Longs Peak Hike to Boulder Field, Keyhole Route

Longs Peak is the tallest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park and one of Colorado's classic 14ers, and the Keyhole Route is the standard - if still very serious - way up it. In late June of 2021 I set out on that trail with a plan to reach the Boulder Field below the Keyhole. Watch the video below, then read on for the full story.

A Big Day on Paper

The Keyhole Route out of the Longs Peak Trailhead is a big undertaking no matter how far you go - a round trip to the summit runs about 13 miles with roughly 5,000 feet of elevation gain, topping out near 14,259 feet. Most people who go for the summit start in the dark, well before sunrise, to beat the afternoon thunderstorms that build over the Front Range almost every summer day.

Turning Around Before the Keyhole

Trail reports ahead of the hike described ice and snow lingering higher up, so I knew going in that a summit attempt wasn't realistic that day. The plan instead was to hike up through the forest and switchbacks to the Boulder Field, the broad, rocky basin that sits just below the Keyhole itself, and turn around there rather than push into the exposed scrambling above it.

What I Carried

For a June day hike with real elevation and the chance of fast-changing mountain weather, I packed light but stayed prepared: two water bottles plus a bladder and filter, a rain jacket and pants, a lightweight fleece, snack bars and Cheetos, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a knife, headlamp, chapstick, toilet paper, bandages, and a Ziploc bag or two. Nothing fancy, but enough to handle a long day above treeline if the weather turned.

The Boulder Field and Back Down

Reaching the Boulder Field was reward enough for the day - a stark, wide-open jumble of granite with Longs Peak's summit block looming above and the Keyhole notch visible in the ridge ahead. Knowing the route beyond that point gets committing fast, with the Trough, the Narrows, and the Homestretch all waiting above, turning back here with ice still on the rock was the right call. Longs Peak isn't going anywhere - there's always next season for the summit push.