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Colorado Fourteeners Initiative

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Colorado Fourteeners Initiative

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CFI is the country's leading high-altitude trail-building, terrain-restoration, and hiker-education organization.

The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect and preserve the natural integrity of Colorado's fourteen thousand foot peaks through active stewardship and public education. To date CFI has constructed 39 sustainable summit hiking routes on 35 Fourteeners to help mitigate impacts associated with 415,000 annual hiking use days on these peaks. CFI also provides on-mountain hiker education in Leave No Trace practices to Fourteener enthusiasts to limit recreational damage to rare and fragile alpine tundra ecosystems found on the peaks.

10/20/2026

So. Much. Beautiful. Backwall.

These retention structures—which support eroding alpine tundra—aren't as easy as stacking a few random stones. There's a lot of skill involved in making sure the foundation is strong, the batter (the wall’s inward lean into the hillside) is right, and the rocks fit together in a way that ensures the longevity of the wall.

CFI’s rock whisperers know the secrets to these critical structures. You can just stand back and admire the craftsmanship.

📸 Lane Whitcomb, Riley Olds, and Evs Alexander

10/15/2026

Building rock staircases at elevation is hard—even harder than it looks. Our trail crews spent months on Mount Democrat this past field season doing the kind of technical trail work that only a handful of organizations in the country attempt, especially at these elevations. The before-and-after results are something to behold.

📸 Erin Bugée

10/08/2026

As trail builders and conservationists, we tend to find joy in the minutiae: the way rock touches rock, how a log fits snuggly into a perfectly dug hole, the smell of an alpine forget-me-not, the glance of a sleepy marmot. From the trailhead to the summit, every detail matters to us. But it’s only when we get a chance to zoom out — as Hannah Clark, CFI operations manager did this past summer — that we can see what an incredible undertaking our work really is.

10/06/2026

It's only been a week since the official end of field season, but we're already looking forward to summer 2027, when we'll be doing our thing on Mounts Columbia, Princeton, and Democrat as well as more than 10 other 14,000-foot peaks across Colorado. If you love the fourteeners as much as we do, join us for a volunteer project, make a donation, or simply practice Leave No Trace principles when you're out on the peaks.

📸 Lane Whitcomb

09/29/2026

That's a wrap, folks! We moved the final pieces into place last week and closed out a very successful field season 2026.

It was a historic year for CFI, as we completed our five-year Mount Shavano project. We also spent our second full season on Mount Democrat's summit trail—a trail we're eager to return to in 2027. And the Nomad Crew did its maintenance thing on 12 routes across the state and hosted hundreds of volunteers in the process. 🙏

Boots off. Planning caps on. We'll see you next season, 14ers!

09/23/2026

If you've ever wanted to sit in a room with two of America's most accomplished female mountaineers, October 15 is your night.

CFI is bringing Ellen Miller and Tracee Metcalfe to the Golden Community Center to share their stories—from the summit of Mount Everest (which Ellen has climbed from both sides) to the world's 14 highest peaks (which Tracee has summited all of) to Colorado's beloved fourteeners that captured their hearts.

This is the kind of conversation you don't get to be a part of every day. Ellen and Tracee will talk about what drives them to climb, what they've learned on the world's most dangerous mountains, and why they're so passionate about protecting the peaks we can access right here at home.

After the main event, stick around for an after party at nearby Mountain Toad Brewing. You'll have a chance to chat with these incredible climbers, grab a discounted b**r, and soak in the energy of the evening.

Tickets are $35. https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=colorado14ers&id=11

09/22/2026

The temperatures are getting a little lower, the leaves are starting to change, and the snow is already starting to fly, but our volunteers have been out there—on Columbia, Capitol, Quandary, and Wetterhorn—doing what they do best, which is protecting Colorado's fourteeners. We couldn't do what we do without their support. 👏🙏

09/11/2026

Two remarkable women. One unforgettable evening.

Ellen Miller and Tracee Metcalfe have summited the world's highest peaks—and they're passionate about Colorado's fourteeners, too.

Miller was the first American woman to summit Everest from both sides. Metcalfe was the first U.S. woman to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks.

On October 15, join CFI at the Golden Community Center for an intimate conversation about their adventures, their missions, and what drives them to climb.

Q&A included. Inspiration guaranteed.

Plus, you're invited to Mountain Toad Brewing for the after party, where you can chat with these accomplished climbers with a (discounted!) b**r in hand.

Tickets ($35) available now—use the QR code or this link: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/cfi_speaker_event

09/04/2026

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Trails Program offers grants for non-motorized trail projects, funded through sources like Great Outdoors Colorado and the Federal Recreational Trails Program. Part of the application process requires us to solicit feedback from trail users like you. If you can take a few minutes to tell us what you think about our upcoming projects, we'd be so grateful.

Click this link to get started: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8973730/14er-Trail-Maintenance-Priorities-for-2027-28

09/03/2026

You can be a GOAT by taking CFI's survey about 14er trail maintenance priorities for the next two years. Click the link below. It should only take you five minutes, but will provide CFI with vital public feedback to help get a $250,000 State Trails grant to fund our Nomads crew. Plus, we also need help understanding use patterns on the Decalibron Loop. This guy wouldn't tell us how he climbed the loop, but we trust you will. https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8973730/14er-Trail-Maintenance-Priorities-for-2027-28

Address

1526 Cole Boulevard, Suite 130
Lakewood, CO
80401

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+13032787650

Website

http://www.14ers.org/

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