Mount
Sherman
Routed from OpenStreetMap · elevations USGS 3DEP
Silver came to the mountain in 1873, when prospectors struck the Last Chance lode on the high ridge between Mount Sherman and neighboring Mount Sheridan, opening the Hilltop ore body that would prove the richest in the district. The Sherman Mine, near the peak, later produced more than 10 million ounces of silver, most of it mined between 1968 and 1982.
In January 1967, pilot Jimmy Williamson put a storm-battered Cessna 310 down on Sherman's broad summit plateau after severe downdrafts forced him off course to Aspen; his four passengers survived with only minor injuries, and bitter weather stalled a helicopter rescue for 20 hours. The mountain's gentle southwest ridge, a straightforward Class 2 hike, makes it one of the most commonly recommended fourteeners for first-time climbers.
Rough 2WD dirt with good clearance via CR 18 past Leavick; most passenger cars stop ~11,800 ft or in the lower lot just below the 12,000 ft gate. Winter closure near 11,100 ft below Leavick.
No fees and no reservations (14ers.com Fourmile Creek TH page, read July 2026) — the low-logistics counterpart to Quandary and Kite Lake. Road is rough 2WD when dry; early-summer upper sections may want 4WD/AWD; winter closure at ~11,100 ft adds 5+ mi RT. The route passes the private Dauntless and Hilltop mine workings — stay on the road/trail and out of structures. West-side alternate starts from Iowa Gulch TH (12,000 ft) at the end of a 2WD dirt spur off paved Lake County 2 from Leadville (14ers.com sher2).
Peak data: Mount Sherman — Wikipedia