Longs Peak, at 14,259 feet, is Colorado's northernmost fourteener and the signature summit of Rocky Mountain National Park, rising nearly 9,000 feet above the western edge of the Great Plains. The mountain's most dramatic feature is the East Face, where a 1,000-foot sheer granite cliff known as the Diamond draws technical climbers to its vertical crack systems and challenging multi-pitch routes. The broad, flat summit plateau offers expansive views across the Front Range and well into Wyoming on clear days.
The standard Keyhole Route covers 14.5 miles with roughly 5,200 feet of elevation gain. From the trailhead, the path climbs through subalpine forest before opening onto the Boulder Field at around 12,800 feet, where pikas and yellow-bellied marmots are common in the talus. Above the Boulder Field, the route passes through the Keyhole notch and transitions to Class 3 scrambling across four distinct sections: the Ledges, the Trough, the Narrows, and the Homestretch. The Narrows requires deliberate movement along an exposed ledge above steep cliffs; the final Homestretch delivers climbers to the summit along crack-and-slab terrain.
A pre-dawn start, typically by 3 a.m., is strongly advised to clear the exposed upper mountain before afternoon thunderstorms develop. Snow and ice can persist on the route well into July, with the practical season running from mid-July through mid-September. Rockfall from parties above is common on the upper route, and a helmet is a wise precaution. Current route conditions from Rocky Mountain National Park are worth checking before any attempt.
