Capitol Peak Colorado 14er Hike Guide

Capitol Peak is widely considered one of Colorado’s most difficult 14ers based on its standard route. This Capitol Peak 14er guide will cover everything you need to know about the long approach, significant exposure (including the famous Knife Edge), Class 4 scrambling and route finding. The standard route of this mountain follows the Capitol Ditch Trail which is about 17 miles with 5,300 ft of elevation gain. This typically takes hikers around 14-16 hours to complete and is often done in multiple days, camping at Capitol Lake (permit required) vs pushing to complete in one, very long, day.

Capitol Peak is a high consequence mountain with lots of loose rock, exposure and route finding that test even the most experienced hiker’s limits. This mountain is not one to underestimate and deserves your full respect while you are traveling below and on its rocky slopes.

I’ve climbed Capitol Peak two times, once backpacking and once as a trail run so have experienced the route’s exposed scrambling, route-finding challenges, and famous Knife Edge firsthand. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the route from the trailhead to the summit, explain what makes Capitol Peak so difficult, and share the information you need to decide whether you’re ready to take it on.

Virtual Trail Guides

Capitol Peak Quick Facts

Capitol Peak Rating: ★★★★ ★ (5/5 Stars)

Distance: 17 Miles RT (12 Miles RT to Capitol Lake)

Elevation Start: 9,500 ft

Highest Point: 14,138 ft

Total Elevation Gain: 5,300 ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 14-16 Hours RT (Common to Stretch Over 2-3 Days)

Difficulty: Strenuous – What does this mean? Capitol Peak is widely considered one of Colorado’s most difficult 14ers.

Class: Class 4 – What Does this Mean?

Season: July – September (Expect snow outside of this period)

Check the Weather Forecast

Crowds: Moderate

Directions to Capitol Peak

Trailhead: Capitol Creek

Getting Here: Navigate towards the small town of Snowmass, Colorado either by Independence Pass or I-70. Turn onto Snowmass Creek and follow it for about 1.7 miles and take a right onto Capitol Creek road. Continue on this road for about 8.3 miles until you reach the trailhead. The road turns to dirt about 3 miles from the TH and can get rough in sections. Generally speaking, most average clearance cars should be okay as long as they have enough power to get up the steep sections of the road. I would not say that 4×4 is required but higher clearance AWD is extremely helpful to get to the trailhead. Please note that the road can be extremely dusty and rutted depending on the season. This could change the vehicle requirements needed to get up to the upper trailhead.

Parking: The parking lot for Capitol Peak is quite massive, easily fitting about 30 cars. Capitol Peak has no bathrooms at the trailhead or anywhere along the hike.

Permits/Fees: Although no fee or permit is required to hike Capitol Peak in a day, if you want to camp at Capitol Lake, a permit is required from May 1st – October 31st each year. Read more information and secure your Capitol Peak camping permit here.

Summary

Dogs: Regardless of what you may have seen on social media, Capitol Peak is not a dog friendly mountain and bringing one up past K2 would be irresponsible. Dogs are allowed to Capitol Lake but must be kept on a leash as the entire hike is in a Wilderness Area.

Camping: You have three options if you are looking to camp while hiking Capitol Peak.

1. Car camp at the trailhead – there are plenty of spots do so but please be responsible and always follow LNT.
2. Permit Camping at Capitol Lake – there are 9 camping spots that are clearly marked. DO NOT camp outside of these spots.
3. Backcountry camping prior to the wooden gate (about 4 miles from the trailhead, 2 miles before Capitol Lake). Note that no permit is required to camp in these areas but adequate spots are much harder to find.

Water: There is plenty of water along this hike from the trailhead to Capitol Lake. After leaving the lake, you may find water in the boulder fields from snow melt but do not plan on this. PLEASE NOTE: this is an an open range area with lots of cattle. They do not follow Leave No Trace and may urinate or defecate in the water. Please treat your water accordingly before drinking or choosing a water source.

The Knife Edge

Chances are, if you have heard of Capitol Peak you have seen the Knife Edge section of this hike. Its about a half mile from the summit of 14er Capitol Peak and the section is around 30ft long. The exposure is real here, especially on the side that leads down to Capitol Lake (hikers right on the way up). Generally speaking, the rock quality is solid but please test all holds before committing to them. There are many ways to get across the knife edge (scooting on your butt, leaning to one side using the rock as leverage, walking etc.) Ultimately, you need to do whatever you feel most comfortable with. Having proper footwear with good grip here is essential. You will want to trust your feet to stick to the granite in several spots. Rope is not typically used here as there are no great spots to anchor a climber and ultimately, its not really necessary. Hikers have unfortunately lost their lives on the Knife Edge so please take it seriously.

Loose Terrain

One of the main reasons, I feel that Capitol Peak is the hardest 14er in Colorado is because of all of the loose rock. This starts after descending the Mt Daly saddle and continues, on and off, all the way to the summit of Capitol Peak. Hikers must navigate a large boulder field with loose rock, a climb, crossover and downclimb of 13er, K2, a loose ridge before and after the Knife Edge and most significant – the slopes after the Knife Edge before the summit of Capitol Peak. There really is loose rock everywhere which requires patience, testing of holds and careful hiking. Capitol requires a hiker with a lot of experience on exposure, Class 3 and Class 4 rock in addition to solid route finding.

Hike Tip(s): Do Your Research Before Climbing

Reading this guide and watching both of my virtual guides is a good place to start, but be sure to check out my videos, pictures and other websites to make sure you know what you are getting into before attempting Capitol Peak. Ensure you are ready for a 14er, packed correctly for a 14er, understand what the YDS System means and know what other Colorado 14ers are considered difficult.

The mountain has claimed countless lives due to people being unprepared, making bad decision or just bad luck. The most important tip I could ever give is that there are NO shortcuts down Capitol Peak. Whether you are dealing with storms or are physically/mentally tired – the only way off the mountain is back down the south slopes of K2.

Best Views: In addition to being one of the most difficult 14ers, Capitol Peak is one of the most beautiful as well. About a ¼ mile into the hike, you get great landscape shot of the valley and Capitol Peak. Once at Capitol Lake, your views are stunning as well. In terms of higher up on the mountain, basically anywhere past K2 offers great views of Capitol Lake from above and three other alpine lakes to the south. From the summit, views are simply stunning. I hope that you get to have a clear weather day to enjoy them!

Capitol Peak Hike Route

*Includes small detour to Capitol Lake

Gear Needed

• 14er Day Hike Packing List
• Men’s Trail Runners 
• La Sportiva Cyklon
• La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
• Backpack (Winter)
• Backpack (Summer)
• Base Layers
• T Shirt
• Mid Layer
• Rain Jacket / Shell 
• Outer Layer
• Pants
• Shorts
• Socks
• Food & Water
• Optional: Water Filter
• Optional: Garmin inReach
• Optional: Hiking Poles – 120CM
• Optional: Headlamp
• Optional: Climbing Helmet
• Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
• Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, GoPro Max 2, Drone, Insta360
• *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

Capitol Peak Virtual Trail Guides