← Back to list

GUNUNG · Amerika Serikat

Mount Massive

Source
Mount Massive

Photo: source

Information

Elevation
4.398 m
Country
Amerika Serikat (US)
Location / Range
Sawatch Range, Mount Massive Wilderness (San Isabel National Forest), Lake County, Colorado
Mountain type
Puncak 'fourteener' non-vulkanik (batuan granit/metamorf Sawatch) — puncak tertinggi kedua di Colorado & Pegunungan Rocky
Volcanic?
No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates
39.1874, -106.4757
Difficulty
Menengah–berat (jalur East Slopes kelas 2 non-teknis, tetapi panjang ~22 km PP dengan ~1.370 m tanjakan di ketinggian >4.000 m)
Best Season
Pertengahan Juni–September (musim panas; salju awal & badai petir sore hari di luar jendela ini)
Permits & Rules
Tidak perlu izin/biaya; area terlindungi sebagai Mount Massive Wilderness — berlaku aturan wilderness (tanpa kendaraan bermotor, jejak minimal)
Hazards
Penyakit ketinggian (AMS), badai petir & sambaran petir di siang/sore, talus lepas dekat punggungan, jarak tempuh sangat panjang, cuaca berubah mendadak

Description

Mount Massive (4,398 m / 14,428 ft) is the second-highest summit in Colorado and in the entire Rocky Mountains, and the third-highest peak in the contiguous United States after Mount Whitney and its slightly taller neighbour Mount Elbert. It is not a volcano but part of the granite-and-metamorphic Sawatch Range, and it is famous for an exceptionally long summit ridge—over five kilometres with several points above 4,300 m—which earns it the name 'Massive.' The area is protected as the Mount Massive Wilderness within San Isabel National Forest, near the historic mining town of Leadville. The most popular route, the East Slopes (Standard), links to the Colorado Trail and is non-technical (Class 2) but demanding, running roughly 22 km round trip with nearly 1,400 m of gain in thin air. No permit is required, but climbers must start before dawn to descend off the ridge ahead of the typical early-afternoon lightning storms of the Colorado high country.

Routes

East Slopes (Standard)

Kelas 2 (non-teknis)
22.10 km +1370 m 1 hari (± 8–12 jam pulang-pergi)

The most popular and least technical route. From the Mount Massive Trailhead near Halfmoon Creek, follow the Colorado Trail north for ~3 miles, then branch onto the Mount Massive Trail climbing west above timberline through tundra and a cirque to gain the summit ridge; the true summit lies about 0.4 mile along the ridge with several short Class 2 boulder-hopping sections.

Southwest Slopes

Kelas 2
13.50 km +1300 m 1 hari (± 7–10 jam pulang-pergi)

A quieter alternative from the North Halfmoon Creek Trailhead. Shorter in distance but steeper and less trafficked; it approaches from the southwest via the North Halfmoon valley before joining the summit ridge.

Climbing Experiences

Climbing Mount Massive is usually a long single-day outing via the East Slopes (Standard) route: starting from the trailhead near Halfmoon Creek, following the Colorado Trail, then climbing above timberline through tundra and a cirque before gaining the mountain's long summit ridge. Trip reports stress an alpine-start to beat afternoon lightning, the tiring ~22 km round trip, loose talus near the ridge, and the sweeping views of the Sawatch Range and Mount Elbert from the top. Some of the videos below also feature the alternative Southwest Slopes route.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.

  1. 1 Wikipedia Mount Massive en.wikipedia.org · EN
  2. 2 Wikidata Mount Massive (Q1788964) wikidata.org · EN
  3. 3 Encyclopedia Mount Massive — Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering summitpost.org · EN
  4. 4 Encyclopedia Mt. Massive — Colorado 14ers alanarnette.com · EN