Hiking in the Mosquito Range

Five fourteeners stand here, and four of them, Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross, connect in a single loop from Kite Lake above Alma. The loop is about 7 miles with 3,700 feet of cumulative gain, which is why it is the best summit-per-mile day in the state and why the Kite Lake lot is full by 5 AM on summer weekends. The loop crosses private mining claims, and access depends on an agreement with the claim owners: hikers currently sign a free online waiver through the Town of Alma, and the true summit of Mount Bross remains closed. Check the current status before you drive up. Our Decalibron guide covers the loop in detail.

Mount Sherman, the fifth, is the shortest standard route on any fourteener: about 5 miles round trip from the gate on Fourmile Creek Road west of Fairplay, past the ruins of the Dauntless and Hilltop mines. It is also one of the most popular winter fourteeners because the route avoids most avalanche terrain, though the wind on the summit ridge can be brutal.

The county roads to Kite Lake and Fourmile Creek are gravel, open from roughly June through October, and passable by most cars in dry conditions. Trailheads sit at 12,000 feet, so there is no easing into the altitude; sleep in Fairplay, Alma, or Leadville the night before if you are coming from the Front Range. Afternoon storms are the July and August pattern, and there is no shelter on these ridges.

Kite Lake has a small walk-in campground with a day-use fee and no reservations. Alma, at 10,578 feet the highest incorporated town in North America, has a couple of bars and a store; Fairplay has the gas and groceries.