Mt. Massive is by far my most favorite 14er I’ve hiked thus far. It’s 14,429 feet in the air, the second tallest mountain in Colorado, a 14+ mile hike, & at the time we hiked it there was a 3 mile round trip road closure so you couldn’t drive to the trailhead. We got started around 4 AM, hiked in the dark for a long time, & only saw 15 people *ALL* day! That’s the best!
When we came out of the tree line around 7:30 in the morning there was nothing but a prairie of wildflowers & it was the best spot for me to eat breakfast. It definitely made you understand why Colorado is called the Colorful State! It was the most gorgeous spot & I honestly would have been thrilled if that had been the end of the hike. It felt like I was standing in a scene from the Sound of Music!
Hiking through the prairie, up more elevation, & we came to fields of wildlife. There were very friendly & bold marmots, mama birds, & their nests with their babies, & the views as we kept going got better & better. I even had a marmot try to steal my ball cap behind my back while I was taking photos of the views. Ha! I was for sure glad it was attached to my bag!
We hiked Mt. Elbert & Mt. Massive within a few days of each other & Mt. Massive was my favorite & I would do that hike again. Mt. Elbert I can live without hiking another time. It was a pretty boring hike, but it’s cool to say I’ve climbed the tallest mountain in Colorado. My favorite part about Mt. Massive after the wildflower prairie was the scramble at the top!