Mount Harvard, Buena Vista

My wife and I had never summited a 14er, but I had always wanted to, and we were invited by another couple to hike to the top of Mt. Harvard. We hiked to a campground at around 11,600 feet, which was four miles or so, a fairly easy and straightforward route. After setting up camp, we hiked to a stream crossing near the tree line to fill up with water. We made a fire and dinner and had a wonderful time. Departed camp around 5 the next morning (accidentally slept in a bit) and hiked through Horn Fork basin, past Bear Lake, and finally reached the trail built into the scree below the summit. We didn't bring all our gear on this part of the trail, which was great since the trail steepens significantly once you reach the rock portion. It takes a minute for your mind to see the pattern of the path in the rocks, but there are also plenty of cairns to guide the way. It was challenging but totally doable for someone with a decent fitness level. It also helped that we spent a night in Buena Vista and then at the campground, which made it easier to hike as the oxygen level dropped. If you're wondering about the scrambling in the last 50 feet, if you have a medium-to-low fear of heights, it's fairly easy to reach the summit. My fear is medium, so after we took photos and videos and left our names in the box at the summit, I scooted down the boulders on my bum. Probably I looked like the noob I was, but hey, it was my first time to do it. It snowed while we were at the summit, which was cool. Only flurries, though, so the trail wasn't too wet. The way down is easy to follow but tough on the knees and feet. We packed up camp in light rain and started back on the so-called "easy" portion of the hike, but by then our feet and ankles and knees were screaming. You experienced hikers out there would probably find this last stretch no problem, but we were ready to get back to the car by then. Overall, I can't say enough about Mt. Harvard and the basin below. The views are spectacular and the hike is a moderately tough one that made it all the more rewarding to reach the summit. Highly recommended!

Great hike! My 14th 14’er 🙂🙃🙂. A bit long of a day hike for me but there are plenty of nice camping spots a few miles in from the trailhead which would be great fun. And then an easy summit in the morning. Also there are multiple access spots for water if you have filtration, not much beats fresh water from the mountain!