re: Colorado Mountain Town Mid September

quote:

---

Would like to do another 14er.

---

Sherman and Elbert are the two easiest options. Sherman is pretty damn easy for a 14er and it's right outside of Leadville. Elbert is a 25 minute drive south to near Twin Lakes. Be prepared for the possibility of snow up there by mid-september (I'm looking at Mt. Oxford with snow above 14k from today right now). You can easily hit Harvard/Oxford/Massive/La Plata from Leadville, but those take a bit more effort.

BV is about 45 minutes from Leadville too, and Cottonwood Pass area down there would be awesome for the leaves too.

I normally don't just recommend the Leadville area (since it's really small) for people to stay up here, but the fall colors are an exception because of the proximity to so much. Hour from Vail. 90 minutes to Aspen. 45 minutes to most of Summit. Less than an hour to BV. US 24 up to Minturn is a hell of a drive when the Aspens are turning. Have an AWD vehicle? Hit Shrine Pass out of Redcliffe, go through miles of Aspen groves, see some 14ers and the divide, then you're to the top of Vail Pass.