Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

© Andrew R. Slaton/Tandem Stills + Motio

Purple mountain majesties. Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park

One of the 53 ‘fourteeners’ in Colorado – mountains that exceed 14,000 feet – Longs Peak still manages to reach higher into the heavens than any other mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park at 14,259 feet. Thousands of climbers set off every year to attempt the summit. Some climbers will try to reach the peak of every fourteener in the US during their lifetimes — that’s 96 different mountains.

Once the home of the Ute and Arapaho peoples, then silver miners and mountain men, today Rocky Mountain National Park teems with outdoor enthusiasts of every stripe. Birdwatchers, bikers, and hikers give way to snowshoers, skiers, and snowboarders as the seasons change. The park is full of wildlife, including nearly 70 kinds of mammals and almost 300 bird species.