Mt. Oxford

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 5/3/2021, By: Another Steve
Info: Did the ridge walk on 5/1. The Oxford side of the ridge is almost completely snow free and is a nice walk. The descent from the Belford side still has large snow-covered areas and the remnants of a cornice. The snow later in the day was becoming very slushy in the warming temperatures, making kick stepping an interesting exercise in not slipping down the slope. You can avoid it in places by sticking to the rocks on the north side of the ridge, but in some areas crossing the snow is inevitable. See the recent Belford conditions reports for recent snow conditions up to Belford. TL;DR: Snow lower down is getting pretty bad in the warming temps. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 3/21/2021, By: amitchell
Info: This is a tough route in winter. You'll need at least 30 inch snowshoes to get through the river crossing section below tree line. Give yourself lots of time, food and water, and plan to be above 13,000 ft for up to 5 hours. Took us 13 hours total. Should be easier if you're planning to do this in the next week since the trail is well broken. Also beware the access road, very easy to get stuck in snow. I wouldn't park past the switchback at this time of year. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 1/16/2021, By: Will_E
Info: The trench is still in, and in good shape up to the creek crossing/avalanche area. I wore snowshoes from the creek crossing to tree line, would be a pain trying to get through that short section without them. From there to summit its pretty windblown, I didn't use any traction at all today. To further cement my reputation as world's worst route finder, I parked at the snowplow turnaround (didn't feel like risking getting stuck after reading blazintoes condition report), somehow walked right past Missouri Gulch TH, and got all the way to Sheep Gulch TH before realizing I was way beyond my start point. SMH. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 10/18/2020, By: seayachter
Info: Bone dry trail minus one small avoidable section on Belford. Quite windy (cold) once out of the drainage. Clear skies! 

Route: Elkhead Pass
Posted On: 10/4/2020, By: swesleyc7
Info: The trail along Elkwood Pass, through Missouri Gulch, is as clean as a whistle. You do have to cross 2 streams, but the water level is very low and won't get you wet. The trail, saddle, and both Belford and Oxford summits are clear of snow. There is no snow to worry about - no traction needed at all! I wore lightweight trail runners without any issue. Recommendation: I highly recommend the Elkhead Pass / Missouri Gulch route to the saddle, west of Belford, as opposed to the traditional Northwest Ridge route that goes to Belford first. Alltrails will show you the Elkhead Pass route. I have summited Belford a few years ago (had to give up crossing to Oxford due to winter weather) and I can attest to the trail differences. Elkhead Pass adds ~1 mi to the trip (13 mi RT), however the grade is far, far more palatable and easier on the legs and allows bagging Missouri. The avg. gain per mile is ~750 ft. whereas on the NW Ridge route the 3rd mile itself gains ~1,200 ft. Frankly, Elkhead Pass should be the traditional route to Belford/Oxford. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 9/19/2020, By: thebeave7
Info: The descent from Belford has some very annoying sections of snow that block the trail. Most can be bypassed on loose terrain. Snow was frozen solid overnight. The Oxford side of the traverse is pretty much dry. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 9/14/2020, By: ellenmseb
Info: The route between Belford and Oxford is mostly dry. See my conditions report for Belford; it's packed snow. You'll be fine with microspikes! Everyone without traction looked miserable and some turned back without summitting; everyone with traction looked happy. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 8/12/2020, By: marcusmartin
Info: Arrived at the Missouri Gulch TH around 6 pm Tuesday evening (08/11/2020). Camped at a great spot about 1/4 mile on down 390 on the right (north) side of 390. Got to the Missouri Gulch TH at 4:30 am. Approximately 10 cars were already there. Despite this, there were very few people on the trail and summits of Mt. Belford (we were there alone around 8 am) and Mt. Oxford (probably 5 people total). Conditions were excellent. Be careful on the descents (from Mt. Belford to Mt. Oxford and back to Mt. Belford; and down from Mt. Belford to the junction to Missouri Mountain). I used poles and was very glad I had them. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/19/2020, By: taylorharris50
Info: Perfect conditions and the trail is in great shape. Regaining Belford turned out to be easier than expected. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/12/2020, By: Mitsugi
Info: Summer Conditions. Pretty much nothing needed but good shoes. When you descend, think twice about ElkHead Pass. It is more gradual but on an already nasty hike, it adds many additional miles and we felt every bit of them on the way back. If I went again, I might have descended Belford the way we came. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/12/2020, By: PJ88
Info: Full summer conditions. Trailhead parking lot full by 5AM but only had to park a few cars down along the road. If you love switchbacks, this route is for you. Next time I would definitely use Elkhead Pass on the way down. Plenty of dispersed camping sites along the road and along the approach but no camping at trailhead. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/4/2020, By: fmv093042
Info: Great route! Much steeper and more challenging than expected to be honest. Watch the weather! When we left Mt. Belford initially, the weather was perfect. By the time we arrived to Mt. Oxford clouds began to roll in. Hail, thunder and rain began upon reaching Mt. Belford for the 2nd time on the descent. Was fairly mild, but moral of the story, it occurred 4 hours before weather stations projected and VERY quickly. Great route and beautiful views. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 6/23/2020, By: waelouf
Info: The whole trail was in perfect summer conditions, few snow patches if you take "Elkhead Pass" easy to avoid or walk through, no traction needed 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 6/12/2020, By: Ericsheffey
Info: Definitely summer conditions. No extra gear needed, only one very small snowpatch had to be crossed. Parking lot pretty busy when I arrived at 3:45am 😮. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 6/5/2020, By: kbenoit5
Info: What very little snow remains is of no significance