary near Breckenridge. Take 285 to Fairplay then north to Alma. The TH is over Hoosier Pass just off the paved road.

Humboldt Pk would be a good option. It is an easy class 2 hike with awesome views of the Crestones, and a lot less crowded than the front range options mentioned above.

There have been lots of good suggestions. 14ers.com has such excellent information and the peaks are grouped both by mountain range and by difficulty. They also have weather forecast and trip reports so that you can get the freshest beta/snow conditions. Chances are that you will encounter snow on your trip. If you stick with the popular ones, it is likely that someone has broken a trench that you can follow (trench poaching is only a felony in Colorado if they can prove that it was not consensual..).