Mount Lady Washington (13,281 ft) from East Longs Peak Trailhead, 08/23/2008

Longs Peak East Face from Mt Lady Washington summit, 08/23/08

Longs Peak East Face from Mt Lady Washington summit, 08/23/08

Altitude versus distance from East Longs Peak TH to Mt Lady Washington summit, 08/23/08

Mt Lady Washington is one of the children of Longs Peak. Located to its northeast, the Lady is 974 feet lower than its famous parent, and 3,875 feet higher than the East Longs Peak Trailhead. On its summit, there is a breathtaking view of the East Face of Longs Peak, Mills Glacier, and Lambs Slide.

The elevation difference from lowest (parking below East Longs Peak TH) to highest (Mt Lady Washington summit) was 4,050 feet. The elevation gain versus distance traveled is shown in the graph.

You can see the GPS tracks for this entire hike. There are some gaps, due to the GPS not tracking.

As expected for a weekend morning in August, the parking area for the East Longs Peak Trailhead was full, and there was a long line of cars parked along Longs Peak Rd going down toward the highway.

We parked beside the road, and started hiking up toward the trailhead at 8:36. Getting to the trailhead, the odometer showed 0.35 miles. There was a line at the trailhead register, so we didn't wait to sign it, and headed up the trail.

We reached the Chasm Lake Trail junction at 10:15, where the odometer showed 3.96 miles. From there, we continued up the trail to Granite Pass, reaching its intersection with the Bear Lake Trail at 10:47. We proceeded up the trail to the Boulderfield.

Near the start of the Boulderfield, we left the Longs Peak Trail and headed south, making a beeline for the summit of Mt Lady Washington. We reached the summit at 11:45, where the odometer showed 6.72 miles.

With a thunderstorm already rumbling and heading toward us from the northwest, we only spent 10 minutes enjoying the views before we started heading down at 11:55.

Lightning bolts soon began striking in the area, and we made haste, heading back roughly the way we came.

Stopping for lunch below treeline, we returned to our parking spot at 14:48, with the odometer showing 13.1 miles.

It took us 3 hrs, 9 minutes to reach the summit of Mt Lady Washington, with an elevation gain of 4,050 feet. Total trip time was 6 hrs, 12 minutes.

- Richard Hollos and Stefan Hollos

GPS data
Place nameElev [ft]Accuracy [ft]Lat/Lon
Parking along Longs Peak Rd9253840.27046,-105.55192
East Longs Peak Trailhead94281540.27215,-105.55676
Chasm Lake Trail junction11548740.26560,-105.59263
Granite Pass Tr - Bear Lake Tr intersection12122640.27406,-105.60542
Mt Lady Washington summit13303740.26346,-105.60740