Longs Peak — Keyhole Route

The route

The Keyhole is the standard non-technical route on Longs Peak, the only fourteener in Rocky Mountain National Park. It starts at the Longs Peak trailhead at 9,400 ft and reaches the 14,259 ft summit in about 7 miles one way, roughly 5,000 ft of gain. Most people take 10 to 15 hours round trip, starting between 1 and 3 AM to beat afternoon lightning.

The first half is trail: through the forest, past the Chasm Lake junction at 11,550 ft, over Granite Pass to the Boulder Field at about 12,400 ft, where the marked trail ends. From the Boulder Field you scramble up to the Keyhole, the notch in the ridge between Longs and Storm Peak at about 13,200 ft, and the character of the route changes completely. Beyond it are the four named sections on the west and south faces: the Ledges, marked by painted bulls-eyes; the Trough, a 600 ft gully of loose rock; the Narrows, an exposed ledge across the south face; and the Homestretch, the slabby final 300 ft to the flat summit.

It is a Class 3 out-and-back, and the Park Service treats it as a climb, not a hike. Most accidents happen on the descent, so be careful!

What the sculpture shows

One line climbing from the forest to the Boulder Field, then wrapping around the back of the peak through the Keyhole to the summit, so the ribbon disappears behind the mountain from the trailhead side. The Diamond, the east face above Chasm Lake, is the standout feature and reads well. Short and steep, so relief is big at every size.