Mt. of the Holy Cross

Route: Halo Ridge
Posted On: 6/25/2012, By: altidude
Info: Both the Halo Ridge and Standard Route are snow free, several fallen trees below treeline on the Notch Mountain approach. The Cross Couloir is "in" other than being dry at the base, at least two parties ascended the couloir yesterday 6/24. The Angelica Couloir looked like it was in great shape and several people were ascending it 6/24. 

Route: Halo Ridge
Posted On: 6/23/2012, By: Johnson
Info: Tigiwon open and appeared as though with careful driving a Honda Civic can make it to the TH. Hiked North Ridge up Holy Cross. Dry all the way. Mosquito‘s from hell at Cross Creek. Hiked Halo Ridge counter-clockwise. Dry all the way. Spiders were only about 8" in diameter so no big deal. Trail from Notch Mt. Shelter back the the TH was in great shape. Just some sappy fallen trees to negotiate. Cross Couloir had a bit of snow but very anemic. One part of this report is false. 

Route: Halo Ridge
Posted On: 6/6/2012, By: madbuck
Info: I know Tigiwon is opening soon but there‘s not much info otherwise... I did not climb it, but here‘s a recent view of Halo Ridge from the South (Whitney Pk summit). 

Route: Cross Couloir
Posted On: 4/22/2012, By: Cool Hand Luke
Info: Cross Couloir was too soft for comfort, felt more like winter snow than spring. I exited at 8:15 and would not have wanted to be in the couloir much later than that. Good snow coverage right now that looks like it will hold, I would wait a few weeks before trying this one. 

Route: Halo Ridge
Posted On: 4/22/2012, By: Cool Hand Luke
Info: Road is mostly clear now to Halfmoon TH. Fall Creek is a mix of dirt and snow, snowshoes are definitely needed. The turnoff to Notch Mountain Shelter is clearly visible, but the trail is hard to follow after this point. Notch Mountain Shelter is not locked and I was able to clear most of the drift to get the door open. If you take an avy shovel you could clear significantly more from inside, definitely room for people to camp. I used snowshoes up until Pt. 13,831 and stashed them on the summit and just booted it to HC. It was a pain to snowshoe the ridge, but I found out the hard way it was much faster than post-holing. The ridge is in great shape, but catches sun all day. Mid-morning on the snow was softening up, so I stuck as high to the ridge as possible. Also, be aware of cornices! The snow makes the trip very long. From the shelter it took me 5 hours to the summit with generous breaks, back to the shelter took about 3.5. I never used my axe on the ridge, but poles helped tremendously. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 10/24/2011, By: Uffda
Info: Hiked the standard route yesterday (Sunday). Trail was dry or (if snowy) well packed all the way to the summit. Traction was not necessary but would have been nice on the descent. There was some damage to Tigwon from the logging activity but it should be passable to most cars if driven carefully. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 10/21/2011, By: danernst
Info: Tigiwon is open and easily passable in a 4wd. There is anywhere from 3 to 6" of snow on the lower trail. In areas, the drifts were knee high. Once across East Cross Creek, the snow became more of a problem. We were the first ones up since the snowfall on Monday, and had to break trail, with lots of post-holing. Easiest was to step on the exposed rocks at the sides of the trail. Followed this method just about the rest of the way up. On the rock-covered ridges and slopes, stepping on only the exposed rock was critical. In between rocks, the accumulated snow hid whatever was beneath, whether rocks or nothing, and we occasionally plunged up to our waists in snow and got feet wedged between hidden rocks. The extra effort involved in hiking in the snow was considerable, as compared to the many fourteeners we‘ve done on bare ground. In combination with the ascent of Half Moon Pass on the way out, it was a long and grueling day, but definitely worth it, and very memorable. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 8/21/2011, By: shep
Info: Completed Mt. of the Holy Cross via North Ridge on Saturday 8/20. Biked the 8 miles up to the trailhead with baby bike trailer in about 2:20 the night before. The ride in was harder than I thought it was going to be. I am not sure the trailer was better than just putting your gear on your back. The road was in good shape except for some short sections where it is a little torn up due to logging activity. Summited in 4 hours from standard trailhead. Trip down took 3:30. This a great hike and very scenic. No other people on the mountain today. 

Route: Halo Ridge
Posted On: 7/20/2011, By: Exiled Michigander
Info: Trip report to follow (hopefully by this Friday--work permitting). For now, here is an update on conditions for the Halo Ridge/Orbital route: Tigiwon Road: As most of you know, Tigiwon Road is closed. This will add around 15 miles round-trip to any hike from the Half Moon trailhead. BRING MOSQUITO REPELLENT! I was eaten alive by wave after wave of the little vampires. Consider taking a mountain bike to the trailhead. I saw a few hikers who did this--pretty smart way to make Tigiwon Road go by faster. Fall Creek Trail: A bit muddy in spots, but otherwise in good shape. Creek crossings very doable. Notch Mountain Trail: Excellent shape. Be sure to fill up on water at treeline. Halo Ridge: Solid rock. Nearly all snow can be avoided. The only snow field I had to cross was just above the Teardrop Couloir. I would still recommend an ice axe in case you get off route though. North Ridge: Great shape. East Cross Creek: I amazingly stayed dry crossing it, although it is a bit tricky. After a heavy rain it would be hard to cross without getting wet up to one‘s knees. Bring extra socks. Half Moon Trail: Some mud, but generally in good shape. Image 1: A calendar shot of the Cross from Notch Mountain. Image 2: Close-up of the Cross Couloir. Image 3: Teardrop Couloir Image 4: Angelica Couloir. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 7/11/2011, By: Carl
Info: Hiked the standard route and skied the cross couloir. Standard trail is wet in spots and there are a few snow crossings but nothing that warrants an axe or anything more than trail shoes. The creek is flowing good so be prepared to get wet (about knee deep). As for the cross couloir, it skied quite well and is in from the summit. No sun cups. One runnel but you can stay skiers right and avoid it. Needless to say, snow conditions are changing fast. Probably still good skiing through next weekend. Although the road closure makes it about a 27 mile roundtrip slog. I‘ll put up a TR soon. 

Route: Holy Cross Ridge
Posted On: 6/26/2011, By: anasarca76
Info: I ascended the 4x4 road to Hunky Dory Lake and connected to the Fall Creek Pass Trail. There is still a lot of snow that is rapidly melting which makes for perfect afternoon post holing conditions. I was able to walk on the snow early in the morning but it is consistent from about 11,2500 feet and above. The basin that contains Seven Sisters Lakes is still completely snow covered with the way up to Fall Creek Pass being mostly covered with areas of exposed grass. Holy Cross Ridge is mostly snow free and the route up to Mt of the Holy Cross can be done with minimal snow travel. From observation, Lake Constantine is about half way thawed and there is consistent snow from this lake up to Fall Creek Pass. Notch Mountain is clear on the ridge and west sides, with intermittent snow up the area where the trail would be. I didn‘t get a good view of the north ridge but the ridge proper is likely wind blown like the Holy Cross Ridge route. I couldn‘t see the conditions as half moon pass or along the north ridge route, sorry. Regarding the option of taking Fancy or Missouri passes to access the mountain from the west via Cross Creek Trail, snow is solid in the upper part of this basin and I believe it was Harvey Lake was still frozen. 

Route: Tigiwon Road
Posted On: 6/26/2011, By: J Rocky Eire
Info: The Tigiwon Road is CLOSED 1 mile up from Hwy 24 until October 15th. I spoke to a Ranger from the USDA Forest Service White River Office and they are logging all summer up there.