Mount Massive (Arapaho: Hiwoxuu hookuhu'ee) is the second-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It is located in the San Isabel National Forest, near the city of Leadville. Mount Massive edges out the next highest summit by a mere 2 feet, and falls short of Mount Elbert (the tallest in Colorado) by 14 feet. It ranks as the third-highest peak in the contiguous United States after Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert.
Trip Report
The initial ascent on this trail is easy, and it was tempting to take it at a fast pace, but summitting mountain peaks is more of a marathon than a sprint. The beginning of the trail had a misleading directional marker, and I had to bushwhack my way back onto the trail.
I made great time and got above the treeline after roughly two hours.
After crossing over grassy slopes the trail starts to ascend up several switchbacks, getting higher and higher. The switchbacks level out and transition into a gradually sloping, but ever increasing, path towards the upper elevations made up of larger and then smaller rocks.
Four hours into the trail and now it is starting to climb up to the summit. It's a bit tricky at this point: there are lots of parts to climb and maneuver around, some of them with big drop offs to either side, and frequent breaks are needed.
Mt. Elbert is visible in the distance. The final stretch to the peak is along a cold and windy mile-long ridge.
The descent on this mountain is much easier than the ascent, the way down much more clear than on the way up. It doesn't take long to get back to the treeline, but it felt like it took forever to get through those trees and back to the parking lot.
