The Next Summit: A Mountain Blog

09/09/2026

Share your photos of the CDT's national parks and monuments!

The CDT runs through five of America's national parks and monuments, from El Malpais National Monument in New Mexico to Glacier National Park at the northern terminus in Montana. Our 2027 CDT to Parks Calendar celebrates all five, and we need your photos to do it right.

We're looking for images that capture the character, landscapes, and stories of these places: grand panoramas and high peaks, plus the small details at your feet.

The 12 winning photos will be featured in the calendar, which goes out to hundreds of supporters across the country this winter. We'll also send you your own copy and some CDT swag for helping us share the trail through your eyes.

Submissions close Sunday, September 27 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time. You can enter up to three photos.

Submit your photos: https://cdtcoalition.org/2026-cdt-photo-contest/

09/08/2026

The aspens are already starting to turn due to the ongoing drought, but I think fall is the best season in the Colorado mountains.

Golden trails, empty trailheads, crisp mornings, and some of the most stable weather of the year between the first cold snaps.

Here is what I have coming for you this fall:

Foliage timing and where to find the best color, shoulder-season safety guides for that tricky stretch when summer trails grow winter teeth, and a free live webinar on September 16 at 7:00 PM about fall fourteener safety during shoulder season.

Save your seat: https://webinar.thenextsummit.org/meeting/register?sessionId=1063016871&src=00f11dc3e1f2902a4daaf3507ce67dafd78d4dd8ae97ef1e498715695d2ca54d

And one last note on our Fall Membership Drive: if these daily posts helped you plan a safer or better trip these past few months, membership is the best way to keep them coming.

$5 a month funds free safety education for everyone and unlocks the full Summit Skills Academy for you: https://thenextsummit.org/membership/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Thanks for following along! Now go catch the gold.

09/07/2026

Nobody knew which mountain to search.

When a climber was reported overdue in the Maroon Bells on September 2, there was no route on file and no itinerary. The search got its direction from notes investigators found in the climber's rental car.

Mountain Rescue Aspen and CareFlight of the Rockies located him the next morning, in terrain so technical that the recovery needs ropes, a helicopter, and a full closure of Maroon Peak this Tuesday, September 8.

That closure is narrower than a lot of people assume. Maroon Peak and its climbing access are shut for one day only. The West Maroon Trail, the Four Pass Loop, the East Maroon drainage, Maroon Lake, Crater Lake and North Maroon Peak all stay open.

Hours after that aerial search, Mountain Rescue Aspen ran a second call about five miles up the same drainage. An injured hiker sent an SOS from a satellite device. Eighteen volunteers reached them by 6 p.m. and had them in an ambulance by 10.

A satellite device does not stop a fall, and nothing about this climber's death is a lesson in what he did wrong. But the difference between a search and a rescue often comes down to whether anyone knows where you went. That part is free, and it takes two minutes at the kitchen table.

Full breakdown of what is closed and what is not, link in the comments.

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day from The Next Summit.

Wherever this weekend took you, a dune crest at Great Sand Dunes, a 14er summit, or a camp chair with a view, it happened on land that belongs to all of us. Public lands are the quiet miracle underneath every trip we take: no membership card, no gate fee at most of them, just a shared inheritance that someone before us fought to protect.

Keeping these places open, funded, and healthy takes work in the present tense too.

That advocacy is a core part of our mission at The Next Summit, from fighting for legal access to Colorado's peaks to teaching the next generation of hikers to care for them. We have been part of two major policy wins for 14er access, and we are not done.

If you got outside this weekend, take a second today to appreciate what made it possible.

And if you want to be part of protecting it, our mission and how to support it are here: https://thenextsummit.org/our-mission/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

📍 Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, Sangre de Cristo Range

09/06/2026

Every fall, the most common question in our inbox is some version of: which peak should I try before the snow, and is it still safe for someone like me?

That exact question is what The Next Summit membership was built to answer, personally.

Summit Supporter, $5 a month: full access to both Summit Skills Academy courses, member-only guides, and you fund free safety education and advocacy for everyone.

Summit Advocate, $10 a month: adds personal trip planning support plus two 1:1 coaching calls a year. Tell us where you want to go, and we help you pick the peak, the route, the weather window, and the backup plan.

Summit Champion, $20 a month: unlimited trip planning and monthly coaching for an ambitious season.

Think of it as having an experienced friend who has already climbed it look over your plan before you go. Cancel anytime.

My Fall Membership Drive is on now.

Join the 60+ members who make this work possible: https://thenextsummit.org/membership/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fall26-drive

09/05/2026

The least glamorous trail photo I will post all year. Also one of my favorites.

On our crew, packout is non-negotiable, and yes, that includes the dog's business. A bagged pile left "to grab on the way down" has a funny way of never making the return trip, and dog waste is not like wildlife s**t: it is packed with nutrients and pathogens from processed food that alpine soils and streams have no way to handle.

This is the busiest trail weekend of the fall, which means it is also the biggest trash weekend of the fall. The two habits that fix it: if you pack it in, pack it out, all of it, including orange peels, pistachio shells, and bagged dog waste. And if you have a spare hand, pick up one extra piece that is not yours. If even half of this weekend's hikers did that, the trails would be cleaner on Tuesday than they were on Friday.

More simple Leave No Trace habits: https://thenextsummit.org/leave-no-trace-tips/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

09/04/2026

A campfire under the stars is one of the best parts of a mountain weekend. This Labor Day, it comes with homework.

Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect August 21 across the Pike-San Isabel National Forests, covering six ranger districts including Leadville. Under Stage 1, campfires are allowed only in developed campgrounds with permanent metal fire grates. A rock ring at a dispersed site, like the ones many of us grew up with, is off the menu until conditions improve.

This is not bureaucracy for its own sake. Late August and September are historically Colorado's driest, most fire-prone stretch, and this summer's Willow Fire showed exactly what one human-caused start can do: thousands of acres burned and two 14ers closed for months.

Before you burn this weekend: check your forest's alerts page for current restrictions, keep water and a shovel at hand, and drown it, stir it, and feel it cold before you walk away.

Current orders for every Colorado forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/alerts

📍Jefferson Creek Campground, Colorado Front Range

09/04/2026

Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest of the year on Colorado trails. Here is my holiday weekend playbook:

Start before dawn. You beat the parking crunch and the afternoon weather in one move.

Have a Plan B peak picked out before you leave home. If the lot is full or the trail is a conga line, you pivot without losing the day.

Check closures and reservations the night before. Mount Massive and other peaks are still closed for wildfires, and popular spots like the Maroon Bells require advance planning.

Pack patience. Let faster parties through, say hi, and remember that everyone on the trail is there for the same reason you are.

Need a Plan B? I'm glad you asked!

Here are all 58 Colorado 14ers ranked by difficulty so you can find a quieter objective that matches your experience: https://tinyurl.com/CO-14ers-ranked

📍Maroon Bells, White River National Forest, Colorado

09/02/2026

See the dog bowl in this photo? It goes in the car with the cooler before dark. Here is why that matters more than ever this fall.

Bear reports in Colorado are up 68 percent this year, and September is when it peaks: bears enter their fall feeding push and spend nearly every waking hour looking for calories before winter. An unattended cooler, a greasy grill, or yes, a full dog bowl can be the reward that teaches a bear to work campsites. And a bear that learns campsites usually ends up dead. That is what the saying "a fed bear is a dead bear" actually means.

Camp rules for the fall: food, coolers, trash, toiletries, and pet bowls locked in your vehicle or a bear canister overnight and whenever you leave camp. Cook away from your tent. Never, ever feed wildlife, on purpose or by accident.

I covered why bear encounters are climbing and what it means for hikers here: https://tinyurl.com/CO-2026-bears

09/02/2026

Welcome to September, the best month in the Colorado high country... but also the easiest to plan wrong.

Here is what changes above treeline this month: the monsoon fades, so afternoon thunderstorms become less regular, but the storms that do arrive can carry graupel and snow instead of rain. Nights start freezing again up high. Daylight shrinks by a few minutes every day, which quietly moves your safe turnaround earlier each week. And the first real snow squalls of the season can coat high routes weeks before the ski areas open.

My September adjustments: a real insulating layer and warm hat go back in the pack, gloves live there full time, my headlamp gets fresh batteries for darker alpine starts, and I check the forecast the morning of, not just the night before.

September rewards the prepared with empty trails and golden light.

Gear up for it with my full gear guide: https://tinyurl.com/co-fall-gear