The Colorado 14ers South Topographic Map Guide provides the most accurate and convenient set of maps for the fourteeners of the Elk, San Juan, and Sangre de Cristo ranges of southern Colorado. These peaks are generally more difficult than their northern counterparts in the Front, Mosquito, Tenmile, and Sawatch Ranges. Even the easier exceptions, such as Humboldt, Sunshine, Redcloud, and Handies Peaks have their unforgiving slopes. Crestone Peak and Little Bear in the Sangre de Cristos, along with Capitol Peak and the Maroon Bells in the Elk Range, are often in the running when talk turns to the "hardest" fourteener. Given such subjective elements as physical conditioning, skill of party members, weather and season, there is no definitive answer, but all deserve the utmost respect and attention to route finding.