Longs Peak Keyhole Route
Longs Peak
Keyhole Route
1-DAY ASCENT2 Trekkers: $350 /PERSON
Single:$525
3 Trekkers: $300 /PERSON
2-DAY ASCENT$525 Per Person
Intro
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
1-Day or 2-Day Ascents
The crown jewel of Rocky Mountain NP, Longs Peak, is one of the most coveted summits in the West. At 14,259 feet above sea level and over 7 miles from the trailhead, this summit will make you earn your views, but they are beautiful and rewarding!
Join us for one of the most classic Colorado 14ers, Longs Peak, via the Keyhole Route. Wrapping around the Boulderfield campground, we drop into this classic scramble that takes exposure and fun to new meanings!
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Summer Solstice ~ June 20-21
Independence Day ~ July 4-5
Memorial Day ~ Aug 30-31
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The crown jewel of Rocky Mountain NP, Longs Peak is one of the most coveted summits in the West. At 14,259 feet above sea level and over 7 miles from the trailhead, this summit will make you earn your views but they are beautiful and rewarding!
Join us for one of the most classic Colorado 14ers, Longs Peak, via the Keyhole Route. Wrapping around the Boulderfield campground, we drop into this classic scramble that takes exposure and fun to new meanings! This route offers magnificent exposure high above the east and west flanks of the mountain and maintains a primarily moderate trekking grade with a few steps that are 4th class.
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Pre Couse Trip Call:
Guides and guests connect via Google Meet to discuss gear selection for the course, meet our new teammates, discuss the climb, and, answer any lingering questions the team has.
The Evening Before:
Guides extend the offer to meet at a local park to cover any last-minute gear needs and cover packing for the trip. Usually, we then go out for some dinner in town.
The Climb:
1-day Ascent: Hit the trailhead between 2 - 3 am depending on the time of year, hiking towards Chasm Junction. We’ll take a hard right around Mt. Lady Washington to the boulder field making our way to the North Face.
We’ll be ready to tackle any technical sections after sunrise, hoping to summit and descend before any afternoon thunderstorms have moved in! The keyhole is fun, fast, and challenging, and rewards the team with one of the most beautiful and coveted views in Colorado.
End Of Day Debrief:
At the cars, we review the day; sharing the highs, lows, and learnings to ruminate more deeply on the experience. It is often customary (but not mandatory) to have a meal back in the town to celebrate the great days spent in the mountains!
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With a 2-day ascent, we will camp overnight at the Boulderfield campsite.
Stargazing Under the Rockies' Night Sky: The clear mountain air and remote location of Rocky Mountain National Park provide some of the best stargazing conditions in the state. You’ll have the chance to view constellations, shooting stars, and the Milky Way in all its splendor.
Full Moon Adventure: For a truly magical experience, some of our overnight trips coincide with a full moon. The magical silvery glow illuminates the rugged peaks and ridges, highlighting expansive valleys, creating an atmosphere of peace and awe. You may even have the opportunity to summit a peak by moonlight—an unforgettable adventure!
Sunrise Summit: Rise early to catch the sun painting the sky and cliffs with the alpenglow radiance. Reach the summit of Long’s Peak, where you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, valleys, and alpine lakes.
Delicious Meals: Forget bland backpacking food. On these trips, we provide nutritious and delicious meals that will fuel you for your journey. Enjoy hearty dinner at camp and hot breakfast—perfect to fuel a day in the mountains.
Professional Guidance: Your safety and enjoyment are our top priorities. Our professional guides are experts in wilderness travel, providing you with all the support you need to make your backpacking experience both safe and enjoyable. They will lead you on scenic routes, offer insights into the local ecology, and teach you valuable skills for navigating mountain terrain.
Pre Couse Trip Call:
Guides and guests connect via Google Meet to discuss gear selection for the course, meet our new teammates, discuss the climb, and, answer any lingering questions the team has.
2-Day Ascent: Meet at the trailhead between 3-4 PM arriving at the Boulderfield campground to set up and have dinner before dark. Depending on the forecast, we will hike up to the summit in the morning and enjoy lunch & views from the top!
End Of Trip Debrief:
At the cars, we review the day; sharing the highs, lows, and learnings to ruminate more deeply on the experience. It is often customary (but not mandatory) to have a meal back in the town to celebrate the great days spent in the mountains!
Available Dates:
Summer Solstice ~ June 20-21
Independence Day ~ July 4-5
Memorial Day ~ Aug 30-31 -
ESTES PARK, COLORADO: GETTING THERE
Estes Park, Colorado is located in the Northeastern part of Colorado and is approximately 45 minutes from Boulder. A mecca for climbing, hiking, cycling, and foodies; make sure you plan to spend some time in town before and after your SMG trip. Estes Park serves as the launching point for all of our climbs in Rocky Mountain National Park.
*If you plan to combine additional days of climbing in Eldorado Canyon or The Flatirons then Boulder, CO is also a logical place to base your lodging for your trip.
The best option for flying to the area is through Denver, CO.
You will likely need to organize a rental car to drive to Estes Park from Denver. Typically in the summer months, you can choose any type of vehicle. Below are some approximate driving times to get to Estes Park, CO.
Denver, CO: 1.5 hours
Boulder, CO: 45 minutes
Colorado Springs, CO: 2.5 hours
Estes Park has many great hotels, suites, and vacation rentals for you to stay in while you’re in the area. Call our office at 410-982-8282 if you have any questions about what would suit you best for this trip! Below are just a few options catering to different lodging styles and preferences.
Boulder, CO also has many great hotels, suites, and vacation rentals for you to stay in while you’re in the area.
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The crown jewel of Rocky Mountain NP, Longs Peak is one of the most coveted summits in the West. At 14,259 feet above sea level and over 7 miles from the trailhead, this summit will make you earn your views but they are beautiful and rewarding.
We prefer to climb the slightly more technical Cables Route 5.4 which rises directly from The Boulderfield campground, because of it’s direct route nature, exposure, and fun historical place in the Park.
In the 1900s, mountaineers rode horses to the Boulderfield and climbed The North Face with the help of a large steel cable attached to the rock by eye bolts. These days, climbers hike from the Longs Peak trailhead at 9,500′ themselves, often stopping to camp in the Boulderfield. From there, they wander up the talus to the crux of the route — a thirty-meter 5.4 slab often wet or icy. After completing the technical climbing, the route traverses up and left as it tiptoes above The Diamond to the summit. This is a superb introduction to high-altitude mountaineering, with a wide variety of terrain and skill sets to learn.
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FOOTWEAR
+3-Season Alpine Boot early season
+Socks
UPPER LAYERS
+Synthetic T-shirt
BOTTOM LAYERS
+Softshell Pants
GLOVES/HATS
+Buff
BACKPACKS
+20L-25L Climbing Pack
ACCESSORIES
+Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Lip Balm, Sun Hat
+Nalgene, Minimum 1.5L
+Climbing Snacks: 100 calories an hour!
EQUIPMENT
+Crampons early season
+Light Alpine Tool early season
+Belay Device w/Locking Carabiner
+3 Additional Locking Carabiners
+120cm Sewn Sling w/ Non-Locker
+Autoblock Cord w/ Non-Locker
Smile Mountain Guides can supply rock climbing gear including helmets, harnesses, ropes, cams, slings, carabiners, belay/rappel devices, ice axes, and crampons. *We do not provide alpine boots
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BREAKFAST (~300 – 600 CALORIES)
Having a hot breakfast is important, especially in cold weather environments. Most climbers go with instant or quick-cooking hot cereals like oatmeal or Cream of Wheat, or dry cereals and powdered milk mixed with hot water. All of these meals taste better and provide more calories when fortified with dried fruits, nuts, honey, butter, and even chocolate chips! Tastier (and heavier!) breakfast ideas are included below.
For your course, you should have 4 breakfasts. About half of these should be basic meals to decrease weight on the mountain and the remaining can be more luxurious. Don’t forget your hot drinks!
Breakfast Ideas
– 1 cup of granola + freeze-dried fruit + 3 tablespoons of powdered milk mixed with hot water
– 2 packs of instant oatmeal + dried fruit + nut butter
– Dehydrated breakfast meal (check serving and calories)
– 2 packs of instant grits + bacon crumbles + cheese + butter + salt and pepper to taste
– 2-4 powdered eggs + 4-6 strips precooked bacon + tortilla
LUNCH (~800 – 1600 CALORIES) X 2
Lunch begins just after breakfast and ends just before dinner. It is the most important meal of the day and needs to have enough variety to keep you happy over your trip. Continuous eating of small quantities will keep up your energy levels for the whole day, especially on big travel/summit days where we will be on the move for 8 hours or more.
For your course, you need lunch food for 5 days. Determining the amount of lunch food to bring is difficult to gauge on your first mountaineering expedition. General guidelines are given below. The rule many guides work with is the weight of your lunch food should be equivalent to the weight of your breakfast and dinner food added together.
Each day it’s nice to have a “real” food item. You may consider some of these tasty sandwich/wrap combinations:
1. Start with a hearty bread product: flatbread, bagel, naan, flour tortilla, croissant, or pita pocket
2. Add protein: hard cheese, Laughing Cow cheese wedges (no refrigeration needed), cured meat, black beans or hummus, nut butter (we like Trail Butter because it comes in a squeeze pouch), tuna pouch, or smoked salmon
3. Add flavor/texture: dried fruit, chips, hot sauce, mustard, or pesto. Also consider, a hearty pre-made sandwich, leftover pizza, or a burrito for the first day of the course
In addition, pack snack foods to supplement any sandwiches or wraps, such as:
– Nuts (cashew and almonds personal favorite – can buy in 1lb quantities at Trader Joe’s)
– Jerky – beef, turkey, bacon, salmon, and tofu jerky are all great options
– Dried fruit (Trader Joe’s has an excellent selection prepackaged by weight)
– Peanut butter filled pretzel chunks
– Trail mix
– Cheese sticks/squares
– Plantain chips
For summit day or big travel days (approximately 2 on a 3-day course) focus on energy-rich food. On these days we travel for roughly an hour between breaks. At each break, you should be eating 200-300 calories (or about 1 energy bar). These days can have 4-8 breaks. These foods include:
– Energy bars – focus on bars with real ingredients. We love Probars, Pure Organic, Kit’s Organic, Larabar, and Chia Bars. If you are ambitious, try making your own!
– Energy chews (Shot Bloks or the like)
– GU’s, Cliff Shots, etc.
– Candy bars (Snicker’s are a favorite of most climbers)
– Gummy bears
DINNER (~800 – 1200 CALORIES)
For the greatest preparation and cooking ease, freeze-dried food is an option. Usually, these foods only require adding boiling water and are ready within minutes. Downsides to freeze-dried food are the cost, an increase in single-use packaging which must be packed out, uninteresting flavors or textures, gut issues from poorly re-hydrated meals, constipation, etc.
With slightly more effort but vastly reduced cost, any supermarket can be tapped for a wide variety of wilderness-ready prepared foods. Items like Knorr rice or pasta entrees in envelopes cook in 5 to 10 minutes, and are very tasty. It is best if you experiment ahead of time at home so that you know which you prefer. For those with a culinary creative streak, very tasty meals can be made up from scratch with only a minimum of additional effort. Items such as quick brown rice, quick or instant white rice, bulgur, instant precooked or dried beans, dehydrated vegetables, packaged or bulk sauce mixes, smoked salmon, exotic cheeses, and whatever spices and herbs you like or want to experiment with can be combined for tasty meals.
You will need 4 dinners for your course. Many guides bring soup packets, like instant miso soup, for each meal (unless the meal is already soup-based). These make great pre-dinner hot drinks and help us hydrated. Don’t forget your hot drinks!
Dinner Ideas
– 1 packet instant ramen noodle soup + sweet and spicy jerky (shredded) + parmesan cheese + dehydrated vegetables
– 1 pre-pouched Indian Meal (we like Tasty Bites) + boil in the bag rice + coconut oil (vegetarian/vegan depending on meal choice)
– 1 box mac and cheese + sundried tomatoes + tuna packet + red pepper flakes
– 1 box cous cous + sundried tomatoes + pine nuts + chunks of salami
PREPARATIONS FOR THE KEYHOLE ROUTE
Technical Experience
Guests should have some experience hiking in the high alpine. If you want to build up to climbing and moving well in the mountains, please consider a day on Boulders, Flatirons.
Fitness
Excellent physical fitness is required. Climbers must be able to hike and climb for many hours while carrying a pack. Training for Advanced Alpine Climbing is a great fitness program to develop a strong alpine climbing base. 50% intensity is a good marker of alpine fitness for this route.
Meet The Team
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Meg Nickman
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Jeffrey Mascaro
FAQ’s
Longs Peak Keyhole Route
The answers to our most commonly asked questions about The Keyhole Route on Longs.
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PRICE INCLUDES
+Guide fees
+Park fees
+Group gear (trekking poles, helmets)
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE
+Personal equipment (see Gear List)
+Transportation
+Hotels/lodging in Estes Park
+All expenses incurred in the event of early departure (evac fees, extra hotel nights, etc.)
+Trip cancellation insurance
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Smile focuses on small groups and ratios that meet the professional mountain guiding standard. These programs have a 4:1 ratio, and we can accommodate a maximum group size of 6 climbers with three guides.
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Please click here to review our domestic cancellation policy.