Longs Peak, Kraig Adams's way

Day 1 is from my GPS. Day 2 is from the mapped route (OpenStreetMap) and my Day 1 line, since I didn't record it. Without the Chasm Lake detour the round trip is about 14.8 miles. The trailhead, Boulder Field and summit heights are the Park Service's; the others are "about."

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.

Driving (2026). The Longs Peak Trailhead is at the end of Longs Peak Road, about 1 mile west of Colorado Highway 7. From Estes Park, drive about 9 miles south on Highway 7 from its junction with US-36, about 25 minutes. From Denver, the way I went is US-36 through Boulder and Lyons, then Highway 7 up the canyon: about 70 miles and 2 hours. From Denver International Airport it's about 81 miles, also about 2 hours without traffic (rough routing estimates).

Without a car. No shuttle or bus reaches the Longs Peak Trailhead. The park's shuttles and the Estes Park Hiker Shuttle serve the Bear Lake Road area, and the airport shuttle to Estes Park ($85 one way, as reported) stops in town. You need a car or a ride; don't count on booking a ride back from the trailhead, where the phone signal is unreliable.

Parking. There's a parking lot at the trailhead; a timed-entry reservation doesn't guarantee a space in it. Park only on the gravel or pavement, and put a copy of your timed-entry reservation on the dash if you have one. Car-camping in the lot isn't allowed, as reported.

Sleeping near the trailhead. Longs Peak Campground, right at the trailhead, is tent-only and first come, first served: about 26 sites, $30 a night in 2026, no water, open from about early July to early September. You pay with the Recreation.gov app at the kiosk, and it doesn't include the park entrance fee. The Forest Service's Olive Ridge Campground on Highway 7, about 15 miles south of Estes Park, is $29 a night for a single site, and Meeker Park Overflow, also on Highway 7, is $16. Estes Park has motels and lodges. Nothing on Highway 7 is open for a 2 a.m. breakfast, so eat the night before.

What it costs

The only cost I mention in my film is the walk-up permit: it cost maybe like thirty dollars.

For your budget (2026, US dollars):

For a day climb from Denver it can be as little as the entrance fee and gas. With a night at the Boulder Field, a rental car and a motel, budget roughly $450 to $800 for one person from Denver airport, before food and flights.

Where I slept, food and water

Where I slept

The Boulder Field. I set up my one-person tent inside one of the stone windbreaks, put on my down jacket as it got cooler, and blew up my sleeping pad with a pump sack. It's above tree line and exposed to wind. I forgot my gloves and wasn't looking forward to cold hands during the summit.

The marmots. Those little buddies were hungry. Someone's been feeding them, because every time I opened a bag of food they showed up and poked their heads up over the rocks. Keep everything in your canister, and don't feed them.

Food and water

What I ate. A dehydrated meal in my pot at camp, eaten with a long spoon, and a quick breakfast on a rock in the morning. My food went in the bear canister.

Water. There was plenty of water in the brooks along the trail, and there was also water at the Boulder Field, which I had to ask the ranger about. It made sense: there was still snow up there and I could see it from the trailhead, so there would be some water flowing down Boulder Brook. I filled my bottle from a trickle between the boulders. Treat it all. In late summer and autumn the flow at the Boulder Field can be small, so ask at the Wilderness Office. Above the Boulder Field there's no water: carry 3 to 4 quarts for the climb.

What I carried

From my film (I have no full gear list for this trip):

Hiking

• Shoes: trail running shoes
• Sleeping: a one-person tent, a sleeping bag and an inflatable pad with a pump sack
• Clothes: a down jacket and a hooded jacket and beanie for the summit morning. I forgot my gloves; bring yours
• Food: a bear canister, a pot and dehydrated meals

Filmmaking

• Camera: a Sony a7S III with a 20 mm f/1.4 lens and a tripod

Other

• Snow: microspikes, which I didn't use
• Navigation: the AllTrails app, which recorded Day 1

What this hike needs:

• For a night out: the wilderness permit and a hard-sided bear canister
• 3 to 4 quarts of water for the climb, a filter, and food
• Warm layers, a hat, gloves, a rain jacket, sun protection and a headlamp
• A helmet is a good idea on the Trough and the Homestretch, where rocks fall
• Outside mid-July to mid-September: microspikes, or crampons and an ice axe and the skills to use them
• A satellite messenger or a phone with satellite SOS

Is it open? (October 2026)

Checked on Rocky Mountain National Park's and recreation.gov's own pages on October 3, 2026.

Open, with the first snow. I found no closure of the Longs Peak Trail, the Chasm Lake Trail or the trailhead. The park's Longs Peak conditions report of September 23, 2026 says fall has arrived: the first snow of the season is on the Keyhole Route and ice has formed on parts of it. Its newest photos, from September 20, are of the Ledges, the Trough and the Narrows. On the Chasm Lake Trail the steep crossing was snow-free, but the report says the rock slabs below the lake are wet with runoff and ice is becoming a serious hazard this time of year. It says microspikes, or crampons and an ice axe, may be prudent. From about mid-September to mid-July the route is usually in winter or spring conditions.

Longs Peak Campground at the trailhead is closed for the winter. It usually opens in early July and closes in early September; the 2027 dates weren't posted yet.

Timed entry. In 2026 timed entry runs from May 22 to October 12: until then you need a reservation to drive into the park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., and that includes the Longs Peak area. Before 9 a.m. or after 2 p.m. you don't need one, and once you've picked up a wilderness permit it serves as your timed-entry reservation. You still need a park entrance pass: buy it on recreation.gov or at the Beaver Meadows entrance before you drive to the trailhead. The 2027 dates weren't announced yet.

What to do. Read the Longs Peak conditions report and the park's alerts the week before you go, and call the Wilderness Office, (970) 586-1242, about snow on the route.

Permits and the rules

These were checked on Rocky Mountain National Park's and recreation.gov's own pages on October 3, 2026.

A wilderness permit to camp. You need one for any night in the park's wilderness, including the Boulder Field. Summer dates (May 1 to October 31) open on recreation.gov at 8 a.m. Mountain time on March 1 each year, and bookings close 3 days before your first night. A few walk-up permits are given out in person; in 2026 in-person permits started on March 15.

How I did it, 2022. I went to the wilderness office that morning to snag a walk-up permit to spend the night up at the Boulder Field. It was very easy and cost maybe like thirty dollars. The whole process, talking to the ranger, took about five minutes. They just wanted to make sure I had a bear can and that I knew the conditions.

Picking it up. Every permit is picked up in person, up to 30 days ahead: at the Wilderness Office beside the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, 1000 US Highway 36, just west of Estes Park, open 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily, (970) 586-1242; or, from May 15 to September 30, at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center on the west side. The Beaver Meadows office is closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas; no summer holiday is on that list. You get an overnight dashtag with the permit: leave it on your dashboard at the trailhead.

Fees (2026). $36 a trip from May to October ($6 to reserve plus a $30 administrative fee), not per person or per night; $10 from November to April. The park entrance fee is separate.

The Boulder Field camp. Nine sites inside rock rings, the stone windbreaks, at 12,760 ft, 6 miles from the trailhead. There's a privy, and water from Boulder Brook. Camp inside the rings. No more than 3 nights in a row in one camp area.

Bear canisters. From April 1 to October 31 you must store food and trash in a hard-sided, commercially made bear-resistant canister below tree line and at the Boulder Field, and you have to show it at the office to get your permit. Keep it about 70 steps (200 ft) from your tent.

Human waste. There's a privy at the Boulder Field. Elsewhere above tree line, pack out solid waste in a waste bag; it's required.

Other rules. No campfires anywhere in the wilderness. No pets on trails or in the wilderness. No drones in the park. Groups at an individual site are 1 to 7 people.

Timed entry and the entrance pass. See Is it open? and What it costs.

Late June. I went on June 28 and 29, 2022. The weather looked good, and that's one of the reasons I jumped on it so quick and did the walk-up permit: I had a nice day-and-a-half window of sunny skies. There was little to no snow on the trail, a few snow patches on the way to Chasm Lake, and still some ice and snow up top. The skies were partly cloudy.

Mid-July to mid-September. The Park Service says this is when the route is most often free of snow and ice, and it's when most people climb. It's also thunderstorm season: in June, July and August expect afternoon storms and lightning. Start very early and be back below tree line by noon.

The rest of the year. For most of the year Longs Peak is in winter conditions: snow, ice and strong wind on the Keyhole Route. That's a mountaineering trip, with crampons, an ice axe and the skills to use them.

Near the summit (estimated normals for about 13,350 ft, 1991 to 2020, from PRISM as published on Wikipedia; add wind chill):

From November to April the highs stay around 20 to 30 °F (-7 to -2 °C). The park says to expect temperature drops of 10 to 20 °F on the tundra when the weather turns. Sunrise in Estes Park is about 5:34 a.m. in late June and 6:29 a.m. on September 1.

Weather, altitude and safety

Emergencies. Call or text 911 (a text can get through when a call won't). There's an emergency telephone at the trailhead ranger station. Rescues on Longs Peak are dangerous and can take many hours, even days. The phone signal is very unreliable, so carry a satellite messenger and leave your plan with someone. 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.

The route itself. Above the Keyhole a fall can be fatal, and people have died on Longs Peak. The Park Service says many accidents happen on the way down, and to people who lose the route or take shortcuts, and some to people climbing alone. I climbed alone; if you do, be extra careful and turn back early.

Lightning. In June, July and August afternoon thunderstorms are common. The Boulder Field, the Keyhole and everything above are exposed. Start early, be back below tree line by noon, and turn around at the first thunder. The Agnes Vaille shelter is not a lightning shelter.

Snow and ice. Even in summer, ice can form on the upper route after a cold night, and it can be hard to see in the shadows. Outside about mid-July to mid-September, expect it.

Altitude. I'd been living in Denver, at 5,280 ft, for a month. Coming from sea level, the altitude above 12,000 ft will hit harder. The CDC says about a quarter of visitors who sleep above 8,000 ft in Colorado get altitude sickness, and that two or three nights at 8,000 to 9,000 ft before going higher protect you well. Flying in and sleeping at the Boulder Field the next night is a much bigger jump than that. Watch for headache, dizziness and nausea, and go down if it gets worse.

Wind and cold. The Boulder Field is exposed and often windy. Bring warm layers and gloves even in summer.

How many days do I need? 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.

How hard is it? Up to the Boulder Field it's a trail, long and steady. Above the Keyhole it's a scramble on rock with big drops. The videos I watched getting ready made it look pretty gnarly, and the names for the sections, like the Narrows, kind of hype it up and make it a bit scarier than it actually was. I've done harder things, so I was totally fine on it and felt prepared. The Park Service is blunter: the Keyhole Route is not a hike, and an unroped fall there would likely be fatal. If you've never scrambled on exposed rock, practice somewhere easier first.

Do I need a permit? Not to climb it in a day. To camp at the Boulder Field or anywhere else in the park's wilderness, you need a wilderness permit, $36 a trip in summer. See Permits and the rules.

Do I need microspikes or an ice axe? It depends on the month. In late June 2022 there was still some ice and snow up top, but everything was pretty manageable. I had microspikes and didn't use them once. That was before the usual snow-free window, which runs about mid-July to mid-September. Outside it, expect snow and ice on the Ledges, the Trough and the Narrows, and read the conditions report: the park says microspikes, or crampons and an ice axe, may be needed.

Is there water? Brooks along the trail and Boulder Brook at the Boulder Field (treat it all). None above the Boulder Field: the Park Service says to carry 3 to 4 quarts for the climb.

Can I fly a drone? No. Drones are banned everywhere in the park.

Can I bring my dog? No. Pets aren't allowed on any trail or in the wilderness in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Is there a phone signal? Don't count on it. The Park Service calls coverage extremely unreliable. Carry a satellite messenger or a phone with satellite SOS.

In one day

This is how many people climb Longs Peak: the Park Service says 15 miles round trip, 10 to 15 hours, and to start no later than 3 a.m. so you're off the summit early. No wilderness permit is needed. Looking back, I thought 14er summits are pretty basic, and I could have done this in a single day: I would have packed lighter, without the bear can, the sleeping bag and the tent, and been even quicker. I said that if I'd started in the morning I'd have summited around lunchtime and been back before sunset. The Park Service's advice is to start much earlier than that and be back below tree line by noon, because of the afternoon storms. Follow theirs.

Two days, my way

A night at the Boulder Field (or at Goblins Forest, 1.2 miles up) splits the climb, lets you start the scramble at first light from 12,760 ft, and gets you used to the altitude. It needs the wilderness permit and a bear canister.

Just Chasm Lake

The Chasm Lake detour is a fine day hike on its own: about 9 miles round trip from the trailhead by my Day 1 line (the lake is at mile 4.5), with the east face of Longs Peak right above you. Expect snow on the last part of the trail in early summer.

Other routes up Longs Peak

The Loft, Clark's Arrow, the North Face (the Cables) and Keplinger's Couloir are other routes to the summit. They're harder or need more route-finding, ropes or snow skills. I didn't do them.

Before you go, check these

These change every year. Everything else in this guide stays the same.

Permits and entry

• To camp: the wilderness permit on recreation.gov from March 1 at 8 a.m. Mountain time, or a walk-up permit at the Wilderness Office; pick it up in person with your bear canister
• The timed-entry dates and hours for 2027, if you'll arrive between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• The entrance fees for 2027

Is it open?

• The Longs Peak conditions report and the park's alerts, for snow, ice and closures
• The forecast for Longs Peak (forecast.weather.gov) for thunderstorms and wind
• Longs Peak Campground's 2027 dates, if you want to sleep at the trailhead

Getting there

• Your car, your start time and, in summer, a plan for parking at the trailhead

Your stuff

• Water for the climb, warm layers, gloves, a headlamp, a helmet if you have one, and snow gear outside midsummer
• Offline maps and the GPX files on your phone, and a satellite messenger