Climbing Favorite Colorado 14ers With Dogs

My husband, Dave Olmstead, and I recommend sixteen Colorado 14,000-plus foot mountains as good climbs for your furry best friend. Eight are favorites and another eight come with caveats, as described in this post. Dave has summited all of the state’s 58 named 14ers, plus many repeats. I’ve only climbed 30. Our current Labradors, Layla and Ranger, have climbed eight and ten different 14ers respectively, plus numerous repeats.

Dave eliminates all Class 3, 4 and 5 climbs for dogs because they require scrambling, often times using your hands, up couloirs and crevices, where loose rocks and sheer drops abound. You need to concentrate on the route without the added distraction of Fido. Dogs add to the already existing danger of loosening a rock which may tumble down on an unsuspecting climber. These routes often feature sharp rocks and huge boulders, both of which may result in cut paws.

That leaves Class 1 and Class 2 routes but Dave excludes many of the latter because of very rocky trails, so be sure to carefully read the Class 2 trail descriptions. Also understand that peaks often have different routes with varying class rankings, so only consider Class 1 and Class 2 trails. Jerry Roach’s book, Colorado Fourteeners, and www.14ers.com are two good resources for information about routes.

Our favorite 14ers for Fido include: Handies Peak (my top pick), Huron Peak, Mt. Elbert, Mt. Massive, Mt. Shavano, Mt. Yale and San Luis Peak. Redcloud Peak joins that list after our September climb with Layla and Ranger. The climb is fairly long: nine miles round trip from the Silver Creek-Grizzly Gulch trailhead, with a 3,600 foot-plus elevation gain.

Since last summer’s post about our favorite 14ers, I’ve climbed Yale again with Dave, nineteen years after our first summit of that mountain. The trail has been rerouted since our first ascent thanks the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. Instead of a long slog up tundra, stone steps greet climbers on parts of the trail above treeline. Best to apply Mushers Secret, a goo that helps protects paws from cuts, to Fido’s pads prior to ascending the ridge because of the large talus route. Fido may need a boost up and over some of the talus.

Here’s our list of recommended 14ers for dogs, with caveats. Note that these peaks often attract huge crowds of humans, often accompanied by their furry best friends:

• Bierstadt: The 6.9-mile round-trip trail begins near the top of Guanella Pass. It heads down a boardwalk among the willows before the real ascent begins, and leaves behind water sources. The climb nets 2,420 feet in elevation gain along a well-trodden trail and becomes really rocky near the 14,060-foot summit. Dave learned that one weekend day in 2016, more than a thousand hikers, many with dogs, descended on the peak.
• Grays and Torreys Peaks: These two peaks are two of Colorado’s most popular, probably because of their proximity to Denver and ease of access. Crowds may make it difficult to pace oneself on the trail leading to Gray’s Peak which tops out at 14,270 feet. Fewer people descend to a saddle to then climb Torrey’s Peak which stands at 14,267 feet. The trek to Torreys adds less than a mile to the Gray’s climb, which is about eight miles round trip with about a 3,000- foot elevation gain. The trail crosses a creek near the trailhead.
• Mt. Sherman: From the Four-Mile Creek trailhead located at a locked gate, the hike is short: less than five miles round trip with a 2,016-foot elevation gain. The first half of what most consider to be the easiest Colorado 14er climb, is along an abandoned dirt road that offers good footing for all.The route becomes rocky as it ascends to the saddle and up along a ridge which can be very, very windy. Last September, the wind gusts almost knocked me over even though I used my trekking poles to remain upright. Once off the ridge, the terrain levels off until the 14,036-foot summit. Expect crowds, even on weekdays during the summer.

  

• Quandary Peak: Located near Breckenridge, this 14,265-foot peak also attracts crowds. The standard route gains 3,325 feet along the 5.6-mile round-trip route. Be sure to leash Fido because mountain goats love the upper reaches of the trail. The summit is very wide and flat, offering plenty of room to accommodate crowds.

Less crowded recommended 14er’s include:

• La Plata Peak: From the West Winfield, four-wheel drive trailhead, the trail climbs steadily through the forest into a beautiful but sometimes very muddy basin which our Labradors relished. The 7.4-mile round-trip trail gains 3,436 feet, and the upper reaches test the toughness of Fido’s feet because it follows very rocky terrain until the 14,336-foot summit.
• Pikes Peak: From the Crags Campground, the trail offers a nice compact soft dirt route and a few water sources before it winds up through the forest. Then It breaks out onto the tundra before it reaches, after a mile or two, Devil’s Playground at 13,000 feet and the Pikes Peak Highway. The trail crosses the paved road and stays fairly close to it until it veers away, into a field of fairly large boulders and rocks. Dogs need to be able to scramble up the rocks until reaching the final stretch of the trail which ends at the 14,110-foot summit’s parking lot. This thirteen mile roundtrip route, with a 4,000 foot-elevation gain, is very pleasant until one reaches the Pikes Peak Highway and its motorcycle and car traffic!
• Columbia: A nice route for dogs to the 14,073-foot summit starts at the Frenchman’s Creek four-wheel drive trailhead. The mostly dirt compacted trail wanders up through the forest and meadows until it reaches a wide basin. Water sources abound until after the basin when one climbs across tundra and up over boulders to Columbia’s summit. This ten-mile round-trip route gains about 3,160 feet in elevation.

  

Which 14ers should you climb with Fido? Before even contemplating a climb, make sure that your furry friend is in good health, conditioned for climbing, and acclimated to altitude. Then consider whether:

• Is the length of the climb appropriate for your canine?
• Are there water sources available for Fido, without possible contamination by roaming livestock?
• Is the trail primarily broken rock and lots of talus? Or, is it dirt?
• Is the peak very popular with humans and canines? If your dog isn’t well behaved around other canines, select a less popular 14er or leave Fido at home. A weekday climb might mean fewer climbers and canines. Remember that your odds of meeting the occasional unfriendly dog increase on very popular canine 14er climbs.

A couple of reminders before you set out:

• Check to see if your dog must on a lead at all times or if they may be off leash under strict voice control. Trails to peaks go through National Forest and Wilderness areas. All Wilderness areas in Colorado require canines to be leashed. For more information, check: http://www.coloradowilderness.com/cowildareas.html
• Most Forest Service lands in Colorado don’t require leashes but some do.  It’s best to contact the specific forest service office for particular information.
• Be considerate of fellow hikers: some people simply don’t like or are afraid of dogs. Either leash your canines when you see other hikers or have them under strict voice control.

  

• Don’t let your dog critter. You may see mountain goats and sheep, picas and marmots high up, and birds nesting on the tundra.
• Pack plenty of water to keep your dog hydrated. Throw in a collapsible bowl and snacks for Fido as well as Musher’s Secret.

We love our view of Mt. Princeton from our home but don’t recommend it as a dog climb. The trail is exceedingly rocky once past the access road and a short stretch of tundra. The route is hard on dogs’ paws as well as my feet encased in sturdy hiking boots!  After three ascents, I’ve said not again, so Dave climbs the rugged mountain each year with different partners.

Have fun and be safe this climbing season!

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