Which Colorado Fourteener Should Be Your First?

Jake has been up enough fourteeners to know the right way to break someone in. The honest first-time picks below.

Mt Bierstadt — the right answer for most people

14,065 ft. 7 miles round trip, 2,850 ft of gain, Class 2 the whole way (no real scrambling). Trailhead is paved. The Sawtooth ridge is impressive but the standard route doesn't touch it. You'll see 200 other people on a Saturday in July, which is the right number for your first time — there's a margin of safety in numbers when you're still figuring out what altitude feels like.

Quandary Peak — better for fitness training

14,265 ft. 6.7 miles, 3,450 ft gain. East ridge is the standard route. More elevation gain than Bierstadt in less distance. Easier scrambling but more sustained. We send people here who've done Bierstadt and want to know what a slightly bigger day feels like.

Mt Sherman — the budget option

14,036 ft, 4.2 miles, 2,100 ft gain. The shortest fourteener in the state if you take the high trailhead. Also the least scenic — old mining ruins, sage scree. Some people's first fourteener; we don't personally love it.

What we don't recommend as a first

Anything with “Couloir” in the route name.

Maroon Peak. Beautiful from below; Class 4 with rotten rock above. People die here every year.

Anything in the San Juans. The drive alone is half a day from anywhere.

The non-negotiable advice

Sleep two nights above 7,000 ft before your attempt. Start at the trailhead by 5am — afternoon thunderstorms above treeline are not a metaphor. Turn around at noon if you're not on top, no matter how close you feel.