Longs Peak, Summit in Rocky Mountain National Park, United States.

Longs Peak is a 4,345-meter (14,256-foot) summit in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, the highest point in Boulder County. Its east face drops 1,675 feet and is topped by a 1,000-foot sheer cliff called The Diamond, named for its inverted cut-diamond shape. The flat, football-field-sized summit rises above the Boulder Field and Chasm Lake.

Longs Peak is named for Major Stephen Harriman Long, who is said to have been the first to spot the Front Range on June 30, 1820, during a U.S. government expedition. The first recorded ascent was made on August 23, 1868, by the surveying party of John Wesley Powell via the south side. Addie Alexander became the first woman to summit in 1871.

The community of climbers often begins the ascent on the Keyhole Route well before midnight, using cairns and painted bullseyes to navigate in darkness. Many return year after year to reach the summit again, viewing the climb as a personal measure of fitness and endurance.

The ascent takes most hikers between 10 and 15 hours and requires sure footing on rock and willingness to navigate exposed sections. Weather shifts regularly occur in the afternoon, so plan to descend by midday.

The summit register sits in a metal box on the flat top and holds entries from thousands of visitors recording their impressions. On clear autumn days, the view from the top reaches across to the plains of Kansas, more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) away.