Longs Peak itinerary
Every published mile marker on the Longs Peak route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one — and which permit each stretch needs. To watch dates and set alerts, go to the Longs Peak Wilderness Permit (Overnight) page.
Which permit covers this route
The Longs Peak. One reservation is an ordered sequence of nights at named sites, issued by reservation.
The permit is issued for a named entry point. Longs Peak Trailhead is the one on this list.
- Stops mapped
- 5
- Across the markers
- 6.0 mi
- Published route length
- 6 mi
- Published ascent
- 3,360 ft
How long it takes: 2 days. That is the figure the permit publishes — this page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
These two figures disagree. Adding up the climbs between the markers gives 3,715 ft, which is more than the 3,360 ft published for the whole route — and the marker sum can only ever be a floor. Both are printed as the catalogue records them rather than one being quietly dropped.
The Longs Peak route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
9,405 ft
Longs Peak Trailhead
Entry point — the permit is issued for this trailhead
The start for every camp on this trail.
1.2 miles · 715 ft up to Goblins Forest
Mile 1.2
10,120 ft
Goblins Forest
Six sites, 720 feet of gain, still in the trees. Twenty-year average snow-free date June 7.
0.5 miles · 360 ft down to Moore Park
Mile 1.7
9,760 ft
Moore Park
Two sites with a privy. The earliest camp to melt out, averaging snow-free by May 28.
1.1 miles · 1,240 ft up to Battle Mountain Group
Mile 2.8
11,000 ft
Battle Mountain Group
A single group site at 11,000 feet, 1,600 feet above the trailhead - so the 8-to-12 person group rules apply here.
3.2 miles · 1,760 ft up to Boulderfield
Mile 6.0
12,760 ft
Boulderfield
Nine sites at 12,760 feet with a privy, 3,360 feet above the trailhead. Bear canisters are required here by name.
Getting a Longs Peak for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Longs Peak dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations — they return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag watches Longs Peak around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.