Advice for Barr Trail summit this weekend

[thompsonmike]

Good Morning,

I had planned on taking my girlfriend on her 3rd (she's done Democrat and Quandary) 14er to Pikes Peak this weekend. I have already purchased our stay at Barr Camp and our one way tickets on the Cog train down. Looking at the weather forecast, it's not going to be pretty. COLD COLD COLD! There is snow on the summit right now and a chance of precipitation in various forms the next two days (no duh right, it's CO!)

I'm looking for confirmation on information. I believe the Barr Trail is a hiking trail to the top and that there is no scramble. I do not want to take her if it's cold, snowy and there is a scramble, I want to stay safe. Can anyone confirm that it's a hiking trail and no bouldering needs to be done like on say Democrat? I figured that end of August would be safe still for weather, guess I was wrong! lol

Any other advice one might give for this? All our other hiking so far as a couple has been done in summer weather. I'm going to make sure she has enough layers to keep warm and I'm going to give her my really nice snowboarding gloves to keep her fingers toasty.

Thanks!

Mike

[Marmot96]

Pikes Peak Summit Cam: http://www.cograilway.com/webcam.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you are trying to avoid cold and snow, you might not have much luck with this. The summit will be in the 30s and there may still be snow along the route, albeit just a dusting at the higher elevations.

Barr trail is a simple hike up, no bouldering (although your Democrat comment confused me, as that peak has no bouldering either). Either way, the trail is very well defined, its main challenge is length.

If you are staying at Barr camp, your trip should be much simpler. My only advice is to bring adequate layers and a rain jacket (could be rain/snow/hail, since the temps are chilly) for the expected temperatures, which will be in the 30s with chills in the low to mid 20s.

[jrs1965]

I can see Pikes Peak from my office and there's snow above ~13k. Barr Camp has a facebook page, you could ask or possibly see any recent trail updates there. The caretakers at Barr Camp frequently post on the facebook page.

Although there's only a dusting of snow and it is an easy route the only thing I might add is to bring microspikes (Kahtoola's). If you get into a portion of the trail that is frozen or slick spikes would certainly be beneficial...

[XrunclimbskiX]

I ran the pikes peak marathon on Sunday and there has been snow since then but you will not encounter even patches of snow until you are less than two miles from the summit. The only part you would have to do carefully is the last 1/4 mile which is called the golden stairs and they could be slick. But it's not a scramble. Bring good clothing and leave early but in my opinion you should be fine.

[Scott P]

Sunday is forecasted to be pretty normal temperature wise, and there is only a 20% of precipitation (as of right now; the forecast can change).

Most of the snow might be gone by then, but it would be a good idea to bring microspikes just in case.

It might be worth a try. If you don't like the conditions, you can always turn back.

[thompsonmike]

Barr trail is a simple hike up, no bouldering (although your Democrat comment confused me, as that peak has no bouldering either). Either way, the trail is very well defined, its main challenge is length.

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Hey Marmot96,

Thanks for the advice! We have a bunch of warm clothes and we're going to Kohls to pick up some long underwear tonight after softball. lol Am I incorrect that bouldering=scrambling? I'm not sure but that's the impression I am under, please correct me if I'm wrong!

Thank you!

Mike

[thompsonmike]

I can see Pikes Peak from my office and there's snow above ~13k. Barr Camp has a facebook page, you could ask or possibly see any recent trail updates there. The caretakers at Barr Camp frequently post on the facebook page.

Although there's only a dusting of snow and it is an easy route the only thing I might add is to bring microspikes (Kahtoola's). If you get into a portion of the trail that is frozen or slick spikes would certainly be beneficial...

Thanks for the advice jrs1965! I will definitely check the Barr Camp Facebook page tonight! I don't think I'll have time to run and pick up some microspikes but if we have the opportunity to get to REI in next couple days we'll take a look! Perhaps we could look on Saturday morning on our way down to the Springs!

Thanks!

Mike

[thompsonmike]

I should have just put all this in one post, but, I'm an idiot.... haha

Thanks for the advice everyone and the update on recent conditions!!! We'll check out the Facebook page, pack extra warm clothes and try to take a look into microspikes.

Safe hiking everyone!

Mike

[Fishert2]

Definitely a hiking trail. As mentioned previously, you can certainly walk up the trail but it is the longevity that will wear on you. Above the tree line the path is made up of very loose gravel with very little in the way of trail markers. With just a little snow it should be manageable with hiking shoes/ boots but if possible opt to bring spikes. Staying at Barr Camp for the night and breaking the mountain hike into two segments is great. Plenty of water at Barr Camp and last stop for water on the way up is at the A-Frame/ tree line. Of course there is all you can eat and drink at the summit house!

[thompsonmike]

Was an awesome trip!!! Thanks for the advice again everyone! We both thought day 1 was more difficult and tiring than day 2. The temperature was a lot higher (no duh right?) and I think the hike was longer. Barr camp was awesome and the caretakers there were very helpful. I asked if there were any short hikes and he suggested one that allows you to look out down over Manitou Springs. We got a little lost coming back but eventually found the trail. Slightly scary wandering in the woods at 10pm. hahah

Day 2 we hiked in pea sized hail, thunder and eventually some lightning for the final two miles. I just tried to keep pushing her to go quickly as I was not at all thrilled to be on the side of a mountain with lightning near by. I was surprised to see how many people were still hiking up and down during that. We finally made it and eventually made it to Texas Roadhouse for a well deserved steak dinner!

All in all I recommend the Barr Camp, it's pretty cool there! We're going to do this again next year and get a group of friends and rent the whole upper cabin to ourselves.

I'd submit pictures but the max file size is only 350kb... oh well.

Thanks again!!

Mike