The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) is dedicated to preserving the natural integrity of Colorado’s 54 fourteen-thousand-foot peaks—the iconic “Fourteeners”—through volunteer-driven stewardship and public education. These high-elevation ecosystems are home to fragile alpine tundra plants found nowhere else on Earth, and they are extremely vulnerable to damage from the hundreds of thousands of hikers each year.

CFI partners with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, volunteers, and donors to:

• Build and maintain sustainable hiking routes that protect sensitive habitats.

• Close, stabilize, and restore eroded or trampled areas.

• Educate hikers on Leave No Trace principles and responsible outdoor recreation.

• Engage local communities in the ongoing protection of Colorado’s highest peaks.

Through these efforts, CFI ensures that hikers can experience the beauty of the Fourteeners while preserving these rare alpine ecosystems for generations to come. Volunteers play a critical role, contributing thousands of days each season to trail construction, restoration, and education initiatives.