After nearly 2 miles (3.2 km), the road will split in a wide area. As soon as you turn onto the South Mount Elbert Trail, however, the trail begins to gain elevation in earnest.

And I'm ready for war."

810.5 m Down, 9.6 mi First added by Greg Heil on Apr 28, 2020. 17.5 km Do not go left!!! From Leadville, drive south on US-24 out of town. This said, the trail turned out to be easier than I expected after having climbed Greys Peak a few years ago. A hike (~9.5 miles) along the South Elbert Trail in Colorado.

The junction is well-marked. • 24 (approx. Hiked on 8/27 with a headlamp start in the dark.

Near the treeline (this picture was taken on the way back down).

the way down doesn't allow for fast walking or running due to how slippery or rocky the trail is. We live on Eastern Time even when we’re traveling (for daylight reasons – it’s great to get up with the sun), so this was only 7:40am, an adjustment I’m sure we all appreciated! •

Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden. are virus-free and accurate; however, I cannot be held responsible for any damage that might result, including but not limited to loss of data, damages to hardware, harm to users, from use of files, information, etc. Check current weather conditions!! Mt.

Your climb will take you through the forest and offers cascading streams, whispering trees, and blissful shade.

Whitney in California, Fairweather Mountain in Canada, La Malinche Mountain in Mexico, and Mont Blanc in France. 1,917' Down 11.7 km

Grind up the trail starting from South Elbert Trailhead.

The water would definitely need treating. Now the views begin to open up around you. The only easily available water that we passed was the creek at the trailhead.

Walk another 0.3 miles (0.5 km), then turn left at another trail junction to leave the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail behind. Be prepared to hike your bike through loose scree for the last 2,000 ft up.

605' Up Elbert Trail is a great route and a relatively easy hike for someone in reasonable physical condition. I used one stick and never fell. 1530.98 m Down, 7.3 mi This is an awesome location to spend the night. At 12.8 miles (20.5 km) past the airport, turn right on CO-82 West. It was still dark, but light enough to hike up the road to the trailhead and then get on the right trail.

15.5 km

Hiking back down, I passed three people coming up the southeast route. 810.52 m Up

7h 00m, Started at the creek that crosses USFS Road 125.B

The Best Day Hikes in Yellowstone National Park, Biking around Canadice Lake on the Old Haul Road Trail, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

But the overall distance is longer.

• Got lost as we started in the dark and went up the wrong trail from the campsite.

The trail is still very good and shows signs of recent maintenance.

South Mt. Whitney in California). • The trail climbs north following the Black Cloud Creek. But very worth it.

from this website. Elbert's summit you will most likely be joined by hikers who have climbed Elbert from other routes, such as the popular South Mt. No reviews yet, be the first to write a review or ask a question. 1 mile to reach a flat area, near 10,600'.Descend slightly and reach a trail junction near 10,560' . Elbert trailhead near Twin Lakes.

I am a decent hiker in pretty good shape but this trail still took me nearly 10 hours. Also, the trail is steep and covered in loose dirt and rock, which was somewhat treacherous on the decent. 1175.49 m Down, 10.9 mi

I had 3L of water, and ran out about two miles from finishing.

Several people struggling and moving slow with tennis shoes on the steep up and down grades in the area. I took 8 hours and didn't stop much. If the rocky terrain doesn't get you, the elevation will. All Rights Reserved. Up to this point, the trail has been mostly flat with very little elevation gain or loss.

The intended direction a trail should be ridden.

We mapped it the entire time and the CORRECT round trip mileage was 15.7 miles. so I did this trail on the 14th.
Beautiful trail, probably one of the prettiest I have seen! I still recommend this route up to Elbert. Directly after South Elbert Trailhead, a dirt road goes off on the left (I believe this road is named Forest Road 125; it is signed as FSR 125.1B). — While a little longer than the hugely popular standard routes, the extra effort is definitely worth it. We did not make the summits ( PA natives with only 2 days to acclimatize) but we learned a lot. After ascending above treeline, the trail employs many switchbacks and wastes no time gaining the long ridge of Elbert's south summit. Plan on about 12 mile / 8 hour day! Being a jerk / offensive? 3h 42m. Was grateful to have downloaded the offline map to this trail to navigate as cairns were few and far between and difficult to see. : From Hikes to Climbs (Paperback), How to Replace a Zipper in a Sleeping Bag, Anne’s Travels’ Favorite Free Workouts (Hiking Prep or Everyday Exercising), 10 Places to (Legally) Get Free Internet while Traveling.

I’m not very fast going down, but this made me a lot slower. Beautiful trail but be warned, my mileage tracker said over 12 miles round trip.

It is mostly only 1 lane wide, so if you’re driving it and come upon another vehicle, one of the two of you will need to back up to a wide section in the road/campsite/something so you can pass.

There is a 2wd parking at 9560 feet and a 4wd parking at 10,400. Going down the trail is … Taken from the northeast, 1 and 2 show most of the route. 82.

Above 12,900' the trail is a bit steeper and there are some loose sections that make traction more difficult. So, we drove down the dirt road the day before, opting to stay in the one camp site between the middle parking area and the trailhead (upper parking area).

Be on the lookout for marmots - there spoor is everywhere. Beautiful, intense trail. The videos below were taken from the summit – the first is a better over-all view, but the second has more sunshine on the mountains.

Got lost as we started in the dark and went up the wrong trail from the campsite. Steep. Elbert at 14,433'.Recent work on this trail has rerouted some of the worst parts of the hike-a-bike. There are also wildflowers in the meadow at various points depending on the time of year. Drive 4 miles (6.4 km), turn right on County Road 24 (not to be confused with US-24); the Twin Lakes will be on your left as you make this turn. Elbert Trail. Very steep. We broke a mirror trying; a truck we saw came through with a serious dent in his bumper from the very same tree. "This is blood for blood and by the gallon.

Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors. So beautiful! The South Mount Elbert Trail still climbs more than 4,000 feet in five miles at a high elevation. Even the youngest members of my party, who usually have altitude issues, were ok. That was a blessing! 1728.35 m Up Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Might have been more difficult coming down.

Even just the first couple of miles is incredible. Here is where you get your first view of the mountains on the north side of Mt. Virtual Tour of South Mount Elbert Trail #1481. Taking other people's content (text, photos, etc) without permission is a copyright violation and

SOUTH MOUNT ELBERT TRAIL (4WD VEHICLE) 8.8 Miles Round Trip, 4,100′ Elevation Gain, Class 1.

Plan on extended hike-a-bike on the way up and a long downhill as the reward for bagging the summit of Colorado's highest peak, Mt.

8h 00m, I was gassed but it normally wouldn't be that bad.

The trail is classified as a Class I by 14ers.com, which means it is easy hiking and usually a good trail.But remember an easy 14er is an oxymoron.

887.04 m Up 8.7 km The Black Cloud Trail offers an un-crowded hike up one of the most popular peaks in the Rockies.

3,857' Down

2,913' Down We saw 28 bighorn sheep just above treeline. Within the next hour a lot more rolled in, all from the north route. • (He has done this trail two other times without issues, and attributed the symptoms to the poor air quality/wildfire smoke.). This route begins near Twin Lakes Reservoir, and is also heavily trafficked. They just hung out and watched us until we hiked on and spooked them off the trail. There is cell service up on the ridge for a while. Something else? The only issue was that the signs and the mileage on here were incorrect. 5,670' Up

This was where we began to meet people who’d started very early so as to be off the peak well before noon. 14.1 km © 2006-2020 SummitPost.org. If the rocky terrain doesn't get you, the elevation will.

Round Trip Trail Length: Officially 7.4 miles (12 km) from the trailhead; my GPS read 9.3 miles (15 km), Net Elevation Gain: Officially 3,915 feet (1,193m); my GPS read 3,858 feet (1,175m). The first three miles of the Black Cloud Trail are especially steep. Leave the parking area and hike south into the forest on the North Mt.

NOT OKAY! Topo Map of the South Mount Elbert Trail – courtesy of the signboard at the trailhead.

My first impression of summiting the ridge was, “Wow!! No matter, this commodious summit has something for everyone. 605' Down Elbert trail.Switchback up a hill for approx. 7,605' Up 11 looks down on the terrain. This is a popular hiking trail and not ideal for mountain bikes, but it IS bike legal. 9.8mi This is about an injury or accident

Keep climbing. Watch out for Colorado Trail thru-hikers, listen for the elk bugling, and take tons of photos of the aspens. Massive, the second highest mountain in Colorado, dominates the views towards the north, while 14,336-foot La Plata Peak can be seen looking towards the south. Elbert is not the ridge to your left; it is currently out of sight ahead of you. There is plenty of room on top and you can expect to see perhaps 40 or 50 people (or more on a busy day) wandering around, soaking up the view and snapping pictures.

654.5 m Up

After this, there is nowhere reasonable to “go”.

Trail, USFS-Pike and San Isabel National Forest - Collegiate Peaks Wilderness.

At treeline, the trail gains some stairs, but still remains mostly rideable. I wasn’t the fastest on the trail but got her done. Technical terrain with no alternate lines.