A popular "training" 14er among the Collegiate Peaks — a well-built, steady Class 2 trail with a paved road all the way to the trailhead.
The Denny Creek Trailhead sits on Cottonwood Pass Road (Colorado 306), about 11–12 miles west of Buena Vista. The road is paved the entire way, so any vehicle makes it, which is part of why this lot fills early on summer weekends. From the trailhead at about 9,900 feet, follow the Denny Creek Trail north through mixed conifer forest. About a mile in, the trail crosses Denny Creek near 10,500 feet; roughly a quarter mile beyond, bear right at a fork onto the narrower Mount Yale Trail, which crosses Delaney Gulch on a log bridge around 11,100 feet. After some meadows the trail climbs steeply, passing treeline near 12,100 feet and winding up through rock to a shoulder around 12,200 feet. From there the trail runs northeast to a saddle just under 14,000 feet; the true summit lies about half a mile southeast, reached by a talus scramble marked with closely spaced cairns.
Reverse the route back to Denny Creek Trailhead. Note that the old Denny Gulch route, once the standard approach, is permanently closed by the Forest Service for erosion restoration — use the Denny Creek Trail instead.