Summit 2026 – Mt Yale - Southwest Slopes

All participants and leaders are REQUIRED to sign the State of Colorado's liability waiver. Please click here to fill out the waiver.

We will follow the Mount Yale Southwest Slopes route to the summit of Mount Yale. This is a challenging hike due to distance and elevation gain. There is moderate exposure on the summit ridge. Hiking involves class 2 rock hopping on the climb from the shoulder to the summit. Other than that, you just need adequate fitness in order to climb a steep trail at high elevation. We expect to complete the hike by early afternoon (1:00) depending on weather and how long we spend on the summit. Hiking time should be around 6 hours.

To gauge "adequate fitness" and to minimize the chance that you will hold back or otherwise jeopardize the group, we will look at what activities you have successfully completed in the recent past. Please note that if you are going to sign up, you should have done similar hikes (length, elevation gain, altitude) in the past few weeks. 

Bring your ten essentials and layered clothing options.

https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=yale1

Share this "So you want to hike a 14er?" blog with participants as well. 

Participants can register for their preferred 14er through the Colorado Mountain Club website, where they will be placed on a waitlist for their chosen peak. From there, trip leaders will reach out to gather more information about each participant's experience level and interests. For trips where the waitlist exceeds the allotted group size, participants will be selected by lottery.

For questions about your trip, please reach out to your trip leader directly. For general questions about the Summit 2026 project or any relate event, please reach out to summit2026@cmc.org.

*We will meet at the Denny Creek Trailhead at 5:45 AM to be on the trail at 6:00 AM. There is no camping at the trailhead, but there are many campgrounds in the area.