Colorado 14er: Mount Yale (14,200')
It was a beautiful day for a 14er in Colorado! A group of us met at the Denny Creek Trailhead, also referred to as the Mount Yale Trailhead. It is located right off of Cottonwood Pass Road, about 11 miles west of Buena Vista. The Collegiate Peaks Campground is nearby, and with its 56 campsites, it is a great place to set up base camp for your adventures.
We started our hike at about 5:30am, taking the Brown’s Pass trail to the Mount Yale Trail. This is the standard out and back route and is about 10 miles with roughly 4,400’ feet of gain. There is also a route from the Avalanche Trailhead that takes you up the Colorado Trail to the Mount Yale Trail. This is a much less popular approach and a little more difficult to navigate but still a class 2 climb and a better option if you want to avoid busy trails.