First off, I will say, I was thoroughly impressed with the trail conditions and how well maintained the NE Ridge trail was for Mt Elbert.
I arrived into Leadville last night from Denver via I-70 and CO-91. Stayed in my car just off the TH in one of the camping spots along the way to the TH. There was several truck campers, fifth wheels, and tent campers staying all along the Halfmoon Creek. It was awesome to see so many families and individuals out and about, enjoying nature. The weather was gorgeous with no wind at the summit, clear skies, and around 70 degree highs.
Left the TH around 3:55am and summitted at 6:38am. The way up wasn't too bad. In fact, I only passed around 7-10 other people. It was great, quiet, and a peaceful hike to the summit. The trail is in awesome condition and you can see the CFI's hard work paying off. The way down was a little slower than I'd liked, reaching the TH back around 8:50am. There were SO many people coming up as I was coming down. In hindsight, this was probably a result of my decision to hike Colorado's tallest mountain, on a Saturday, during a travel-heavy weekend, with great weather, on the most popular route, and so on.. So really, I can't complain given all those factors.
The road to and from the TH was in pretty good condition. I took a 2WD Toyota Corolla and made it just fine. There were a few washboard-heavy sections of the gravel road and a few large potholes but nothing to go home talking about. All in all, it was a great hike with beautiful summit views of La Plata, Pikes, Massive, Holy Cross, Maroon Bells, Snowmass, and so many other 14ers in view. Glad I knocked this one out and it surely won't be my last time atop Colorado's highest mountain.
