Mt Elbert Trailhead — Attraction in Four Corners States

5/5 Stars - Mount Elbert via North Mount Elbert Trail, Leadville, CO 80461

I summited Mount Elbert last summer via the North Mount Elbert Trail near Leadville, CO 80461, and wow—what a rewarding hike!

As a semi-advanced hiker used to Colorado’s tough trails, I found this route to be a pleasant surprise. At 14,440 feet, it’s the tallest 14er in the state, but the North Trail—a Class 1 path with a steady 4,500-foot gain over 9 miles round-trip—makes it relatively easy for fit folks like me.

I hiked during peak summer conditions on a very sunny, low-wind day, and the summit views of the Sawatch Range were absolutely breathtaking.

Local hikers often call it a great “starter 14er,” but it still delivers that high-altitude thrill. The trail’s mostly dry dirt with good footing, though starting early (I hit the trailhead at 5:30 AM) is key to avoid crowds and afternoon storms.

Mount Elbert via the North Trail is the perfect mix of challenge and chill. It’s a must-do for anyone wanting to bag Colorado’s highest peak with killer views and minimal stress!

For anyone looking to try out their first 14'er within a few hours of Colorado's Front Range, this is highly recommended, along with the other often named Quandary Peak, Mount Biedstadt, and Huron Peak (the latter is one of my personal favorite 14ers regarding scenery!).

Final note- I rated this trail as Moderate below, because I know a substantial number of people attempting to summit are travelers arriving just a day or two from sea level, and/or may not have my level of fitness. So, while I find it Easy, out of an abundance of caution, I rate it Moderate - altitude...

GREAT Hike!! I would have labled it as "Hard" from "Moderate" BUT totally that's on us, as we flew in from Miami day before, woke up at 3:00am, headed to Mt. Elbert and started hiking! Yep from sea level to mountain ⛰️ in less than 24hrs. Yeah we know!! Anyhow, Elbert hike starts in the tree lines, naturally, and ascends to rock 🪨, and when I say ascend it's a steep little continuous ascent to summit. We ran into a group that attempted the hike the day before and could not complete it, so came on our day to attempt again, this time we spotted them MUCH further up than day prior. As for my and my partner's hike, we encountered howling and strong winds, with ice and some snow nearing summit by which we had no shoe spikes, so we had to tread lightly which added to our ascent time. BUT YES!! WE made summit, in less than 5 hours with one rest stop, and it's a glorious achievement to say you've Hiked Colorado's highest peak and second highest in continuous USA 🇺🇸. Don't leave without seeing the geo marking plaque at summit declaring the mountain's peak, worth noting. The descent was surprisingly, a bit challenging, again because of the caution we needed NOT to slip and fall on the ice trail, by which, YES I fell on my A#S one good time. It took 4hrs. to descend so 9hrs total up and back at a chill rate of speed. Mt. Elbert trailhead is scenic, pretty, and definitely worth the visit and challenge, plan and prep better than we did...

Hiking up to the summit of Mt Elbert is an incredibly rewarding experience, but it takes resolve, great endurance, conditioning, and a Lot of careful, steep climbing.

Every person who does not consistently live, hike, or train at the very least between 5 to 10 thousand feet above sea level ought to gradually acclimate themselves over numerous days or weeks to (at least) the 10,000 foot level or more before trying to hike Mt Elbert which requires you to hike a gradual upward gain of at least 4500 feet. My satellite based measuring gauge measured the highest point of the summit at 14,440 ft.

Unless you are in Olympian shape or are incredibly fit and regularly do high elevation hikes, don’t be fooled by the non-majority misleading reviews that say that hiking Mt Elbert is “easy” or it’s an “easier 14 to hike.”

My party hiked the entire 10 plus mile hike taking our time, hydrating, acclimating, resting, and taking plenty of pictures along the way for over 11 hours.

Depending on your goals and fitness levels, the complete hike from the trailhead to the summit and back has taken numerous hikers I’ve interacted with between 6...