Trailhead
Mount Massive Trailhead
Forest Service trailhead beside Elbert Creek Campground for Mount Massive, 14,421 feet, by the Colorado Trail and Mount Massive Trail #1487. In the Mount Massive Wilderness; no restrooms or water.
The Mount Massive Trailhead is next to Elbert Creek Campground on Lake County Road 11, a tenth of a mile west of the campground. The Forest Service page sends hikers up Colorado Trail #1776 Segment 10 and then Mount Massive Trail #1487; an alternative is North Halfmoon Creek Trail #1485 to South Mount Massive Trail #1451. Massive’s summit is 14,421 feet, twelve feet behind Elbert, with five summits over 14,000 feet along a ridge more than three miles long; the page says an average hiker takes four to six hours to the top, and that afternoon thunderstorms are frequent. The peak is in the Mount Massive Wilderness (1980), where wilderness regulations apply and the Forest asks for Leave No Trace. No restrooms or potable water. Commercial and organized groups need a district permit. The page does not mention parking or dogs.
The Willow Fire Area Closure (Forest Order 02-12-01-26-39, in effect October 1 to December 31, 2026 unless rescinded) uses the tree line on Mount Massive’s eastern slope, the North Halfmoon Trailhead and the Main Mt. Massive Trailhead as boundary references; which trails inside that line are open is a question for the Leadville Ranger District, 719-486-0749.
Facts from the Forest Service’s Mount Massive page (last updated March 12, 2026) and the Willow Fire closure order, read 10 October 2026.
At a glance fourteener · hiking · wilderness · colorado trail
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Checked October 10, 2026 against fs.usda.gov. Hours and phone numbers change fastest, so the business’s own page is the record. Report a correction · Know something opening or closing? Tell us
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