The Next Summit Blog
Colorado Keeps Its Roadless Rule. Utah and Wyoming Don’t.
The Colorado Roadless Rule and its 4.2 million acres survive the federal repeal. What the exemption covers, what it misses, and how to comment by Sep 21.
Mount Elbert Reopens as Willow Fire Closure Shrinks
The Willow Fire closure shrank Aug 20, reopening Mount Elbert’s North Trail and Halfmoon Road. Mount Massive stays closed through Sept 30. What to know.
RMNP Closes Kawuneeche Valley Trails Aug 24 to 30: Here’s Why
RMNP closes the Colorado River Trail and Grand Ditch Aug 24 to 30. The Kawuneeche Valley closure protects a historic push to save Colorado’s state fish.
14er Hiking Hit a Record Low in 2025. Don’t Blame Hikers.
CFI says 14er hiking hit a record low in 2025, but one closed road explains the drop. See the numbers, the busiest peaks, and how to plan around the crowds.
Black Hawk Hoists Climber After 50-Foot Fall on Little Bear Peak
A Little Bear Peak rescue on August 2 pulled a climber off the Blanca traverse after a 50-foot fall. His helmet and a partner’s tourniquet are why he lived.
Colorado Bear Reports Are Up 68%. The Rules Haven’t Caught Up
Colorado bear reports are up 68% after a record-low snowpack and a May freeze. Almost nobody is hurt, the bears are dying, and the food storage rules disagree.
15-Year-Old Rescued on Kit Carson Peak After Following Google Maps
A 15-year-old slid 200 feet in the Outward Bound Couloir after planning his trip on Google Maps. Inside the Kit Carson rescue, and how to verify a route.
Hiking 14ers in September: What Changes and What to Pack
September is the best month to climb a Colorado 14er, but the rules change. Daylight, first snow, hunting season, and how to plan around all three.
Two Quandary Rescues in One Week, and Two Very Different Traps
Two Quandary Peak rescues in four days: cramps and a storm on the east ridge, a 230-foot fall on the west. What both teach about Colorado’s busiest 14er.
Fire Bans, Closed Rivers, 100 Degree Days: Check Before You Go
Colorado fire restrictions, wildfire closures, and river shutdowns are rewriting the driest summer on record. Here’s exactly what to check before you go.
Bears Ears National Monument Cut 91%: What It Means (2026)
Bears Ears National Monument was just cut by 91 percent and Grand Staircase by 90. What monument status really protects, and what hikers can do now.
Eight Colorado 14ers Are Closed Right Now. Here’s the Full List.
Wildfires and roadwork have left seven Colorado 14ers closed at peak season, plus Mt. Elbert’s standard route. See the full list and what’s still open.
He Called for Rescue at 13,000 Feet, Then Hiked Out
Editor’s note, July 9, 2026: After this article was published, Coleman Sperando identified himself as the individual involved in the July 6 incident and published a detailed account that disputes several elements of the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office statement on which this article is based, including whether he declined assistance and what he communicated when he activated his SOS. His account can be read in full at colemansperando.com. This article has not been altered, and it did not name him. We have submitted questions to the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office and will report further. A BASE jumper triggered
A Death on Longs Peak: Kiener’s Route Isn’t a Hike
A climber died on Kiener’s Route on the east face of Longs Peak on Sunday, July 5. The cause is still under investigation. Here is what that route actually asks of you, and why the “easiest” line up the east face is still a technical climb, not a walk to the summit. Longs Peak keeps its hardest routes in plain sight. To most visitors, “climbing Longs” means the Keyhole Route, the long, lung-busting scramble that draws thousands of hikers every summer. The mountain’s east face is a different place entirely. It is steep, it holds snow and ice well into
Boulder Drops Bike Restriction Plan, Bets on Trail Etiquette
Boulder County commissioners voted 2-1 on June 30 to scrap a pilot that would have restricted certain trails to hikers, bikers, or equestrians on set days, after more than 7,500 public comments came in roughly 70% opposed. Here’s what commissioners decided instead, and the trail-sharing etiquette that’s now doing the heavy lifting. If you hike or ride a multi-use trail on the Front Range, you’ve probably had a moment of friction with someone going a different speed on two wheels or two feet. Boulder County spent the last several months asking whether that friction was bad enough to start closing
A Fatal Rockfall on Little Bear Peak, One of Colorado’s Hardest 14ers
A hiker died June 27 after a rockfall on Little Bear Peak’s West Ridge Indirect route, the line climbers take specifically to avoid the mountain’s infamous Hourglass. Here’s why neither path off this Sangre de Cristo fourteener is the safe one, and what that means before you go. Little Bear Peak already has a reputation before you ever leave the trailhead. At 14,041 feet in the Sangre de Cristo range, it’s considered one of Colorado’s most dangerous fourteeners, and on June 27, that reputation caught up with another climber. A large chunk of rock broke loose from the crux of
When Is It Too Smoky to Hike? A Western Slope Guide
Wildfire smoke is hazing Colorado’s Western Slope, from Grand Junction to Steamboat. Here is how to read the AQI and know when it is too smoky to hike.
Three Firefighters Killed as Colorado Declares a Fire Disaster
Three federal firefighters were killed on the Western Slope on June 27 when the wind-driven Snyder Fire overran their crew, and Colorado declared a state fire disaster the same day. Here is what happened, what a fire disaster declaration sets in motion, and how the rest of us can recreate responsibly while crews are stretched this thin. Three wildland firefighters died on Saturday, June 27, fighting fire in Mesa County, in the deadliest day Colorado’s high country has seen this season. Two more firefighters were hurt. They were caught in what the U.S. Department of the Interior called a “burnover,”
A Toyota on Its Roof at 13,000 Feet: Imogene Pass Rollover and the Early-Season Trap
A Phoenix driver survived rolling his SUV down a snowfield just below the summit of Imogene Pass on June 18. The Telluride side was still closed for snow.
The Best Wildflower Hikes in Colorado (2026): How to Catch Peak Bloom
Best wildflower hikes in Colorado: peak-bloom timing by elevation, 15 trails by region, 2026 Crested Butte festival dates, safety, and trail etiquette.
Interior’s New Climbing Rules: A Win for Fixed Anchors — With a Catch
Interior opened public comment on new wilderness climbing guidance that protects fixed anchors — alongside a quieter review of wilderness study areas. Comments close Aug. 14.
A Lost Hiker in the Vasquez Peak Wilderness Shows Why a Low-Snow Year Still Gets People Lost
A 74-year-old left the trail to skirt snow in the Vasquez Peak Wilderness and got lost. Here’s what he did right—and how to stay found in a low-snow year.
A Rocky Mountain Study Found Most Hikers Aren’t as Prepared as They Think
Nearly 9 in 10 hikers and trail runners at Rocky Mountain National Park felt prepared — but a new study found most weren’t. Here’s how to close the gap.
A 200-Foot Fall on Buckskin Pass Shows the High Country Isn’t as Open as It Looks
A hiker fell about 200 feet on Buckskin Pass near Aspen and walked out. Here’s why Colorado’s early, dry season still demands snow skills on the high passes.
Hiking 14ers in June: Colorado’s Most Deceptive Month (and How to Read It)
June makes Colorado’s 14ers look like summer — but the upper mountain is still half-winter. Here’s how to read the snow, mud, and storms and climb safely.
The Pika Paradox: Why a Warming Climate Is Making Colorado Too Cold for Its Toughest Survivor
New Colorado research shows the pika’s biggest climate threat isn’t overheating — it’s a counterintuitive freeze. Here’s the science, plus what you can do.
Colorado’s 2026 Legislative Session: What It Means for Public Lands & Recreation
Colorado’s 2026 legislative session brought wildlife crossings funding, tougher bear-feeding penalties, and a symbolic public-lands stand.
A 200-Foot Fall on Mt. Elbert Shows Why Early 14er Access Isn’t Safe 14er Access
Photos courtesy of Lake County Search and Rescue (LCSAR). A record-dry winter has opened Colorado’s high country weeks early. But as a midweek rescue on the state’s tallest peak shows, the ice near the summits hasn’t gone anywhere. LEADVILLE, Colo. — On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20, a hiker fell roughly 200 feet down an ice field below the summit of Mt. Elbert, Colorado’s highest peak. The good news came first: the hiker was not seriously injured and ultimately walked out to the trailhead under their own power. The lesson is worth carrying into a season that’s arriving unusually
Colorado Search & Rescue Shake-Up: CSAR Signals It Won’t Bid to Keep Coordinating Rescues
A state handoff takes effect Aug. 1. Now the volunteer association that has connected counties to helicopters and out-of-county teams for 53 years says it won’t compete for the new coordination contract — leaving an open question over who fills that role at the height of summer. Peak rescue season is arriving in Colorado’s high country, and the behind-the-scenes system that pulls in helicopters and out-of-county teams when a rescue outgrows a single county is in the middle of a handoff — with a new wrinkle. The volunteer-run Colorado Search and Rescue Association (CSAR), which has coordinated large multi-county missions
BLM Public Lands Rule Officially Rescinded: What It Means for Colorado Trails and Public Lands
The Interior Department published the final rescission of the BLM Public Lands Rule in the Federal Register on May 12, ending a 2024 policy that put conservation on equal footing with grazing, mining, and drilling on 245 million acres of public land — including 8.3 million acres in Colorado. Washington, D.C. — May 18, 2026 The Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule — formally known as the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule — is officially being rescinded. The Department of the Interior published its final notice in the Federal Register on Tuesday, May 12, and the rescission takes effect
