Mount of the Holy Cross – A Colorado Iconic Mountain – North Ridge, Pikes Peak – Summiting My 58th and Final 14er. The 14,259-foot peak is named after Major Stephen H. Long, who led an expedition across the Great Plains and along the base of the Rockies in 1820. Longs Peak - Boulderfield Winter Camping & Keyhole route. Pools of which can be found and filtered for drinking water. None returned from the summit before we set off down the mountain the way we had come. From this site to the boulderfield campsite is about a 3 hour hike. The camp is in a beautiful mountain forest at 7400 ft elevation. The report had almost scared us away from the backpacking adventure and camping in the Boulder Field, but we decided to push on. As can be seen below, it looks exactly as the name suggests. This is incredibly high particularly for sleeping. It is dubbed one of the most difficult Class 3 fourteeners in Colorado. On Tuesday, July 8th, I left Georgetown and made the two hour drive to Rocky Mountain National Park's Longs trailhead. I was born to roam. Turn right toward Longs Peak Campground (marked by a big brown national park sign). Camping/Lodging: Clear Lake State Park Campground (800-444-7275) is between Kelseyville and Soda Bay about four miles northwest of The Black Forest. Camping is first-come, first-served and tents only and costs $26/night. Her partner left her sheltered in several huge boulders and went down for help. Pro Tips They are available first come first serve - no reservations are accepted. Now, my wife and I travel as a way of life. Your email address will not be published. Windom Peak – 4 Tries and a Fantastic Summit! For a long time, I assumed everyone was and thought only the lucky and privileged did so. Starting early is essential. NPS. All the way back, the red and yellow bulls-eyes marked the way. If you missed a part of the journey up Longs Peak click the links below to get caught up before reading about camping in the Boulder Field: The weather report for the two primary days we were on the Longs Peak trail was bad. The hike down, with full backpacks, was 2 ¼ hours, 3300’ and 7 miles, with the rain threatening all the way, but nothing major until … at 6:15pm as we approached the car at trailhead, the heavens opened … and the rain continued all the way back as far as Vail! It is six miles up the trail, so it’s only another 1.5 miles to the summit of Longs Peak. In 1925, Agnes Vaille, a famous climber, attempted the first winter ascent of the East Face of Long’s Peak. I have no idea how it got financed, but it’s huge. From Estes Park, take CO 7 south for 10 miles. Luckily the rock walls surrounding each of the camping spots do knock down the wind somewhat. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Longs Peak - Boulderfield Winter Camping & Keyhole route Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route and a night spent at the Boulder Field Climbing Long's Peak was something I wanted to do for a while, but the fact that it gets so crowded during the post-melt season and is so dangerous during the winter prevented me from crossing it off my list early on. The total vertical of 5100’ is a bigger bite than I can chew in one day, so we chose to reserve a campsite at what’s called the boulder field, which is a … Even while hiking at a decent pace, Longs Peak typically takes about 10 hours to complete. Camp Patiya is only about seven miles west of Boulder, Colorado. By the time we got back to the campsite, the rain had started (mercifully not while we were down-climbing) and we had to make a decision – take cover in the tents or pack up in the rain and make a run for it – well more like a several hour hike, over half of which would be above tree line exposed. Late evening scramble to a viewpoint of Chasm Lake and the East Face of Longs Peak, followed by an overnight camp at the Boulder Field. Also, the clouds quickly swamped in the peak and by the time we left Chasm Lake the view from the top would have been nothing more than a thick cloud. Nearing trailhead, Rick P. still looking somewhat chipper …  Rick C.: not so much. 8 sites, reservation only, 5.9 miles from the Longs Peak Ranger Station and about 2 miles from the summit. Longs Peak – the only fourteener in Rocky Mountain National Park was named after Stephen Long, an explorer in the area in the 1820’s. Have a ranger station with a rescue party several hours later she was dead Peak climb boulderfield winter camping Keyhole. Miles from the Longs Peak ranger station and about 2 miles from the summit before we set off the. Summit before we set off down the wind somewhat red and yellow bulls-eyes marked way! 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