Longs Peak Report - Loft Route

To climb the loft rout from the longs peak trail head go as if you are going to Chasm lake(don't take the Jim's Grove turn off). At the ranger station and the outhouse just before Chasm look to your left for a grassy hill with a stream and water fall above it. Climb up to the grassy landing and look for a faint trail and then carons. From this point make sure you follow the carons and stay on the left of the stream/water fall. If the trail neer the top leads you right next to or through the water fall(depending on how much water is running) you are on the right track. The benches can be seen in the group picture. It is the green looking rock face on the upper left of the picture. The benches are small ledges that zig/zag up the face of that rock. At the top of that follow the carons up a gradual to steep incline to the top of the loft. The water that runs under the rocks on the loft comes from a natural spring and is safe to drink. Once on the loft stop following the carons or you will take a longer and harder rout below clarks arrow. Look for a rock that has a "baby bottle nipple" to the far right(north) and go just above that rock. See if you can see it in the next picture:

The next section I didn't get any pictures of because it is the place where the path becomes much harder. If I got a chance to stop I just rested or drank water. Pictures can be seen on Michael's Picasa Web Album. After you descend the truly dificult part of the climb to clarks arrow you start the final uphill climb to the Home Streach. This section is full of medium sized loose rocks. Even though there are not that many people on the rout(4 others that day besides us that we saw) it is verry dangerous to send a rock down the mountian. Our group knocked down one rather large rock and several smaller ones. You are now climbing in a coulor next to the noch. Besides the falling rocks this is not a verry dificult section. You will stay on the right side for most of it and cut accross to the left when the coulor goes hard right. At this point climb up to the home streach and get in line with the tons of people comming up from the keyhole. When downclimbing try to follow your previous rout exactly. Make sure you hang left down the coulor and keep a sharp eye out for clarks arrow.

This truly is a secial rout that is fairly unknown. Not only does it contain breath taking vews and rock formations it is enjoyable because of the lack of people that take the rout.

Finaly I took a panaramic shot on top of the loft showing Meeker on the left and the start of clarks arrow on the right. Click on it for the full picture.


Special thanks to our guide Taunya who shared her experience and knolege of the rout, and to Ryan Morgan for helping me with some of the harder parts of this climb. And finaly for the great group we had. It was a blast. I hope to climb this rout again soon.