The definitive guidebook is Gerry Roach’s Colorado’s Fourteeners: From Hikes to Climbs, 3rd edition. Of course, we strongly recommend hiring a local guide service to ensure a safe ascent. In these pages, you’ll get an idea of what the standard routes entail, learn more about each peak’s appeal, and read first-person anecdotes from locals about their experiences-both good and bad. Gear up well, get an early start, and know your route. With some preparation and smarts, you’ll come away richer for the experience. On the other hand, if the prospect of an engaging climb and a summit well earned revs your outdoor engine, we couldn’t recommend the Elks more, even if you’re not a hard-core mountaineer. We suggest warming up first by hiking up a gentler Sawatch Range 14er like Mount Elbert or La Plata Peak. Here in Aspen’s Elk Mountains are seven spectacularly beautiful ones that, collectively, might be the hardest to climb in Colorado. You’ve heard of 14ers-mountains that rise above 14,000 feet in elevation? They’re kind of a big deal in Colorado, home to more of them than the rest of North America combined.