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From the Longs Peak Trailhead/Campground parking lot, start up the great East Longs Peak trail. Hike 0.5 miles to a signed trail junction – stay left on the main trail. Continue up through the forest and pass Goblins Forest. The trail comes close to Alpine Brook a couple of times. Switchback up a hill before crossing Alpine Brook on some log bridges. Leave the heavy forest shortly after the stream crossing and continue up to tree line near 11,000’ (approximately 2.5 miles from the trailhead). Longs is now in view unless you left in the pitch dark, which is recomended! Keep hiking southwest along Mills Moraine to the Chasm Lake trail junction at 11,550’.

Turn right and traverse west and northwest across the northeast slope of Mt. Lady Washington. Hike all the way to Granite Pass and take the East Longs Peak Trail towards the boulder field. The next portion of the hike is the ascent of an easy slope just north of the Boulder Field. Switchback up the slope to reach the north end of the Boulder Field near 12,400’. There is a restroom in this area. Little elevation has been gained throughout the long Boulder Field crossing. Your next goal is to reach the Keyhole – a notch in the rugged ridge between Longs Peak and Storm Peak. The trail finally runs out near 12,800’ on the south end of the Boulder Field. Follow cairns up through the rocks as the terrain becomes more steep under the Keyhole. The terrain beyond the Keyhole is serious with exposure and it’s not a place to get stuck in foul weather.

Pass through the Keyhole to the west side of the ridge. Turn left and follow painted bull’s-eyes that mark the remaining route to the summit. Scramble south along ledges toward the Trough – The route is still well marked but it can take a bit of searching to find the bull’s-eyes. Generally, climb (difficult hiking really) up the center of the Trough. Near the top of the Trough, climb 30’ of more difficult rock to reach the top at a small, flat area. You’re now on the upper portion of the ridge that runs from Longs over to Pagoda Mountain (13,497’). Longs’ south side, and much more scrambling, is beyond this point.

Next, you must cross The Narrows – an exposed ledge the descends slightly as it heads east across the south side of Longs. It is safest when conditions are dry. A bit of concentration is still required in this area to keep the difficulty at Class 3. Again, follow the route markers. Climb up through a couple more sections of rock to reach the final portion of the Homestretch. Care must be taken to avoid a slide down the smooth rock which would send you tumbling off the top of the diamond face. In total, climb about 300’ up the Homestretch to reach the flat summit.

Keep an eye to the wesest to judge the approaching weather. Dont get stuck on Longs, folks have suffered exposure and there have been fatalities after folks got stuck by bad weather.