Mount Massive: East Slopes

This route begins and ends at the Mount Massive Trailhead, after reaching the summit of Mount Massive. Hike north on the Colorado Trail, crossing South Willow Creek at 2.3 miles and Willow Creek shortly after at 2.9 miles. At 3.0 miles, turn left onto the Mount Massive Trail. Climb through the thinning forest to the treeline near mile 3.9. Continue along the broad ridge on a steady, obstacle-free climb. At 5.9 miles, enter the bowl between South Peak and the main summit, where the grade steepens. Navigate the rocky, Class 2 trail to the saddle between South Peak and the summit. Crux: The sustained climb through the bowl between the South Peak and the main summit — roughly from mile five to the shoulder — is the steepest and most demanding section of the route. There's no technical difficulty (the mountain stays Class 2 throughout), but cumulative elevation gain and altitude hit hardest here. Upon reaching the saddle at 6.1 miles, turn right to the north to stay on the Mount Massive Trail. At 6.3 miles, reach the intersection with the North Halfmoon Trail. Bear right and follow the ridge for the final 0.3 miles to the summit. Retrace your steps to return to the trailhead.

14,428 foot high Mt. Massive is aptly named: it's the second tallest peak in the Rockies and Colorado and has five peaks over 14,000 feet. It's only 12 feet lower than Mt. Elbert and only about 7 feet higher than Mt. Harvard. Fans of Massive once tried to make it taller than Elbert by stacking rocks. It's also the third highest in the contiguous US, but has more area over 14,000 feet than any other mountain in the 48.