Summit 2026 – Capitol Peak

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

Participants will register for their preferred 14er through the Colorado Mountain Club website, where they will be placed on a waitlist for their chosen peak (you may join more than one waitlist). 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.

• Not sure which 14er to sign up for? Visit our Blog "So you want to hike a 14er?" for more details about selecting the right 14er for you!
• Feel free to use information from 14er.com from to learn more about the trail and what to expect. 

Note: Camping is allowed at the trailhead

1) 2:00 - 5:00 a.m. - Hike from Trailhead to Capitol Lake  

5:00 - 5:15 a.m. - Break   

3) 5:15 - 6:45 a.m., Capitol Lake to Daly/K2 Saddle (Distance: ~0.5 mi | Gain: ~900 ft) -- from the Capitol Lake campsites, find the social trail branching left (SE) toward the saddle b/w Mount Daly and Capitol Peak (well-defined path that switchbacks steeply up to the saddle). 

6:45 - 7:00 a.m. - Break

4) 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. - Daly Saddle to K2 (Distance: ~1 mi | Gain: ~1,000 ft) Traverse from the saddle across the E side of the K2 sub-peak. 

6) 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. - K2 to Capitol Peak Summit and back (Distance: ~0.5 mi | Crux: The Knife Edge) Drop down the other side of K2 (Class 3 & 4 moves, look out for loose rock).  Scoot/straddle the Knife Edge, then do several more exposed Class 3/4 moves to the summit (14,130 ft).

9:00 - 9:15 - SUMMIT Pics!

7) 9:15 - 10:00 a.m. - K2 to Daly Saddle (reverse prior traverse)

8) 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. - Daly / K2 Saddle to Capitol Lake

11:00 - 12:00 p.m. - LUNCH!

9) 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Flat hike out to Trailhead