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Colorado trails · East Longs Peak Trail

East Longs Peak Trail

A 5.6-mile out-and-back in Colorado, with 3,326 ft of climbing, topping out at 12,721 ft. Reaches Granite Pass and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by Rocky Mountain National Park.

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Length
5.6 mi
Elevation gain
3,326 ft
Highest point
12,721 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
21%
Steepest mile
+747 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
3.6 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Surface
dirt
Dogs
no
Bikes
no
Horses
yes
Managed by
Rocky Mountain National Park

Elevation profile

9,394 – 12,721 ft12345

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of East Longs Peak Trail

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Terrain graded T3 (SAC scale) — exposed or hands-on hiking reported on part of this route.
Sections reported faint or hard to follow — carry a map or download this area offline.

Getting there

Longs Peak Trailhead — parking nearby, restroom, fee site. About 22 min drive (10 mi) from Estes Park. 40.27213, -105.55667 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:44 a.m., the sun rises at 7:11 a.m. and sets at 6:24 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:51 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 12 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 11.2-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 28 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:39 p.m. — 3 h 45 min before sunset.

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