Quandary Peak 2018 - Colorado, USA

Quandary Peak overview

I completed the Quandary Peak hike on July 7th, 2018. It was the 5th 14,000+ foot elevation peak I've done since moving to Colorado. This excursion took me about 3 hours for the 7 mile round trip out and back hike that has about 3,500 feet of elevation gain.

The hike started around 5 am, which was in the dark for about 30 minutes. But it was worth it since I got to the peak and was the only one up there (after passing about 20 people on the way up). I finished around 8 am, and on the way done there was hundreds of people and the parking lots were extremely overflowing with parking along the surrounding roads. This is one of the most popular 14er climbs. The trail is well marked and besides the switchbacks, is generally straight up the ridge of the mountain to the peak. The trail had a mix of some forest, some open flat area, and ended with a rock pile climb, but with a pretty clear path. The views were fantastic up at the top.

Recommend:

• Start early to get a spot in the lot and avoid the crowds
• Can complete it with minimal planning since the trail is well marked
• As always, bring water and snacks with you
• At the peak, look south and see if you can recognize the Bross, Cameron, Lincoln, and Democrat 14er peaks

Relive video of the hike

link: watch a video and map tour of my hike

Trip Map

Pictures

See this and all the 14er hike pictures on the Facebook Murk Travels photos page - 14ers album.

Sunrise on the hike up

The top rocky push to the peak

The summit and elevation shot

A panoramic of the great view

Previous 14er hikes:

• Democrat, Lincoln, Cameron, Bross

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempted at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen