Mount Harvard (South Slopes)

Sawatch Range • Buena Vista, Colorado

hardout and back

Miles

4,600

Elevation Gain (ft)

Hours

14,421

High Point (ft)

Overview

Mount Harvard is the third-highest peak in Colorado and the highest of the Collegiate Peaks, and its South Slopes route through Horn Fork Basin is the longest of the Sawatch trade routes: 14 miles round trip with 4,600 feet of gain on a trail that stays Class 2 until a short scramble at the summit block. The basin is the best approach in the range, and Columbia stands across it for anyone planning a second day.

Trail Highlights

3rd highest peak in Colorado

Collegiate Peaks Wilderness

Long alpine valley approach

Columbia traverse option

The Route

From the North Cottonwood Creek trailhead at 9,900 feet, the trail follows the creek through aspen for about 1.5 miles to the junction where the Kroenke Lake trail goes left. Stay right into Horn Fork Basin. The trail climbs gently for 3 miles through meadows and willow flats with the Columbia trail branching right, then past the Bear Lake junction into the upper basin at treeline.

Above the basin the trail steepens onto Harvard's south slopes, switchbacking up tundra and talus to a ridge and the final summit block, where a few moves of easy Class 2 scrambling on solid rock reach the top at 14,421 feet. The Harvard-Columbia traverse along the connecting ridge is Class 3 with a loose, slow section and is not the standard route for either peak. Return the same way.

Getting to the Trailhead

From Buena Vista, take County Road 350 (Crossman Avenue) west and County Road 365 north, about 10 miles in all with the last stretch gravel, to the North Cottonwood Creek trailhead; passenger cars manage it when dry. The lot fills by 5 AM on summer weekends and overflow lines the road. No fee or permit for day use. Toilet at the trailhead.

Best Time to Hike

Horn Fork Basin opens in June and the upper slopes are dry by early July; July through September is the window. The route is long enough that the July and August storm pattern sets a 4 AM start, with the summit before 10 and the basin by early afternoon. The willows in the basin turn gold in September, the best month. The aspen on the first 1.5 miles turn in the last week of September.

☀️summer

🍂fall

Good to Know

Dogs are allowed on leash in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness; the summit block is easy enough for most. Not a kid hike. Carry three liters and a filter; Horn Fork Creek is the water. Backcountry campsites in the basin below treeline make Harvard and Columbia a comfortable two-night trip, with no fires above 11,000 feet. Buena Vista is 20 minutes from the trailhead. The Mount Harvard guide covers the climb in detail, and the Buena Vista hikes page lists Yale, Princeton, and the other Collegiates.

Sources

Figures and access details on this page were checked against these pages on 2026-09-04. Conditions change; confirm with the managing agency before you go.