Ellingwood Point

Route: South Face
Posted On: 3/14/2016, By: RyGuy
Info: Ellingwood Point is in decent shape for the end of winter. Was able to drive my 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee to 9,750 on the road. (Snow blocks the road from there, see conditions report for Lake Como road) Past 9,750, the road is mostly snow with a decent boot pack trail in place. You could get away without snowshoes until about 10,500, then they become mandatory. Lake Como area is in great shape for winter camping with a solid 2-3 feet of snow on the ground. More than enough for a tent with a nice boot pit. A trench now extends across the lake and follows the standard route up towards Ellingwood Point. We finally ditched our snowshoes near 12,500 and switched to crampons for the final part up Ellingwood's south face. (Don't bother with anything less than crampons) We opted to gain the saddle around 13,700 on the Ellingwood side and climb the ridge proper to the summit. NOTE: There was just a fresh dump of 3-6 inches of snow up there. That has covered everything pretty nicely, making it harder to see where the bulletproof snow fields are vs trap-door boulder-hoping. It has also jacked the avalanche conditions up as well. During the descent, we saw a small slide off Ellingwood's south ridge. It was all surface powder sliding on bulletproof snow from the night before. Several smaller sluffs up towards Blanca as well. Give that area some time to stabilize before venturing up there again. If you'd like pictures, shoot me a PM and I can send you some. 

Route: South Face
Posted On: 11/2/2015, By: jmanner
Info: So... in short there is a lot of snow. Continuous snow started around Jaws 3 and went from 3" of consolidated snow, below treeline, to 2-4 feet of unconsolidated powder above treeline. The entire face of Ellingwood and Blanca was also covered, which made for very interesting climbing. Snow shoes required, but not skinable or skiable yet. 

Route: South Face
Posted On: 10/15/2015, By: C-Shepguy
Info: Totally dry top to bottom. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/11/2015, By: tjf242424
Info: Dry the entire way, including the descent down the normal route. 

Route: South Face
Posted On: 10/9/2015, By: D_Lide1989
Info: Peak was not icy at all in the mid morning/afternoon. There was ~10% snow coverage. 

Route: North Ridge via South Zapata Creek
Posted On: 10/5/2015, By: frankd720
Info: Trail from falls to lake is in excellent condition. The Blanca group received snow on Saturday night. Snow on trail starting about 1 mile below S Zapata Lake. Maybe an inch in the basin around the lake and more in C2. Called it at C2, but there is (was as of Sunday morning) definitely snow all the way up the ridge to Ellingwood's summit. Photos from around the lake attached. 

Route: Blanca/Ellingwood
Posted On: 9/18/2015, By: WillRobnett
Info: Fall colors are starting to show. Approaching Lake Como today it doesn‘t have a lot tall Aspens. From Blanca/Ellingwood could see good colors to the northeast a few miles. Looks like approaching Huerfano/Lily Lake Trailhead for Mt Lindsey would be a great mix of summer and fall. No snow in the Sangres. 

Route: South Face
Posted On: 9/7/2015, By: Sunshineof1985
Info: Climbed Ellingwood and Blanca together. Ellingwood was my 38th fourteener this summer. I‘m trying to climb them all this summer. You can read more about this hike and others at Sunshineof1985.com. Enjoy! Route: Northwest Ridge from Blanca Peak, then Combo Distance: 12.46 mi. Elevation Gain (from parking at 8,000 ft.): 6,800 ft. Time started: 6:10am End time: 4:10pm Time to Summit Ellingwood Point from 8,000 feet: 5 hours and 10 minutes Time to Summit Blanca Peak from summit of Ellingwood Point: 1 hour and 30 minutes Time to Descend Blanca Peak to Como Lake: 2 hours Overall Pace: 1.3 miles per hour *GEAR (to bring): Bear spray, helmet, water purifier, first aid kit, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, headlamp, flashlight, toilet paper, GPS, extra batteries, extra socks, phone, SPOT Satellite Tracker, Map, Topo Map from 14ers.com, hiking boots with 2 pairs of socks on, extra change of clothes, wear a tank top, long-sleeve, wind-guard/raincoat, light weight puffy coat, lightweight gloves, overnight pack with water sack and extra water (160oz), food for two full days (large bag of jerky, large bag of trailsmix, 4 protein bars, and 4 granola bars). *Road Condition: The directions from 14ers.com is correct in that a sedan will only make it to 8,000 feet or slightly further. We saw one Jeep make it all the way to Como Lake- which was mind boggling. *Trail Condition: 8,000 to Como Lake: You‘ll be on the road the entire time. The road mixes between dirt areas where it‘s easier to walk, but mostly river rock and boulders. Eyes on the ground mostly to watch your step. Como Lake to Ellingwood Point: You‘re still going to be on a road until 12,000 ft. elevation. Easy slow gain to this point. Trail is in great condition and easy to follow with the cairns. We took the higher route on Ellingwood (class 3) and it‘s more than fine- nothing too scary at all (coming from a person who has a slight fear of heights). Ellingwood Point to Blanca Peak: Trail at the divide between the two and on to Blanca is a difficult class two. You‘ll have to pull yourself up in some areas. Otherwise, just weave your way up watching for cairns until the summit. Some loose rock, but not bad. 

Route: North Ridge via South Zapata Creek
Posted On: 8/16/2015, By: BagginPeaks
Info: The last report is garbage.. To the last poster, who goes scrambling in the mountains without a helmet, and what are you doing with a group that large? FS regulation is no group larger than 14. And what would a rope do there is no where to put any pro on a scree slope. And what were you doing in the LEFT side of the couloir? The route description specifically says stay RIGHT when it forks near the top, the left side is much sketchier. To anyone looking to just hit Ellingwood and avoid Lake Como, this is a great route. The C2 couloir is loose, I was glad I was the only one in it this morning, but with careful foot placement and sticking on the side where there is larger solid rocks it is definitely not as bad as the last guy makes it sound (I avoided the eroded slippery social trails in the center), definitely no rope or class 4 moves required. I would add that I thought the scrambling on the summit pitch was more difficult than 'easy class 3' as described in the route description. 

Route: North Ridge via South Zapata Creek
Posted On: 8/3/2015, By: glett74
Info: We had a group of 15 men make this attempt at Ellingwood Point from the South Zapata Creek Trail. Several of the group members and I had been reading trip reports for this trail to make sure we knew what we were getting into. None of the reports accurately describe the C2 Coulier, which is the recommended coulier for traversing to the North Ridge of Ellingwood. This report is particularly for non-Colorado 14er enthusiasts who depend on this site and trip reports to plan their trip. The C2 Coulier had too much loose rock and scree to be safe without additional climbing gear such as helmets and rope. We had neither and managed to get 13 of our 15 men to the ridge, but not without injury and significant stress. If the coulier had consistent solid rock on which to climb, this would live up to the Class 3 designation. However, with the unstable rock and scree on a steep 60 degree slope, this coulier should be ranked at a difficult class 3 or easy class 4 route. Additionally, there are no well-cairned routes along the north ridge for Ellingwood. Five of our men managed their way to just below summit, but had to turn back due to weather developing in the east. Three of us, including myself, made it to the north ridge where we could see the storm clouds developing to the east and also turned back. Our primary concern was being stuck on C2 Coulier in rain. That would have made decent nearly impossible and left us exposed well above treeline. Fortunately, the weather held and we all made it down to safety before the storm finally developed mid-afternoon. I would not recommend this route to moderate or even experienced climbers without gear and preparation for Class 4 climbing up C2. 

Route: South Face
Posted On: 7/30/2015, By: zsmith
Info: The entire route is dry and in summer condition. There is still a serious bear problem at Como Lake. Please read my Lake Como trailhead report for details. 

Route: South Face
Posted On: 7/14/2015, By: mspalding
Info: The route to the summit is completely clear of all snow. But bring a bear canister. Bear bags will be pillaged during the day while you are out hiking. Hanging them high and on a line between two trees is insufficient. They were safe at night during the 2 nights we were there. The bear is smart and he‘ll take your food while you watch. Your bad food habits can get you or the bear killed. 

Route: North Ridge via South Zapata Creek
Posted On: 7/6/2015, By: Dan_Suitor
Info: Good trail up to S. Zapata Lake. Marsh around the lake is very full and wet which resulted in soaked feet. Did not attempt C2 due to earlier condition reports, so I don’t have good beta. C3 was completely dry. Detailed Trip Report to follow. 

Route: North Ridge via South Zapata Creek
Posted On: 6/23/2015, By: High_On_Thin_Air
Info: Made attempt on C2 this morning got to base of snow at 5 am. Slightly firm at base, but punchy. now only got worse the higher I got. Called it when waist-wading in styrofoam like snow. Self arrest would not be a possibility on the steeper stuff up high. Oh, I wanted it. Been there twice. Not worth it though. Seems Spring‘s actually over. 

Route: North Ridge via South Zapata Creek
Posted On: 6/22/2015, By: Ceastar
Info: Trail is clear of snow until C2. Snow was solid enough for kicking steps with micro spikes on the way up, but slushy slippery on the way back down. Wish I had my crampons and so grateful for ice axe. Route is dry once at the ridge. This route avoids Como Road, but is quite a climb.