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At 14,420 feet, Mount Harvard is the elevation valedictorian of the Collegiate Peaks that tower over the Arkansas Valley. It’s often climbed in conjunction with its neighbor Mount Columbia, though this pairing is no cake walk and involves serious scrambling and route-finding. Great backcountry camping can be found near timberline in the Horn Fork Basin below the peak.

“I had several two-fer 14ers under my belt when we attempted the Harvard-Columbia duo several years ago. All started well as we set up a high camp, got an early start, and were standing on the summit of Harvard by 9 a.m. Columbia loomed just to the north, but after down-climbing 500 feet, we were no closer to finding a trail up Columbia after an hour. We’d neglected to bring a water filter, and we were running low on water. The sun was getting high in the sky. We made the painful decision to retreat, but the only way back to camp involved re-summiting Harvard, an endeavor that put us in a bad humor. By now, the top of Harvard was swarming with people (and flies) and we barely stopped to enjoy the view the second time en route to camp. Clearly, I had done insufficient research on the route and had assumed that because it was a 14er, the trail would be evident. Making assumptions in the mountains can be a big mistake.”

Pro Tips

Recommended season(s): Summer to early fall

—R. Scott Rappold