Solo Silent Hike Up Longs Peak - Colorado’s Most Iconic Summit
Kraig AdamsJun 2022 · Solo
- Days
- 2 days
- Direction
- Out and back on the same trail, with an out-and-back spur to Chasm…
- Cost
- See his costs
- Lodging
- Tent
North America · United States
Longs Peak
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
- Distance
- 17 mi27.3 km
- Days
- 2 days
- Elevation gain
- 5,584 ft1,702 m
- High point
- 14,259 ft4,346 m
- Season
- The route is most often free of snow…
- Lodging
- Tent
Hikes / North America / Longs Peak
In June 2022 I climbed Longs Peak, 14,259 ft (4,346 m), the highest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park, by the Keyhole Route. It was my first month living in Denver. I just moved there with my wife and puppy, and one of the reasons you move to Colorado is to hike mountains, specifically 14ers. I went alone and did it in two days: up from the Longs Peak Trailhead on the first afternoon, with a detour to Chasm Lake, to a night in a stone windbreak at the Boulder Field, then the Keyhole, the Ledges, the Trough, the Narrows and the Homestretch to the summit early the next morning, and all the way back down to my car. It's the trip from my film Solo Silent Hike Up Longs Peak.
Kraig Adams
Effort at this pace: Hard · about 8 mi (14 km) and 2,792 ft (851 m) of climbing a day over 2 days, up to 14,259 ft (4,346 m). Our grade for the days given, worked out from distance, climbing and altitude a day; it isn't the trail's usual difficulty rating (under Basics) and doesn't rate exposure, terrain or weather.
Where these numbers come from
From Kraig Adams's GPS recording and guide.
From Kraig Adams's GPS
The route, day by day
Elevation9,386–14,255 ft17.0 mi
From Kraig Adams's GPS. Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (USGS 3DEP, SRTM) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors
Tap a day for his map of it
Download GPX456 KB · free
Each day and variant (2 files)
- Day 1: my own GPS recording. The Longs Peak Trailhead, Chasm Junction, out and back to Chasm Lake, Granite Pass and my camp at the Boulder Field (8.4 mi / 13.6 km) 248 KB
- Day 2: NOT a recording. I didn't record Day 2. This line is the Keyhole Route from the Boulder Field to the summit and back as OpenStreetMap draws it, then my Day 1 line back down to the trailhead without the Chasm Lake detour (about 8.5 mi / 13.7 km) 207 KB
The film
Watch it first
Solo Silent Hike Up Longs Peak - Colorado’s Most Iconic Summit
Before you go
The basics
- Start
- The Longs Peak Trailhead, about 9,400 ft (2,865 m), off Colorado Highway 7 south of Estes Park
- Finish
- The Longs Peak Trailhead, about 9,400 ft (2,865 m), off Colorado Highway 7 south of Estes Park
- Direction
- Out and back on the same trail, with an out-and-back spur to Chasm Lake on Day 1
- Usual difficulty
- A long, steady trail to the Boulder Field, then a scramble with big drops from the Keyhole to the summit, at over 13,000 ft. The Park Service says it's not a hike
- Best time
- The route is most often free of snow and ice from about mid-July to mid-September. That's also thunderstorm season, so start very early and be back below tree line by noon. I went in late June, with some ice and snow still up top.
- Permits
- A wilderness permit to camp ($36 a trip). A timed-entry reservation from late May to mid-October, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Getting there
- My way in, 2022. I got into my Subaru and did the roughly two-hour drive from Denver, past Boulder, up into this area right on the edge of the national park. I picked up my permit at the wilderness office in the morning, got a quick bite to eat at a restaurant on the way to the trailhead, and started hiking at 1:10 p.m.
- Lodging
- Tent
From Kraig Adams's guide
Costs and gear
Bookings and permits
When bookings open, from the sources named under each. Dates move: confirm on the official site.
Rocky Mountain wilderness permits for summer (May 1 to October 31)
Summer dates open on recreation.gov at 8 a.m. Mountain time on March 1 each year; bookings close 3 days before your first night. A few walk-up permits are given in person.
Next: Mar 1, 2027
Book on recreation.gov.
Source: Kraig Adams's Longs Peak guide: Permits and the rules (checked Oct 3, 2026). Checked October 2026.
Alert me when bookings open
From Kraig Adams's guide
Safety
Rescue numbers
- Emergency: 911 · Wilderness Office (970) 586-1242 · park information (970) 586-1206.
Phone signal
- Don't count on it.
- The Park Service calls coverage extremely unreliable.
Insurance
- A CORSAR card from Colorado Parks and Wildlife ($5 for a year, $20 for five) helps pay Colorado's county rescue teams, not the Park Service; it isn't insurance.
Bail-out points
- Day 1, Longs Peak Trailhead to the Boulder Field. The only way off is back down the trail. Turn back if a storm is building (in summer they come most afternoons), if the altitude is hitting you hard (a headache that gets worse, vomiting, confusion), or if you're running late. The Boulder Field is exposed and there's nowhere to shelter from lightning above tree line.
- Day 2, Boulder Field to the summit and back down. The only way off is back the way you came. The Park Service recommends being back below tree line by noon because of lightning, and advises starting from the trailhead no later than 3 a.m. on a day climb; from the Boulder Field you have a few hours' head start. Turn around at the first sign of a storm, if you lose the bullseyes, if there's ice you're not equipped for, or if the altitude is getting worse.
From Kraig Adams's guide. For planning, not navigation: check before you go.
Their films and versions
Creators who've done it
1 creator so far: Kraig, 2 days, tent.
Solo Silent Hike Up Longs Peak - Colorado’s Most Iconic Summit
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Typical: 2 days (the hike's facts).
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Planning questions about Longs Peak, answered only from this page's facts, the creators' versions and hikers' public tracks, with where each answer comes from. When the data doesn't say, the answer says "not given".
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Answered from the data
Questions people ask
How many days do you need for Longs Peak?
I did it in two: up to the Boulder Field in the afternoon, the summit and all the way down the next morning. Many people do it in one very long day; the Park Service says the 15-mile round trip takes 10 to 15 hours. See Other ways to do it.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How much does Longs Peak cost?
The only cost I mention in my film is the walk-up permit: it cost maybe like thirty dollars.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
When is the best time to hike Longs Peak?
The route is most often free of snow and ice from about mid-July to mid-September. That's also thunderstorm season, so start very early and be back below tree line by noon. I went in late June, with some ice and snow still up top.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Do you need a permit for Longs Peak?
Not for a day climb. To camp at the Boulder Field you need a Rocky Mountain National Park wilderness permit ($36 a trip in summer 2026), picked up in person with a bear canister. In 2026 you also needed a timed-entry reservation to drive into the park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. from May 22 to October 12, unless you arrive earlier.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How long is the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak?
The Park Service says 7.5 miles to the summit and 15 miles round trip, 10 to 15 hours. My first day, from the trailhead with a detour to Chasm Lake, was 8.4 miles by my GPS; the second, from the Boulder Field to the summit and down, about 8.5.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
How hard is Longs Peak?
Up to the Boulder Field it's a long, steady trail. Above the Keyhole it's a scramble on rock with big drops, at over 13,000 ft, and the Park Service says it's not a hike: a fall there can be fatal. I found it less scary than the videos I'd watched, but I'd done harder scrambles before.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Can you camp at the Boulder Field on Longs Peak?
Yes, with a wilderness permit: nine sites inside stone windbreaks at 12,760 ft, about 6 miles from the trailhead, with a privy and water from Boulder Brook. A hard-sided bear canister is required.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.
Is there water on the Keyhole Route?
There are brooks along the trail and Boulder Brook at the Boulder Field (treat it). Above the Boulder Field there's none: the Park Service says to carry 3 to 4 quarts.
From Kraig Adams's trip and guide.