trip planning
Can You Hike a Colorado 14er With Your Dog?
Standing on a 14,000-foot summit with your dog is one of the best days a Colorado hiker can have. Every 14er climbs thousands of feet into exposed terrain, so the first decision is the most important one: which peak, and which route. Here is what the people who know these mountains best say about choosing one.
Which Colorado 14ers can you hike with a dog?
Most of them, as long as the route suits a dog and the land allows one. REI's guide to the best 14ers in Colorado lists leashed dogs on many popular peaks, including Huron, Mount Elbert, and Grays and Torreys.
A few are off the table entirely:
- Longs Peak sits inside Rocky Mountain National Park, where park rules do not allow pets on any trail.
- Culebra Peak is on private land, and SummitPost notes that dogs are not allowed.
Rules can change, and some routes cross private property, so check the land manager's page for your peak before you go. The takeaway: the question is rarely whether dogs are allowed, and almost always whether the route is right for your dog.
Which routes are right for a dog?
Class 1 and Class 2 routes, according to The Next Summit's guide to dog-friendly 14ers. 14ers.com's difficulty ratings run from Class 1, hiking on a trail, to Class 5, technical climbing. Class 2 is harder hiking that can leave the trail and cross talus or scree, and Class 3 means scrambling or unroped climbing.
Watch for routes that are mostly easy with one hard section. As Alan Arnette's guide to the Colorado 14ers explains, a route takes the rating of its hardest stretch, so a Class 3 route can be a gentle trail for miles before the scramble. Mount Bierstadt is a good example: its standard route is an easy Class 2 walk-up, but hikers on the 14ers.com forum warn that the nearby Sawtooth traverse is a Class 3 scramble that is not suited to dogs.
Some of the Class 1 and Class 2 standard routes, as listed by 14ers.com:
| Peak | Standard route | Class | Gain | Round trip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handies Peak | Southwest Slopes | 1 | 2,500 ft | 5.75 mi |
| Grays Peak | North Slopes | 1 | 3,000 ft | 7.5 mi |
| Torreys Peak | South Slopes | 1 | 3,000 ft | 7.75 mi |
| Mount Elbert | Northeast Ridge | 1 | 4,500 ft | 9.75 mi |
| Mount Bierstadt | West Slopes | 2 | 2,850 ft | 7.25 mi |
| Huron Peak | Northwest Slopes | 2 | 3,500 ft | 7 mi |
| Redcloud Peak | Northeast Ridge | 2 | 3,700 ft | 9 mi |
Route data from 14ers.com. Handies and Redcloud share a trailhead, and Elevation Outdoors names both among the best 14ers for dogs.
How do you know your dog is ready for a 14er?
Ask your vet. Whether a particular dog is ready depends on its age, health and fitness, and that is a question for a professional who knows your dog, not a blog.
What the guides do agree on is how demanding these hikes are. The Next Summit notes that even the easiest 14ers involve several thousand feet of elevation gain above 12,000 feet, and its guide to dog-friendly 14ers describes those peaks as manageable for dogs that already have hiking experience. 14ers.com recommends that anyone new to 14ers start with the easiest routes.
What should you pack for your dog above treeline?
Our guide to Hiking With Your Dog Above Treeline explains how fast weather changes up high, and Backpacking With a Dog: The Complete Packing List walks through what to carry.
For layers, the Traverse Series was built for exactly this kind of day. The Traverse Shell blocks wind and rain and packs down to fist size, the Traverse Puffy is made for core warmth during summit stops, and the Traverse Fleece is a base layer for cold starts. The whole system weighs under a pound.
Conditions on 14ers change through the year, so check recent trip and conditions reports on 14ers.com before you go, and know the signs of cold stress in dogs.
Do dogs need to be leashed on 14ers?
On many popular peaks, yes. REI's 14ers guide lists leashed dogs on routes including Huron Peak, Mount Elbert, and Grays and Torreys, and these peaks draw big Front Range crowds.
Wildlife is the other reason. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has warned that dogs should be leashed wherever wildlife encounters are likely, even where off-leash is allowed, and owners can be fined if their dog harasses wildlife.
Make sure to check the leash rule for your specific peak before you go.
Adventure On.
