Do you need a permit to climb Longs Peak?

Not for a day climb. To camp at the Boulder Field you need a Rocky Mountain National Park wilderness permit ($36 a trip in summer 2026), picked up in person with a bear canister. In 2026 you also needed a timed-entry reservation to drive into the park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. from May 22 to October 12, unless you arrive earlier.

How long is the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak?

The Park Service says 7.5 miles to the summit and 15 miles round trip, 10 to 15 hours. My first day, from the trailhead with a detour to Chasm Lake, was 8.4 miles by my GPS; the second, from the Boulder Field to the summit and down, about 8.5.

How hard is Longs Peak?

Up to the Boulder Field it's a long, steady trail. Above the Keyhole it's a scramble on rock with big drops, at over 13,000 ft, and the Park Service says it's not a hike: a fall there can be fatal. I found it less scary than the videos I'd watched, but I'd done harder scrambles before.

When is the best time to climb Longs Peak?

The route is most often free of snow and ice from about mid-July to mid-September. That's also thunderstorm season, so start very early and be back below tree line by noon. I went in late June, with some ice and snow still up top.

Can you camp at the Boulder Field on Longs Peak?

Yes, with a wilderness permit: nine sites inside stone windbreaks at 12,760 ft, about 6 miles from the trailhead, with a privy and water from Boulder Brook. A hard-sided bear canister is required.

Is there water on the Keyhole Route?

There are brooks along the trail and Boulder Brook at the Boulder Field (treat it). Above the Boulder Field there's none: the Park Service says to carry 3 to 4 quarts.

The Longs Peak film: Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park · 2 days · about 17 miles

Longs Peak Hiking Guide

The Keyhole Route in 2 days, with a night at the Boulder Field.

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Look inside

Real pages from the guide. Tap one to see it big.

A day page
A day map and elevation profile
At a glance
Is it open? (October 2026)

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The route

My GPS recording of 2 days on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts; the red dot is the finish. The full GPX files and the day maps come with the guide.

Relief map of the Longs Peak route: 2 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Longs Peak Trailhead, Longs Peak and Boulder Field. — Map data: Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (USGS 3DEP, SRTM) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Days: 2 days
Distance: about 17 miles
Climbing: About 5,600 ft (1,700 m) up
Nights: The Boulder Field, 12,760 ft (3,889 m), about 6 miles up
Permit: A wilderness permit to camp ($36 a trip)
Start and end: The Longs Peak Trailhead

What's inside

Where things stand. Longs Peak in October 2026: the first snow and ice on the route, the campground, timed entry and the permit rules, checked on the park's own pages.
Both days. Stats, the time I took, my notes, the trail and the Keyhole Route section by section, where to turn back, maps with elevation profiles, and links to that part of my film.
The GPX files. My own recording of Day 1 from the trailhead past Chasm Lake to the Boulder Field, and the mapped Keyhole Route for Day 2, ready for AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Garmin or Organic Maps.
The permit and getting there. The wilderness permit and how I got a walk-up one, the bear canister rule, timed entry, the drive from Denver and the trailhead.
Other ways to do it. Longs Peak in one long day, Chasm Lake on its own, and the other routes up the peak.
Weather, altitude and safety. When to go, snow and ice, afternoon lightning, the exposure above the Keyhole, altitude, and what to do with no phone signal.
Costs and a trip sheet. What a trip costs in 2026, what I carried, one page of checks and a printable summary of the route.

About this trip

In June 2022, in my first month living in Denver, I climbed Longs Peak alone by the Keyhole Route: up from the Longs Peak Trailhead with a detour to Chasm Lake, a night in a stone windbreak at the Boulder Field, then the Keyhole, the Ledges, the Trough, the Narrows and the Homestretch to the summit early the next morning and back down. It's the trip from my film Solo Silent Hike Up Longs Peak. This guide has my GPX files, maps and notes for both days, the route above the Keyhole section by section, the 2026 wilderness permit, timed entry and rules, getting to the trailhead, snow by month, costs, safety and a trip sheet.

Watch the film on YouTube (197K views).

The Day 1, Longs Peak Trailhead to the Boulder Field page from the Longs Peak Hiking Guide

Free sample + packing list

Try Day 1 free, plus my packing list

Longs Peak Trailhead to the Boulder Field

The whole day page from the guide as a PDF, plus my camping packing list: the 42 things I carry, with a note on each. The PDF opens right away and both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

The details

Format: A 42-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
Edition: 2027 season edition, updated October 2026.
Delivery: Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
Payment: Secure checkout through Stripe, in your own currency. Tax is included in the price, except in the US and Canada, where any sales tax is added at checkout.
Refunds: Not useful? Email me within 30 days for a refund: kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions: Email kraig@kraigadams.com.

Questions

Do you need a permit to climb Longs Peak?: Not for a day climb. To camp at the Boulder Field you need a Rocky Mountain National Park wilderness permit ($36 a trip in summer 2026), picked up in person with a bear canister. In 2026 you also needed a timed-entry reservation to drive into the park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. from May 22 to October 12, unless you arrive earlier.
How long is the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak?: The Park Service says 7.5 miles to the summit and 15 miles round trip, 10 to 15 hours. My first day, from the trailhead with a detour to Chasm Lake, was 8.4 miles by my GPS; the second, from the Boulder Field to the summit and down, about 8.5.
How hard is Longs Peak?: Up to the Boulder Field it's a long, steady trail. Above the Keyhole it's a scramble on rock with big drops, at over 13,000 ft, and the Park Service says it's not a hike: a fall there can be fatal. I found it less scary than the videos I'd watched, but I'd done harder scrambles before.
When is the best time to climb Longs Peak?: The route is most often free of snow and ice from about mid-July to mid-September. That's also thunderstorm season, so start very early and be back below tree line by noon. I went in late June, with some ice and snow still up top.
Can you camp at the Boulder Field on Longs Peak?: Yes, with a wilderness permit: nine sites inside stone windbreaks at 12,760 ft, about 6 miles from the trailhead, with a privy and water from Boulder Brook. A hard-sided bear canister is required.
Is there water on the Keyhole Route?: There are brooks along the trail and Boulder Brook at the Boulder Field (treat it). Above the Boulder Field there's none: the Park Service says to carry 3 to 4 quarts.

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