TrailheadLongs Peak (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Trailhead elevation9,400'
Conditions on the summit
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Afternoon storm risk is the line that matters. Everything else is comfort. In summer, plan to be off the ridge before the build-up starts, not as it starts. Forecast for the summit point, adjusted for its elevation · data from Open-Meteo.
Colorado 13er · East Ridge from the Longs Peak Trail
Overview
Mount Lady Washington sits right in front of Longs Peak, and its best feature is the close-up view of the Diamond, Longs' famous east face. You follow the busy Longs Peak Trail to the Chasm Lake junction at Mills Moraine, then climb straight up the east ridge.
It is Class 2, with steep rock and stacked boulders to scramble around in the last 200 to 300 feet. New mapping shows it has only 279 feet of prominence, so it is no longer a ranked 13er.
The round trip is about 9.2 miles with 3,885 feet of gain; plan on about 8 hours.
Plan of the day
Start by
By 4:30 a.m.; parking fills very early.
Turnaround
Be on the summit by 11 a.m.
Crux
Stacked boulders near the top.
Route-finding
Easy. From the Chasm Lake junction, head straight up the east ridge.
The trailhead is west of Colorado 7. From the junction of US 36 and Colorado 7 in Estes Park, drive 9.2 miles south; from the junction of Colorado 7 and Colorado 72, drive 10 miles north. Turn west and go 1 mile to the Longs Peak trailhead and ranger station.
No car camping in the lot. There is a tent campground nearby and more campgrounds near Meeker Park. The park charges an entry fee and may require a timed-entry reservation in summer. Dogs aren't allowed on trails. Check the park website.
Longs Peak (Rocky Mountain National Park). Road conditions near the trailhead change after storms. Check your clearance and have a backup plan for a lower lot.
Trail in the treesTalus and screeRidgeTundraScramblingExposed to lightning
The line is elevation, the band underneath is the ground, and the numbered dots match the steps below. Mileage and elevations are approximate.
1
Longs Peak trailhead 9,400' · 0 mi
Start up the East Longs Peak Trail. Stay left at a junction after half a mile.
2
Alpine Brook 10,500' · 1.8 mi
Climb through Goblins Forest and cross Alpine Brook on log bridges.
3
Treeline 11,000' · 2.5 mi
Leave the forest. Turn left at the signed Battle Mountain junction and continue west along Mills Moraine.
4
Chasm Lake junction 11,550' · 3.5 mi
Turn right toward the Boulderfield. After about a quarter mile, leave the trail to the left.
5
East ridge 11,800' · 3.8 mi
Leave the trail and start up the east ridge. The first 200 feet are tundra and embedded rock.
6
Steeper rock 12,800' · 4.3 mi
It gets steeper, and rock takes over from the grass.
7
Summit 13,277' · 4.6 mi
The last 200 to 300 feet are big, stacked boulders to scramble around and over. The lower west summit, ten minutes away, has an even better view of the Diamond, Mount Meeker and the Ship's Prow.
Getting down
Return the same way.
If things go wrong
The trail is below you.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above the Longs Peak Trail the route is trailless tundra and boulders. A flyover only works when there is a set trail to trace. Without one, the line would be a guess, and a guess could send you the wrong way on the mountain. Use the step-by-step route with a good map and GPS track instead.
See the trail on video
No video yet
We haven’t found a good video of this route that matches the way we describe it. The route strip, junctions and 3D flyover show the way in the meantime.
Other routes
Every way up Mount Lady Washington we list, with its class.
Mt. Lady Washington East Ridgethis routeClass 2 9.2 mi
This describes the route on a dry summer day. Most 13ers see few people, so there may be no one along behind you. Check recent conditions the week you go, carry a map, tell someone your plan, and turn around when the day tells you to.