Hello everybody! First time here.

I've always wanted to climb mountains (easy ones at least ), and my family and I are going on a trip to colorado this June 20th.
We are bringing our dog as well, and were looking for some easy mountains to climb.

My 50 year old father (very fit), myself (23) and my 18 and 20 year old sisters will be climbing as well. My mother will be staying at the chalet in Keystone as she can't hike more than 2 miles round trip.

I've done a little research as to which ones to go to, and I've read a lot that Mount Bierstadt being one of the most popular and easy 14ers in Colorado. 6 miles round trip, 4.5 hours (being fast, I assume). However, we were looking for another easy mountain (not necessarily a 14er) that was less travelled, as we like to be alone. I'm not sure if that's dangerous for first time climbers, but I'll leave that up to you pros to decide.

I was looking at nearby Otter Mountain, http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.p ... rm_post=12. This one almost seems easier than Mount Bierstadt, less elevation gain, shorter hiking distance.

Any other suggestions nearby Keystone? We are driving up Mount Evans and area, so climbing that won't be an option.

Thanks!

EDIT: After more research, I have decided to do Mount Sniktau, 20mins from our chalet and my mother says she can do it. What do you guys think of Mount Lincoln for us (minus my mom)?

if you do not want to see anyone else

Mount Logan - walkup - great views

http://www.summitpost.org/mount-logan/514375

you cannot really fall down anywhere along the trail - HOWEVER - LIGHTNING is a severe threat - thunderstorms in the high mountains can be very violent and are a very scarry experience - start very early and be sure to be off the summit and heading back well before noon

If you are going up Lincoln, you can also do Democrat and Bross on the same trip. I did the three of them in a short (6 hours?) day with a 10 year old last summer. You will not be alone. Like all of the 14ers, you will have a lot of company and those 3 are some of the most crowded.

Niederbayer wrote:if you do not want to see anyone else

Mount Logan - walkup - great views

http://www.summitpost.org/mount-logan/514375

you cannot really fall down anywhere along the trail - HOWEVER - LIGHTNING is a severe threat - thunderstorms in the high mountains can be very violent and are a very scarry experience - start very early and be sure to be off the summit and heading back well before noon

Thanks. I know thunderstorms are something to keep a careful eye on while climbing any mountain, but is it worse on mount Logan?

mconnell wrote:If you are going up Lincoln, you can also do Democrat and Bross on the same trip. I did the three of them in a short (6 hours?) day with a 10 year old last summer. You will not be alone. Like all of the 14ers, you will have a lot of company and those 3 are some of the most crowded.

If so then we probably won't climb it, because we like to be alone and my dog is quite noisy when other people are around.

I've found some mountains that I want to try, but would like your help regarding typical hiker traffic and difficulty. Also, we are using a 2003 Caravan Sport, so no 4WD here.

Mount Edwards: Using Argentine Pass. I read that Mount Edwards is a very popular mountain but its less crowded if you use Argentine Pass.
Decatur Mountain: Using Argentine Pass. Apparently there are nice views of Shelf lake from the top of Decatur. Also I didn't want to use the Shelf Lake trail because there are 5 river crossings.
Geneva Peak/Santa Fe/Sullivan Mountain: I'm a little confused by this, as they all start from the town of Montezuma, yet you can do all 3 because they are connected by 1 ridge? Also we don't have 4WD, so I'm not sure how to get onto Mount Sullivan and hike towards Geneva Peak.
Geneva Mountain: I'm guessing this one is really popular since its so close to Mount Bierstadt.

Any input would be appreciated.

thunderstorms are not worse than on any other mountains - you are just quite a while above tree line

Decatur Mountain - indeed nice views of Shelf Lake and of Gore Range

Unfortunately Edwards, Decatur and Geneva/Santa Fe/Sullivan will all be unavailable to you the time you are here. The road to Montezuma washed out recently from heavy rains and will not be repaired for some time, probably fall at the earliest. No recreational access is being allowed, only local traffic for the residents. Due to the location of the washout, the Peru Creek road (which accesses Argentine Pass trailhead) is also inaccessible and closed.

Near Keystone perhaps Buffalo Mountain would be an option? It has a trail all the way to the summit, although the sections that go through the larger talus rocks are a little difficult to follow sometimes. The route is cairned, but has some misleading cairns that lead off trail (probably built by hikers who lost the trail).

http://www.summitcountyexplorer.com/HIKES/Buffalo%20Mountain%20-%20Hiking%20Trail.htm

Niederbayer wrote:thunderstorms are not worse than on any other mountains - you are just quite a while above tree line

Decatur Mountain - indeed nice views of Shelf Lake and of Gore Range

I was wondering if you knew whether Decatur Mountain required bushwhacking or offtrail improvisation, or is there a clear and obvious path to the top, kind of like Buffalo Mountain shown below (except for the scrambling near the top)?

chicagotransplant wrote:Unfortunately Edwards, Decatur and Geneva/Santa Fe/Sullivan will all be unavailable to you the time you are here. The road to Montezuma washed out recently from heavy rains and will not be repaired for some time, probably fall at the earliest. No recreational access is being allowed, only local traffic for the residents. Due to the location of the washout, the Peru Creek road (which accesses Argentine Pass trailhead) is also inaccessible and closed.

Near Keystone perhaps Buffalo Mountain would be an option? It has a trail all the way to the summit, although the sections that go through the larger talus rocks are a little difficult to follow sometimes. The route is cairned, but has some misleading cairns that lead off trail (probably built by hikers who lost the trail).

http://www.summitcountyexplorer.com/HIKES/Buffalo%20Mountain%20-%20Hiking%20Trail.htm

That's right, I just saw that, someone on tripadvisor told me that they are building a bridge across the washout but it probably won't be ready by the time I reach Colorado.