Longs Peak

Longs Peak is named for the explorer Major Stephen Long who led an expedition to the west in 1820. The tall steep rock cliff leading to the sunlit summit – called The Diamond -- is the site of some of the more famous rock-climbing challenges and adventures in the state. The Keyhole Route is the standard route to the summit of Longs Peak, a challenging 14,259-foot mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park, involving a 14-mile round trip with 5,000 feet of elevation gain. It's a technical climb with sections of scrambling over rock faces, requiring careful navigation of the boulder field, ledges, trough, and narrows, ultimately leading to the summit. The route is extremely dangerous due to potential falling rocks and unroped falls, so it should not be taken lightly.