Multi-day TrekStrenuousFront RangeHikingAlpinePeakAdventureRock ClimbingMountain14er
Longs Peak via Keyhole Route
Rocky Mountain National Park's signature climb — a 15-mile Class 3 route across ledges, the Trough, and the Homestretch to the summit of Longs Peak.
Distance24.1 km
Duration1 days
Gain1,555m
Max Elev4,346m
DifficultyStrenuous
TypePoint-to-point
SeasonJuly to September
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The Keyhole Route is the standard route up Longs Peak, the only fourteener in Rocky Mountain National Park. The route starts at 2-3 AM from the Longs Peak Trailhead to beat afternoon thunderstorms. The lower trail is a well-graded path through forest and above treeline before reaching the Boulderfield shelter. From there, the Keyhole marks the start of the technical section: a traverse across the Ledge, the Trough (a steep gully), the Narrows (an exposed catwalk), and the Homestretch (a steep scramble on slabby granite). The round trip is 15 miles with 5,100 feet of elevation gain.