Steph's Longs Peak Page

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

The 14,259-foot Longs Peak is the highest summit in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the 13th highest summit in Colorado. The East Face of Longs has one of the great walls of North America: The Diamond, a 1000-foot nearly vertical plaque of granite extending to the summit. I first summited Longs Peak on a climbing road trip in 2014, fell in love with the area, and moved to Colorado 5 years later. I now live in Estes Park with a view of Longs Peak from my living room window.

There are multiple routes to the top of Longs Peak. The Keyhole Route is by far the most popular and easiest (3rd class) route to the summit. Thousands of people per year flock to RMNP from all over the country to attempt to ascend this route. The hardest routes to the top are on the sheer cliff of The Diamond.

So far, I have been to the summit of Longs Peak 24 times, via various routes. Most of these ascents have been in the summer, and over half of them via the sheer vertical walls of The Diamond. I have climbed Longs Peak once in the winter and once in the early spring.

This following page gives a chronological list of the routes I've climbed on Longs Peak up to this point, including car-to-car times. I also provide all of the overlays (apart from overlays of routes on The Diamond, which are on my Diamond Beta Page) I have made for these routes.

Table of Contents for this page

Overlays for Routes I've Climbed on Longs Peak

Keyhole Route
Keyhole Ridge #1
Keyhole Ridge #2
Kiener's
Cables Route on North Face #1
Cables Route on North Face #2
Cables Route on North Face #3
The Loft + Clark's Arrow
The Beaver + Clark's Arrow or Gorrell's Traverse #1
The Beaver + Clark's Arrow or Gorrell's Traverse #2
Gorrell's Traverse #3
The Trough
A Walk in the Park
"Estes Skyliine High Route"
The Diamond

Map of Routes I've Climbed on Longs Peak

Map showing all the routes I've done to the top of Longs Peak. Space given to the south for some future ascents from the south. Click to enlarge.

List of Routes I've Climbed on Longs Peak with Links and Dates

Chronological order

See my Diamond Beta page for more detailed list of ascents of the Diamond.
Ascent #(New Route or Repeat?)
Route (Up and Down)
Length/Difficulty
Partner
Date
Time (Up, Down, Car-to-car)
Summit Ascent (Non-Diamond Route 1)

Up & Down: Keyhole Route

~14.5 miles, 5100 ft gain, 3rd 
solo
August 5, 2014
Up: 3:09Down: 2:53 Up+Down: 6:02(my first ascent of Longs Peak)(tied for fastest ascent time of all of my Longs climbs)
Summit Ascents 2, 3, 4
Up: The DiamondDown: Usually rappel Cables Route and hike out
5.10-5.12a, 5-7p
Nate Beckwith, George Foster, Will Starks, Kishen Mangat, Tom Wright, Nate Arganbright
Aug 6, 2014July 9, 2018 (summited)July 24, 2018Aug 2, 2019Aug 13, 2019 (summited)Aug 24, 2019Sept 2, 2019 (summited)June 4, 2020June 29, 2020
Car-to-car: 16:1018:50 (summited)22:3414:3718:25 (summited)13:1812:15 (summited)6:40 (camp-to-camp)12:12
Summit Ascent 5(Non-Diamond Route 2)

Up: Keyboard of Winds to Upper Keyhole Route

Down: Keyhole Route 

3rd, one summit along the way on "A Walk in the Park"
solo
July 7, 2020
Car-to-car: 13 hours
Summit Ascent 6
Up: The DiamondDown: Usually rappel Cables Route and hike out
5.10-5.12a, 5-7p
Nate Arganbright
July 8, 2020 (summited)
Car-to-car: 9:48 (summited)
Summit Ascent 7(repeat)

Up: Keyboard of Winds to Upper Keyhole Route

Down: Clark's Arrow to Loft 

3rd, one summit along the way on "Estes Skyline High Route"
Nate Arganbright
July 20, 2020
3.5 days
Summit Ascents 8, 9, 10, 11
Up: The DiamondDown: Usually rappel Cables Route and hike out
5.10-5.12a, 5-7p
Nate Arganbright, Will Starks, Lynn Anderson, Mike Lawson, Nate Beckwith
Aug 1, 2020 (summited)Aug 6, 2020 (summited)Aug 11, 2020 (summited)July 22, 2021July 28, 2021July 29, 2021Aug 23, 2021Sept 8, 2021 (summited)
Car-to-car: 9:38 (summited)8:57 (summited)13:03 (summited)13:0613:2015:2016:097:45 (summited)
Summit Ascent 12(repeat)

Up & Down: Keyhole Route

~14.5 miles, 5100 ft gain, 3rd
solo
June 28, 2022
Up: 3:12Down: 3:08 Up+Down: 6:20
Summit Ascent 13
Up: The DiamondDown: Usually rappel Cables Route and hike out
5.10-5.12a, 5-7p
Will Starks
July 7, 2022 (summited)
Car-to-car: 11:04 (summited)
Summit Ascent 14(Non-Diamond Route 3)

Up: Keyhole Ridge

Down: Keyhole Route

Up: 5.5-5.6Down: 3rd
solo
July 21, 2022
Up: 3:44Down: 2:46 Up+Down: 6:30
Summit Ascent 15(Non-Diamond Routes 4&5)

Up: Kiener's

Down: Cables Route on North Face

Up: 4thDown: 5.4
solo
July 27, 2022
Up: 3:27Down: 2:18 Up+Down: 5:45(my fastest descent time and car-to-car time of all of my Longs climbs)
Summit Ascent 16
Up: The DiamondDown: Usually rappel Cables Route and hike out
5.10-5.12a, 5-7p
Nate Arganbright
Aug 11, 2022 (summited)
Car-to-car: 11:18 (summited)
Summit Ascent 17(Non-Diamond Route 6)

Up: Meeker + The Beaver + Clark's Arrow + Gorrell's Traverse 

Down: Cables Route on North Face

Up: 5.5 + 3rd + 5.4Down: 5.4
solo
August 17, 2022
Up: 4:56Down: 2:46 Up+Down: 7:42
Summit Ascent 18
Up: The DiamondDown: Usually rappel Cables Route and hike out
5.10-5.12a, 5-7p
Nate Beckwith
Aug 30, 2023 (summited)
Car-to-car: 14:46 (summited)
Summit Ascent 19(repeat, but first time up this route in winter)

Up & Down: Cables Route on North Face

winter, M2
Lisa Foster, Tommy Campbell
February 1, 2024
Up: 7:31Down: 4:05 Up+Down: 11:36(my first winter ascent of Longs Peak)
Summit Ascent 20(repeat, but first time up this route in early spring)

Up & Down: Keyhole Route

~14.5 miles, 5100 ft gain, early spring conditions
Lisa Foster
March 22, 2024
Up: 12:02Down: 4:55 Up+Down: 16:57 (my first spring ascent of Longs Peak)
Summit Ascent 21(repeat, but first time up this route in spring)

Up & Down: Cables Route on North Face

spring, M2
Lisa Foster
April 12, 2024
Up: 8:26Down: 4:40 Up+Down: 13:06
Summit Ascent 22(Non-Diamond Route 7)

Up & Down: The Trough

spring, 3rd, mod. snow
solo
April 21, 2024
Up: 6:16Down: 3:28 Up+Down: 9:44
Summit Ascent 23(Non-Diamond Route 8)

Up & Down: The Loft + Clark's Arrow

spring, 3rd, mod. snow
solo
May 25, 2024
Up: 5:24Down: 3:45 Up+Down: 9:09
Summit Ascent 24(repeat, but first time up this route in summer)

Up: Cables Route on North Face

Down: Keyhole Route

Up: 5.4Down: 3rd
solo
June 25, 2024
Up: 3:09Down: 3:06 Up+Down: 6:15(tied for fastest ascent time of all of my Longs climbs)

Ascent and Descent Time Stats

Time stats for selected climbs (non-Diamond ascents not done as part of a much longer linkup). Color-coded by spring, summer, fall, winter.

Longs Peak Time Stats