Missouri Mountain

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/3/2026, By: izabelaspivy
Info: Finished my final Sawatch range 14er on Missouri today. Clear skies, minimal wind, and trail in full summer condition. Camped the night before just before the trailhead, main parking area was almost completely full by morning, which didn’t surprise me for a weekend. Started at 4:15am, and was back to the car by noon. Once I took the split to Missouri, I saw only a few hikers on the ascent, as most people were taking the Oxford/belford route. Be aware that the bathrooms at the Missouri gulch trailhead are currently out of order for maintenance, and the doors are locked. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/24/2026, By: mciv
Info: Good summer conditions, completely dry through Missouri Gulch. The official crux is easy, but just after there is a portion where a fake trail takes you down and up an extremely steep, sketchy scree pitch. I didn’t realize I was off trail and had to climb up and down that section using both hands, which sucked. Pay attention to the real trail and stick to the ridge line, as it looks like more and more people are going off route. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/21/2026, By: rsuminsby
Info: Trail is in great shape. Stream crossings were easy, but there's plenty of water to fill water bottles. No sign of smoke today. The crux is a pretty easy downclimb, with good solid rock on one side of the gully. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/24/2026, By: katarinaa452
Info: Summer conditions overall. The trail is dry from the trailhead through the basin and up the majority of the route. Encountered two small snowfields just before getting to the ridgeline. Was able to cross in the morning without traction, although by mid-morning they were very soft and slick, and I had slid down about 30-40 ft. I recommend traction, or bypassing the snowfields altogether.


About 3 creek crossings, all very easy to cross. Definitely flowing, but probably not for long with this dry spell. 

Route: NW Ridge to N Face couloirs
Posted On: 6/20/2026, By: slawrence2011
Info: I went up Elkhead pass in hopes of seeing if Emerald or Iowa were in for skiing with MO as a backup. They were not so I descended back to 12,6, and went up standard route on MO. All dry except a snowfield right where the trail meets the ridge with a good boot pack. The couloir just E of the summit goes about 1K ft. Then, hiking down the rest of the steep and dry talus is tricky. I ended up putting skis on for another 400 ft where steep snow was way better than the talus. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/18/2026, By: theluke13
Info: Several snow crossings - one is particularly long and exposed. I made it through fine without spikes but certainly wish I had had them. Otherwise, trail is great. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/7/2026, By: lukethepuke
Info: the trail is mostly clear to the top. there are several snow patches between the upper end of the valley and the ridgeline, but they are easily traversable without traction or snowshoes. there are a few very small snow patches on the Ridgeline but again easily traversable. 

Route: North Face Couloirs
Posted On: 5/25/2026, By: astromuni
Info: Plenty of snow left on Missouri's north face (and popular with skiers this weekend). Summer trail also looked do-able with crampons. Belford's standard route is much closer to dry. But hard to tell if you still need traction on short stretches. The approach is more or less dry into the upper basin for both peaks. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 5/10/2026, By: nohandz
Info: Dry up the switchbacks until you hit the gulch and then patches of snow making the trail hard to follow at times. Not an issue in the morning (35F @ TH @ 6AM), but quite soft/muddy later in the day.

Once you leave the Elk pass trail to go up Missouri, I recommend crampons/axe/helmet. I went straight up the bowl rather than go around to the north to follow the proper trail. Coverage can be thin at times and not great for traction/self-arrest, so you have to modify your route accordingly. I found the stated crux was cake in comparison to moving through steep snow, especially after it started to melt out. Though avi conditions were otherwise stable, for now.

I had snowshoes with me, but didn’t wear them as I thought I’d be taking them on an off. Though they helped with braking a glissade, lol.

I’d look for a solid freeze if you are going to do it now and maybe leave the TH about 5.

Only ~2 cars and 3-4 other people all day. PS, the bathroom is still locked. 

Route: North Face Couloirs
Posted On: 4/16/2026, By: evanb123
Info: Needed to hike approximately 3 miles before we could start skinning. Once in the couloirs snow was cold and powdery and one of the most difficult, unconsolidated bootpacks I have done. The skiing however was fantastic. No signs of instability. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 3/1/2026, By: bryanpeck3
Info: Agree with the last post. Snowshoes are now needed from the creek to the ridge. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 2/17/2026, By: Jonathan Deffenbaugh
Info: After the first round of snow Missouri Mtn didn't disappoint, turned out to be an epic day of trailblazing starting from where the Elkhead Pass trail splits off from the Mt Belford trail. To note had seen 5 climbers going up Mt Belford that day. With the new snow, snowshoes would have been nice to have, but stubbornness prevailed after climbing Belford, Oxford, and Pecks Peak, one week prior under drier conditions. Ended up blazing a new trench to the summit ridge crest 1.5-2 miles from the summit where there were less avalanche prone slopes, quite a bit of post holing involved, ended up using crampons and an ice axe for the upper rockier sections prior to reaching the ridge, which helped ease having to blaze a new route under unconsolidated snow conditions. Once on the ridge line, there's 4 summits between you and the final summit, some sections actually required post holing, which made for an epic long day. At the time, leading up to the final crux section was only having to wear microspikes. For the tower traverse beneath the summit, crampons and ice axe were necessary for safe passage. Made it to the summit around sunset and simply followed my steps/trail back down. For descending back into the Missouri Gulch basin in the dark, only needed an ice axe and microspikes. Any future ascents on Missouri Mtn leading up to spring would most likely involve bringing everything in your winter arensenal (i.e. microspikes, ice axe, crampons, and, yes, snowshoes). 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 2/10/2026, By: MMAfightingClimber
Info: The sustained winds were incredible up high today! We went from Clohesy Lake up the west ridge. We parked at the bottom, though there were older tire tracks going up. We got snowed on a little in the morning and then it started to clear up. Cold windy day.

Snowshoes not needed, but they would have been nice from the 4WD TH to treeline. The trail is buried and we just choose our own line to the base of the ridge.

The snowy crux section on the ridge would be very smart to have an ice ax. For traction, we opted for spikes but brought crampons just in case.

The west ridge from treeline to the ridge was dry, and some portions of the NW ridge were also pretty dry.

All of these conditions will likely change quite a bit after tomorrow’s storm.

11.8mi, 4,400ft gain, 7:03RT 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 2/8/2026, By: globreal
Info: No snow shoes taken or required. Once in the Missouri Gulch basin we turned right at 12,000’ & went straight up barren tundra slopes to gain the NW Ridge. (The standard route was snow loaded.) The west side of the NW ridge is mostly wind blown dry. We DID use crampons & ice axes to go around the tower right below the summit. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 2/8/2026, By: Mountain Ninja
Info: No snowshoes needed today. Crampons and axe strongly recommended for the crux (see photos). Microspikes worn otherwise. We ascended the ridge earlier (more north) than the standard route because it looked plenty dry ('tis the season!).