Contemplating your first fourteener? Try Mount Bierstadt

The ultimate first fourteener. The trailhead near Georgetown is easy to reach. The hike is relatively short, and the view of the adjoining sawtooth ridge from the summit is sublime.

TO GET THERE: Take I-25 north to Colorado 470 south of Denver. Go west around the city and hook up with I-70 west as it climbs into the mountains. Take Exit 228 at Georgetown and follow signs southwest through town to the graded dirt Guanella Pass Road. Follow the road about 10 miles to the top of Guanella Pass and a clearly marked trailhead on the left.

TRIP LOG: Four boots, 4.5 miles round trip, 2,400 feet elevation gain.

THE HIKE: From the trailhead, hikers can see two peaks to the east, separated by a jagged ridge. Mount Bierstadt is to the south.

The standard route climbs the grassy face visible from the road. Start on a clear trail along plank walkways through thick willows. Once through the willows, the trail makes a climbing traverse to the north, then veers southeast again and gradually switches back to the summit.

Take time to stop and enjoy the hardy alpine flowers sprinkled among the rocks, but also keep an eye out for afternoon storm clouds building in the west.

From the summit, Mount Evans, which has a road to the top, lies just to the northeast. Climbers looking for extra credit can make a loop of this hike by scrambling down the airy pinnacles of the Sawtooth Ridge to the north, then dropping west down a grassy ramp back to the willows. This detour adds little distance to the hike, but will likely contribute hours to the total time. Only experienced fourteener climbers should give it a whirl.

INFORMATION: Arapaho National Forest, Clear Creek Ranger District, 1-303-567-3000