South Mt. Elbert Trailhead: On Colorado State Road 82, 4
miles West of the intersection of U.S. 24 and CO 82, turn North
on Lake County Road 24 (Do not confuse with U.S. 24). Drive one
mile to Lakeview Campground (9560 ft). The trailhead is on the
northwest side of the campground and is also an access point
for the Colorado/Continental Divide Trail in which a short
section runs from Lakeview Campground to the North Mt. Elbert
Trailhead. High clearance vehicles can drive to 10,440 ft. by
continuing North on Lake County 24 to the next left(west) at an
overlook and parking lot. Continue west for 2 miles until the
road ends and you see other vehicles parked. The trailhead is
on the north side of the parking area. Cross a creek via a
footbridge and continue a short distance until reaching a
signed intersection of the Mt. Elbert/Colorado/Continental
Divide Trail where you turn left.
South Mt. Elbert Route: This is an easy Class 1 hike
with a well defined trail. After crossing the footbridge, you
will arrive at a sign for the Mt. Elbert Trail. Follow the
sign, turning left up toward the mountain. The section after
this is somewhat steep and finishes with switchbacks through an
aspen forest to a bench. From the bench, you get your first
view of the mountain. Hike along level ground through conifer
until reaching treeline. The trail will turn northwest and head
toward a ridge. Gain the ridge and follow it through a couple
of false summits to just below the summit. From there, the
trail will circle around a little to the southeast side of the
mountain where the trail continues via short switchbacks to the
summit. The view from the top is spectacular. Round trip is 12
miles from the Lakeview Campground, 8 miles from the Mount
Elbert Trailhead.
North Mt. Elbert Trailhead: From Leadville, drive 3.5
miles south on U.S. 24 to Colorado (CO) 300. Turn right (west)
on CO 300 and drive .7 miles. At .7 miles, turn left (south) on
CO 11 which is a dirt road. Drive south 1.8 miles and turn
right (west) at the signed intersection for Halfmoon Creek.
Continue southwest past the Halfmoon Creek Campground and the
Elbert Creek Campground until reaching the signed North Mt.
Elbert Trailhead (10,050 ft.) at 6.9 miles. Note: This
trailhead is also referred to as "South Colorado/Main Range
Trailhead" in some guidebooks. It is an access point for the
Colorado/Continental Divide trail, a short section of which
runs from here to the Lakeview Campground to the south.
North Mt. Elbert Trail (Halfmoon): Leave the parking
area and hike into the forest on the North Mt. Elbert trail.
After a short distance, there is a trail junction with a sign.
Turn left and follow what is now the Colorado Trail. Continue
on the trail as it climbs through the forest to over 10,600'.
During the next 1/4 mile, the trail loses about 200' of
elevation. 1.25 miles from the trailhead, there is another
trail junction. There is a large sign for Mt. Elbert. Staying
left would take you in the wrong direction on the Colorado
Trial. Turn right and follow the North Mt. Elbert trail. The
trail climbs up through the forest and eventually comes to tree
line above 11,900'. Hike 800' of elevation up an easy slope.
Near 12,800', reach the crest of the Northeast Ridge. From the
ridge you can see into Box Creek. You cannot see the summit
from here. Follow the trail southwest along the ridge. Near
13,300', the route becomes steeper as the trail climbs up
through talus. Briefly hike northwest around to the north side
of the ridge. After climbing through some brief steep sections,
the trail then climbs southwest to regain the ridge near
13,900'. The most difficult portion of the trail is over. From
13,900' on the ridge, you can only see to 14,250'. Hike up the
easy slope to a flat area near 14,300'. You can see the
remaining route from here - except for the actual summit. Hike
south over to the summit ridge and then southwest up to the
summit. This route has a great trail all the way to the summit
but you still have to gain 4,650 feet of elevation. Between
13,300' and 13,800' there are a couple of brief Class 2 hiking
sections because the trail weaves up through talus. Overall,
the route is still ranked as a Class 1 hike.
The Black Cat Bed and Breakfast is
located at 250 Reva Ridge Road in Twin Lakes, Colorado, 81251. For reservations or further information, call us at
719-486-1235, fax719-486-1257 or email us at the
Black Cat!. We look forward to meeting
you!
