Aspen’s Elk Mountains are ‘crux’ of Colorado 14ers, expert says

Aspen’s Elk Mountains are ‘crux’ of Colorado 14ers, expert says

Despite Aspen’s global fame, the local stock of 14ers draws fewer recreationists to their slopes than the rest of the state.  The Elk Mountain Range’s 14,000-foot peaks — which include Castle, Maroon, North Maroon, Capitol, Snowmass, and Pyramid peaks — see the second-fewest yearly hikes of all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountain groupings. The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative estimated the Elk Mountain’s 14ers saw roughly 9,000 “hiker use days,” …