Longs Peak

The trip report on this page represents the 1st and 12th times I have been to the summit of Longs Peak.

I can see Longs Peak from my living room window, and one of my favorite ways to spend a day is an adventure to the summit. I have put together a "Longs Peak Page" summarizing the routes I have done on Longs Peak. Check it out by clicking the link above.

Other routes I've climbed on Longs Peak: The Beaver (5.5) + Clark's Arrow (3rd) + Gorrell's Traverse (5.4) • Keyhole Ridge (5.5-5.6) • Keyhole Route (~14.5 miles, 5100 ft gain, 3rd, summer) • Keyhole Route (~14.5 miles, 5100 ft gain, early spring ascent) • Kiener's (4th) • Cables Route on North Face (winter & spring ascents, M2) • Cables Route on North Face (downclimb, 5.4) • The Trough (3rd, mod snow, spring) • The Diamond (multiple routes, 5.10a-5.12a) • East side Keyboard to Upper Keyhole (3rd) via "A Walk in the Park" Traverse (aka "The Great Wheel") (~15 miles, rock up to 5.4, 13 hours car to car) • East side Keyboard to Upper Keyhole (3rd) via Estes Skyline High Route (~50 miles, rock up to 5.4, 3.5 days)

Category: Colorado (RMNP)Summit Elev: 14,259 ftRock Type: Granite

This page contains two trip reports:

Date: August 5, 2014 (Tue)Trip Report #: 173aPartner: solo

Date: June 28, 2022 (Tue)Trip Report #: 552Partner: solo

Route: Keyhole Route (~14.5 miles, 5100 ft gain/loss, 3rd)

The classic hiking route up the highest summit in RMNP.

Route Overlay

Map

Trip Report #2 (June 2022)

Trip Report #1 (August 2014)

Route Overlay

Map

Map showing all the routes I've done to the top of Longs Peak. The Keyhole Route is in red.

Trip Report #2 (June 2022)

(second time climbing the Keyhole Route)

Intro

Longs Peak, one of Colorado's most popular Fourteeners, is usually climbed by the Keyhole Route. This classic route involves moderate hiking on a trail and third-class rock scrambling. The route is generally free from snow from early July to mid-September. During the rest of the year, the route is a technical mountaineering climb with snow and ice, requiring an ice axe, crampons, and rope. The route, spiraling around Longs Peak, travels over 7 miles from the trailhead to summit, making for a 14.5 mile round trip with about 5,100 feet of elevation gain/loss. It is best to climb early, so as not to get caught in an afternoon thunderstorm, common in the summer in the Rockies.

I had first climbed the Keyhole Route in August 2014, on a brief visit to RMNP. The following day, I climbed The Diamond, a sheer rock wall on the east side of Longs Peak. My enthrallment with RMNP during this trip set the seed for my eventual move to Boulder, Colorado in June 2019.

Eight years after I first climbed the Keyhole Route and now living 1 hour from the Longs Peak Trailhead, I finally ascended Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route for a second time (I had ascended Longs Peak numerous times after climbs on The Diamond, just not via the Keyhole Route). My car-to-car time was 6 hours and 20 minutes (18 minutes slower than my car-to-car time in 2014, when I had been younger, faster, and quicker on the descent—a major knee surgery in 2020 has made me a bit more cautious on descents). Also, I used the shortcuts, which shaves off some minutes each way. I was back home in Boulder shortly after noon. Much better than a morning run!

The following trip report gives time stats and photos from my 2022 climb of the Keyhole Route. Below this I include my trip report for my 2014 climb of the Keyhole Route.

2024 Update: In late March 2024, I did my first spring ascent of Longs Peak, via the Keyhole Route.

Time Stats

Longs Peak Trailhead (9,393 ft): 4:49 am
The Boulderfield (12,800 ft): 6:44-7:14 am
The Keyhole (13,150 ft): 7:14 am
The Ledges (13,150-13,300 ft): 7:14-7:25 am
The Trough (13,300-13,850 ft): 7:25-7:45 am
The Narrows (13,850 ft): 7:45-7:50 am
The Homestretch (13,850-14,259 ft): 7:50-8:01 am
Summit (14,259 ft): 8:01-8:05 am
Longs Peak Trailhead (9,393 ft): 11:13 am
TOTALS: 3:12 up, 3:08 down (car-to-car: 6:20)

Photos

Trailhead to The Boulderfield

2nd

Hike a bit over 6 miles from the Longs Peak Trailhead to The Boulderfield. The Boulderfield is a broad rocky expanse on the north shoulder of Longs Peak below The Keyhole.

Sunrise was at 5:33 am.

My shadow in the glowing morning light.

The Boulderfield. Longs Peak and The Diamond tower above.

A sign in The Boulderfield.

The Keyhole

3rd

The Keyhole is a pronounced notch in the northwest ridge of Longs Peak. The Keyhole is the key to the route, allowing access from the east side of Longs Peak to the west side.

The distance from the Keyhole to the summit is about a mile but it is a time-consuming mile with lots of route-finding, exposure, and scrambling. From here, the route spirals around the west and south sides of the mountain to the summit. The route is marked at crucial spots with painted yellow and red bull's-eyes.

The Keyhole as seen from The Boulderfield.

The Keyhole. Notice the hut below The Keyhole.

Morning sun on Glacier Gorge.

The Ledges

3rd

The Ledges are about 0.3 mile long and connect The Keyhole to The Trough.

The Ledges. This is the section between The Keyhole and The Trough.

There are lots of red and yellow markers to keep you on track. These are easier to spot on the ascent than on the descent.

The Trough

3rd

The Trough is a long gully on the back (west) side of Longs Peak that extends all the way down into Glacier Gorge and it passes by the upper reaches of Longs Peak 0.3 miles from the The Keyhole. The Trough is often filled with snow and may require crampons and ice axe in early summer. Climb The Trough for 550 feet to the west ridge of Longs Peak.

The Trough.

There was a bit of snow in The Trough, but nothing that needed spikes.

The Narrows

3rd

The Narrows is a slender shelf located at the top of The Trough. Scramble across on broken ledges, then around a rib to the base of The Homestretch.

The Narrows.

The Homestretch

3rd

The Homestretch is a steep ramp on the south face of Longs. It leads to the summit. It can be a bit slick at times.

The Homestretch.

Alpine granite.

Some ice on The Homestretch. This was fortunately avoidable.

Summit

The top of Longs Peak is 14,259 feet. The highest summit in RMNP. Enjoy the view! And the crowds. Hopefully not a thundershower.

On summit.

On the summit I ran into my friend Will (we were the first two to the top) who had summited via the North Face / Cables route. Photo by Will.

On summit.

View of Glacier Gorge area (Chiefs Head, Spearhead).

Descent

Reverse the route.

(I have more photos of this descent on my Keyhole Ridge trip report from July 2022, when I descended via the Keyhole Route.)

Sign at top of The Homestretch at the beginning of the descent.

Back at The Keyhole.

Hiking out, just below the Boulderfield with Longs Peak and The Diamond in the background. Photo taken by Will, who I had run into on the summit. We descended together until here, where we parted ways so he could jog the rest of the way out.