Colorado's 14er base camps: Where to climb and spoil yourself afterward

now has melted from Colorado’s high country. Consider it nature’s invitation to climb.

The state’s tallest summits await. So many to do. So little time.

The most avid climber needs a base camp, a place from which to attain multiple fourteeners. Here are some towns that come to mind, along with a few suggestions while you’re visiting.

Buena Vista

In reach: Antero, Belford, Columbia, Elbert, Harvard, Huron, La Plata, Massive, Missouri, Oxford, Princeton, Shavano, Tabeguache, Yale

One might choose Salida to the south or Leadville to the north, but Buena Vista is close enough in the middle while serving as the closest access to the Collegiate Peaks. There’s a reason why BV is home to the annual 14er Fest. It’s true: There might be no greater place to celebrate Colorado’s highest heights.