Colorado 14ers: Longs Peak Loft Route with Mt Meeker - Hike Guide - REDEMPTION!

Longs Peak Loft Route is a popular alternative to the standard Keyhole Route. I failed this line a few years back and was back for redemption in the Fall of 2022. This was filmed in late September.
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[@charlesbritzman501]

Nice outing ! 14 exposed-ass miles and 5500 ft of gain, and Meeker and Longs Summits all to yourself. The Mtns were merciful. I’m impressed and thanks for the video.

[@georgesheffield1580]

Ive never seen the top without a crowd . WOW !

[@bpg1142]

Did you see that someone passed away about a month ago climbing longs? A man got caught in a snow storm. Super tragic, but shows that you should definitely be prepared for any weather this time of year. As always, a great guide! Thanks!

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

100% and gotta be careful on that Keyhole route, lots and lots of slick rock, even when dry. Can't imagine that with rain.

[@TruePatriot444]

A friend of mine’s son just lost his life on Longs Peak in May 2024 due to a long fall. Only 23 years old. Very tragic. These mountains are beautiful, but very dangerous. The weather and wind can come at a moment’s notice.

[@ismaelochoa6]

@@TruePatriot444 May he rest in peace Longs peak weather patterns are truly unpredictable granting it the most dangerous 14er in Colorado

[@michaelmyers7416]

So many different variations. In the 80s I used to do Pagoda, Longs , Meeker. remember it was pretty straightforward but that was a long time ago. We would always glissade with a ice ax down from Meeker.

[@Tristan_Brewer]

I did that in reverse this summer, very memorable day, Pagoda has the best views of the three IMO

[@michaelmyers7416]

@@Tristan_Brewer 👍Good to hear this. I am sure the snow pack is smaller. Wish I was young enough to go out and do your option

[@StandardLoop]

Congrats on the redemption! Cool that you were the only one on the peak. Great coverage.

[@utkt213]

Sir, you’re the most underrated channel here! Your videos are extremely helpful to say the least

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Cheers - appreciate the kind words.

[@russlehman2070]

I first climbed Longs via the keyhole route in the late '70's. Even then, a lot of the rock was polished smooth from all the people walking and climbing on it.

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Good to know - I must have just spaced out on that aspect of the route the last time I was up there.

[@Aidandenniston]

love to see some redemption. What a feeling!

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Was def good to be back!

[@dancer1]

Nice hike

[@mloney9772]

Pretty special to have that summit all to yourself!

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Very lucky for sure

[@proverbalizer]

I had Sherman to myself, Elbert to myself. Quandry with 1 person leaving, then 5-10min by myself before the next guy came, Beirstadt with just me and my climbing partner for 10 min until another pair came...but Longs today was madness. got to the lot at 2:10 am, already no parking, there was literally a line of 50 people snking up the trough in front of us

[@tonal1956]

I did the Loft Route solo back in the 80s. Probably one of my best mountain experiences. Great to see this. Brings back a lot of memories. The route was largely snow covered then, so I had an ice ax. Remember glissading rather recklessly down the notch ravine with deep snow wells on either side. A storm was moving in as I descended below the Loft. The echo off the walls of the ravine below sounded more like a gong than thunder. I've never heard anything so strange since.

[@paulogryzek4740]

Hey man. I am Denver-based and I have done a lot of the routes that you have made these (awesome, btw) videos on. I actually was blown off the Loft once and got a lil hypothermic trying to wait it out, and the last time I did it, a buddy and I found a secret stash chimney on the Ship's Prow that went about 5.0 and topped that, and took the loft up to Long's, Meeker, and the whole Grand Slam including Pagoda, Lady Washington, and Storm as well. Anyways, I love ridge traverses and nutty multi-peak link ups. I am not a KZbinr or anything, but let me know if you want to get together for some collabs. Watching your stuff makes me want to get back out there and I have some cool stuff planned for this year, mostly non-14er stuff though. Peace.

[@ervinslens]

Gorgeous video friend, you presented this trail just fantastically! Amazing landscapes and views! 👌👌

[@njarms]

Thanks for the video. I did the same route 20 yrs ago with a friend. We were the only ones on Meeker. But when we met up with the homestretch, people were confused where we came from. Not a well traveled route, especially compared to keyhole, but worth it. Good memories seeing your video. I went in August so definitely we were not alone at the top. We also came down the cable route, so we avoided crowds on the trail most of the day.

[@LilKovy101]

You rock brother! Stay safe Mick!

[@nathanbanks3713]

Love your videos! Always so informative and an endless amount of inspiration. Thanks for all your posts!

[@NotCloudy15k]

Wow, it must feel great to have that redemption! Great guide! Keep up the great work!

[@brookburgess413]

Awesome brotha, it’s cool seeing a well documented video of the Meeker summit. This was one of my first centennials I grabbed when I first moved out here 6 years ago. I definitely want to hit Longs this way sometime. Appreciate the content as usual!

[@williambaird24]

I was going to climb Longs a few weeks ago but the National Park service closed it because someone tragically died. I'll attempt it next summer when it's dry

[@RColorado007]

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks the long summit rest is optional. 15-20 minutes is ideal. Check my gear (and feet), take some pictures, a panoramic video, get some water and a summit snack then I'm ready to move on to the next challenge.

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Appreciate the feedback, always wonder what others do on the summit.

[@greenlenny3926]

You found Clark’s arrow it’s at 13:01 :) I agree with the summit talk. Being alone on longs peak trail In particular has wigged me out. I went up twice in March for Meeker(fail) and Mt Lady Washington (success) and couldn’t shake uneasy feeling. The diamond draws you in

[@franciscogarza8273]

Very nice video and adventure! I remember when I did the exact same climb 11 years ago when I was very active running ultras and hiking like you. I went up the loft then to Meeker (vivid memories of the little knife edge) down the gully and up to Longs summit with decent vía the key hole to finish the tour de Longs. Happy trails brother!

[@georgemartin1498]

Wow, you definitely nailed the day which I’m sure means you are a local or very lucky. September and October the very best here! Perfect weather and no people, the latter of which is a definite advantage to the Loft route😊. Did this route on 9/16, also perfect. A few more people at the top. Congratulations and nice video! BTW, agree with your comments about the traction on the rocks due to traffic. Not just a function of the condition of your shoes: very polished rock and a subtlety that many inexperienced people will miss. Even the keyhole route ain’t no “hike”: death can and does occur, regularly. Thanks, enjoyed!

[@TrailRunner290]

I got a little worried there, friend. Great video, as usual.

[@jiggystardust]

Epic day Mr Sherpa! Thanks for guiding the way. One of the finer points of doing Meeker via the iron gates is the grand views along the way after the gates and the dropoffs are puckering. I definitely had worse scree coming up Pagoda from the green lake coloir but iron gates could still get a bit slidey. The gate ramparts are kinda cool too in a lord of the rings kinda way.

[@jzoop1]

I really enjoyed the route. Thank you!

[@db.mc2]

Congratulations!👊Did that peak many years ago, awesome views 👊👍

[@nickkowalczyk7644]

amazing video as always. Makes me want to check it out next year!

[@dilloncarpenter]

You can see Clark’s arrow near the top of the frame right at 13:00. Taking this route is a huge goal of mine but I need to get more experience first. Awesome and informative video as always!

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

!!!!!!!! I did not, even after editing this, it still escaped me. Thanks for pointing it out, can't believe I missed it - even in post.

[@KB-cw5tt]

Where is it? Ive been looking at the screen at 13:00 and it's like I'm looking for Waldo

[@dilloncarpenter]

@@KB-cw5tt It goes across the top left corner of the screen right at 13:00. It's just a faint white arrow in a circle pointing to the right.

[@tomcripps7229]

Thanks for the great video. I was just thinking about this as there was a tragic accident on this route lately that i read about.

[@ericclaptonsrobotpilot7276]

We need some Notch Couloir.

[@CraigHartmanDIY]

Having done Longs a number of times, wondering about the Loft…damn..

[@johnbaumert]

Congrats on the Meeker / Longs "redemption". Appreciated the commentary on "making summits". I too don't hang around at the top too long either. Usually just long enough to "reflect" and then continue the journey back down. P.S. Was that "favorite brewery" back in Estes Park by chance?

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

It wasn't but def have a clear winner of best brewery down there. On this trip I was heading through Nederland to Knotted Root.

[@Aidandenniston]

Do you plan on ever doing some of the classic scrambles down in red rock? As well as would you ever do any of the trad routes up the diamond of longs

[@finnstrailadventures]

at 13:01 clark's arrow is there

[@karlkoch2758]

reall cool, wud luv a gaia track map or coords to follow or path.

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Check out the full hike guide - GPX file is linked there.

[@ryanwong5016]

The Iron Gates isn't that loose. I ascended the west and descended the east gate. Maybe 15% of the rocks moved when touched. The views are insane and there is an amazing ridge walk to meeker with a pick-your-own exposure level. Just avoid when wet because the lichens over there are crazy slick.

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Good to know, thanks Ryan!

[@KB-cw5tt]

Man, I love these shots and all your videos. Are you using the GoPro Max or the GoPro Fusion for some of these shots? I'll be in Colorado this next week and I was planning on doing Long's through the Keyhole but after looking at the Loft route I think it just looks better. Is the route finding pretty challenging?

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

using the max and yeah - I would say route finding on the cross over can be tricky, especially working through that downclimb. Both routes are great, but probably prefer keyhole over this.

[@pw2883]

Hi Sherpa, I’ve watched many of your 14er mountain hiking videos. You don’t seem to be laboring in the least. It seems these 14er hikes are a walk in the park for you. Are these easy hikes to the summits for you? Why are you not laboring?

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Not sure how to answer this humbly, but I guess I will say this - I am in pretty good shape right now (cardio-wise) and usually these summits are more fun for me vs laboring. My muscles will feel it after but I am usually ready to go the next day. Keep in mind, I did a 100 mile run a few months back so my fitness level is fairly high. However, there is also something to be said about my experience in the mountains and altitude I am acclimated at. I also am not trying to set any FKTs when I hike, especially when filming.

[@pw2883]

@@TheVirtualsherpa Well…I think if you wanted to, you could climb Mount Everest, without bottled oxygen, and *not* be short of breath.

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Read a full trail guide on this route here: www.thevirtualsherpa.com/longs-peak-loft-route-with-mt-meeker-guide/ Also, that was NOT Clark's arrow - wampwamp.

[@eldersine]

Great clips! Did you upgrade your camera? It looks super good either way, great vid

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

I haven’t but appreciate it - looking at an upgrade for 23 though

[@eldersine]

@@TheVirtualsherpa Nice, looking forward to the vid

[@yanwo2359]

Mega, mega kudos for NO MUSIC!

[@Colorado_Kkid]

Nice video .. Thanks for sharing ... Did you do this solo?

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Hey Craig - yeah, I did. Usually I will show the other people I am with (which is pretty rare) when filming if not solo.

[@zhuli693]

wow, 2nd time up the longs ? in your opinion, is this one easier than the keyhole route ?

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Technically, maybe but route finding not even close, this is much harder.

[@BS2Dos]

👍👍

[@aidanpeairs1967]

I tried this route this summer and failed for my second attempt at the loft. Both times I couldn’t find the ledge and I was staring down Class 5 gullies below me. It looks like I went too low below these ledges, but I couldn’t see any indication of where they were. How do you locate the ledges?

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

They look pretty gnarly from above but they do go at Class 3 if you find the right spot. I ended up with a Class 4 move just because I couldn't see the 3. I just followed the cairns and they led me to the correct place but there was some route finding at first. Take my GPX file next time and it won't lead you wrong.

[@ruggedland]

Try to stay high after crossing the Loft, eventually you will come across a few large cairns indicating the place to drop down to the couloir. I saw a couple of guys dropping too low and got cliffed out. Have a detailed video of that section if you want to check out

[@beeseumz]

I'm worried that by the time I get the skill and confidence to climb Longs the route will too worn to even try. How would they help that even, close it for a few years?

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

From other comments here - seems like the rock has been smooth for a while so I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s not like sketchy, just something to factor in with weather. Closing wouldn’t help it though, maybe rerouting but even that would be a stretch.

[@michaelmyers7416]

My father climbed it around 1920 when he was a pup. you’re not ready to do a big peak until you’ve had Experience on slick rock and loose rock. If it’s icy it’s really dangerous otherwise normal care is sufficient and should be for several hundred more years

[@ruggedland]

The Diamond is pretty much one giant granite rock. I truly believe 1 million years from now Longs will still stand as one of few 14ers in the state 😅

[@declanducc3139]

Anyone know if this route still goes after the snowstorm? Looking to make it up before the next big snow

[@TheVirtualsherpa]

Unsure of conditions but window is probably 2-3 days as we have a big storm rolling in on Sunday. I imagine after that, the entire route will change and require traction for the rest of the year.

[@declanducc3139]

@@TheVirtualsherpa yeah looking at this Saturday trying to see if it’s doable. I have crampons but theres not nearly enough snow for that but I also don’t wanna get stuck on some ice section without anything.

[@MarkRockwell-d3u]

i know i'm not a climber because i get butterflies when the camera shows the deep drop offs just a step away. yikes!

[@jasonthomas16]

Redemption 🤌. I had a feeling you’d be back to finish the route and happy you did. ❤