Mt. of the Holy Cross

Route: Halo Ridge
Posted On: 7/2/2022, By: jmg11
Info: Beautiful day. Hiked the Loop (Halo Ridge up, North Ridge down). Started at 2:30am, summited 8am, 45min break, back at car 11:30am. Total 14.3 miles. No major concerns or callouts for the hike. Remaining snow is pretty much 100% avoidable and I never needed traction. Cairns and trail don't really exist along Halo Ridge…important thing here is to avoid unnecessary elevation gain and loss by hiking underneath those 13er peaks rather than directly on top of them. About as green as I've ever seen it out there, and wildflowers are in full bloom. Alpine lakes are melted and waters are turquoise blue. Stars were amazing this morning too. As others mentioned, mosquitoes were swarming within seconds any time I stopped within 300' of the creek so bring bug spray if you're wearing shorts or a t-shirt. 

Route: Cross Couloir
Posted On: 7/1/2022, By: slawrence2011
Info: Couloir is in from the summit all the way to just above the lower cliffs, based on visual beta during my descent after skiing it (I exited at the main exit point on skiers right). It would make a pretty good snow climb, but skiing it was barely doable. The top was good, but soon a one foot, then 2-4 foot runnel formed right in the center, and the terrain around it is quite bumpy, especially as you get lower. I downclimbed about a third of it on skis. Given it is probably about the best we have left right now, could be made to work with some skill, preferably more than I have to ski the entire thing! Main route totally clear of snow, except a bit on the final class 2 to the summit as of this morning, no issue without traction. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 6/24/2022, By: tdurty
Info: Agree with previous condition - especially the mosquitoes. They are relentless. You'll be very sorry if you forget your bug spray. Trail is mostly snow free - above treeline there is one snow field blocking the trail, but easy to skirt the snowfield on its edge and regain the trail. No traction needed. Quite muddy in many parts of the trail, mid gaiters were great. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 6/22/2022, By: jeffh7
Info: I'd say like 92% summer conditions. There were a few tiny patches in the woods that were easy to step over or around. There was also snow on the ridge before the summit push that occasionally covered parts of the trail but it was very easy just to stick right on the talus. In the morning you could walk on the snow on the ridge easily due to it being hard packed but when descending around 10 AM the postholing made staying on rock better. The rest of the route is dry, no need whatsoever for any sort of snow tools. I also added a pic of the cross couloir if that interests anyone. We camped at the trailhead and did a day hike in the morning, it was an incredible trip! IMPORTANT NOTE: Bring bug spray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The mosquitos were absolutely viscous on our hike out. We stopped at the creek on our way out to filter water and you couldn't stand still more than 2 seconds without 15 mosquitos swarming you. We made the mistake of forgetting bug spray and paid the price. They followed us all the way until we finished regaining the 1,000 ft of elevation. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 6/22/2022, By: sierramtngoat
Info: Snow is not an issue. There were a few patches low on the North Ridge, but can be avoided; the cornice along the east side the north ridge abstructs the trail in places, but it also can be avoided. The mosquitos west of half moon pass are a serious problem -- I noticed them while descending to cross creek, and they harassed me all the way up to 13K'. Is this normal for the Rockies? Mosquitos at 13K'? 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 5/27/2022, By: RWSchaffer
Info: Walk or bike 8.2 miles up closed road to the trailhead. There was plenty of snow on this route, starting at the trailhead (photo 1). With a good freeze Wednesday night, snow was supportive in the morning and traction was useful. By afternoon, snow had softened and floatation would have been useful. Unfortunately, I had left my snowshoes at home because of the lateness of the season and not having needed them a week earlier on Grays, Torreys, and Quandary, so I postholed extensively on the descent. Far more trail was covered by snow than was melted out, as in photo 2. The exception to this rule is the switchback section that descends to East Cross Creek from the east, and even it had a few sections that were not melted out, such as the one in photo 3. East Cross Creek was easy to cross (photo 4). Higher on the mountain, the lower ridge, upper ridge, and summit slopes (photos 5-7) all had visible cairns through snowy terrain. Finally, there was a cornice along the North Ridge (photo 8) so keep back from the edge. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 4/18/2022, By: aksean22
Info: From the winter road closure with an overnight at East Cross Creek. Continuous snow starts a half mile up Tigiwan Road and it looks like it will stay that way for awhile. Descending Half Moon Pass the snow is crusted and sun affected. We probably didn't pick the easiest way down, so be careful if following our tracks. Running water can be found at the creek to avoid melting snow. Above treeline on the North Ridge snow is hardpacked and ski crampons may be helpful. We booted through the rocks the last 500' to the summit. The Cross Couloir was protected from the strong winds that day which made for good skiing up top and wet snow near the bottom. First skier knocked off a wet slab about halfway down that cleared out the main runnel (no one was caught), so I suppose conditions will be much safer for the next party. There was also a large cornice at the exit that we had to cut through but it should be easier to get out of now. Followed the summer trail back over Halfmoon Pass and was able to leave the skis on, but it made for some exposed skinning. Heavy/grippy snow the entire way back to the car was not ideal, but still a lot faster than walking. About 26 miles and 9k total. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 11/6/2021, By: seekingbeta
Info: Notch Mountain Road was pretty dry all the way to trailhead this morning around 9am. We hiked the route in about 8.5 hrs and ran into a few others. Snow cover pretty much the entire way. We put on microspikes a few hundred feet up to Half Moon Pass. Gaiters recommended starting around 11,500 ft after the pass. There is a period from here until about 12,100 where you'll be post-holing knee high or deeper. Snowshoes were very welcome for this stretch. After that, it's boulder hopping most of the rest of the way up. Views were excellent and the peak wasn't too windy or cold. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 11/2/2021, By: ARBlake
Info: Overall good conditions. The road to the trailhead was very muddy. A lot of ice could be present in colder conditions. The entire hike has snow on it, but nothing is very deep until you are above the tree line. Above the tree line, snow drifts could be up to about thigh deep, but only got this deep in 3 or 4 short spots. The rest had a decent snow pack that was easy to walk through. The creek crossing at the campsite has ice covering the logs and rocks, so be very careful here. I did not need spikes for any parts of the route. Gaiters turned out to be very handy for some of the deep snow. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 10/23/2021, By: bfurey
Info: Snow on most of the trail, but fairly packed. Traction was helpful for icy sections. Above the tree line, mostly post holing in about 1-2 feet of drifted snow, although some drifts were waist deep. We did a bit of boulder hopping to stay out of the deeper snow when possible, for which trekking poles were very useful. 

Route: Halo Ridge
Posted On: 10/18/2021, By: kcovingt1
Info: Several groups went up the halo ridge route but only made it to the shelter. There's a nice boot pack and trench up to that point and a lot had already melted out by the end of the day. Passed there, the route becomes much more difficult as you start post holing through talus and boulders. We might try again this coming weekend. Hopefully it has melted out more by then! Also made it to the TH in a Malibu with little issue. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 10/12/2021, By: FinnishFlicka
Info: Parts of the trail below treeline were quite icy in the morning and about 4-6 inches of snow above treeline. Traction was very useful as the trails were slick both in the forest and as the snow melted on the way down. The surrounding peaks are looking beautiful capped in snow! 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 10/5/2021, By: tlgold1990
Info: A little snow above treeline in the talus and boulders. Microspikes were used on the way down but not up. Saw one person that didn't use traction at all. Wasn't a must but helped for a quicker descent on that section. 

Route: Halo Ridge
Posted On: 10/3/2021, By: WanderLost
Info: 4-6" of snow above 13k along ridge, deeper in the pockets between larger rocks. 3-4" on North ridge. Occasional knee high post hole past Holy Cross Ridge but easy route finding from Notch to Summit. I'm sure there were better ways to go than the one we took but easy to follow the variations of the 5 sets of footprints already made. A combination of slush and ice on the decent along the ridge. Most accumulation was just above tree line save for some sporadic patches just below. Amazing traverse on just the right amount of newly fallen snow. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 9/28/2021, By: JasonCrane
Info: Summited on Monday 9/27 via standard route. Trail is completely dry & no route finding issues. Light snow flurries in the afternoon, but no accumulation. A few rare wind gusts, but overall, a gorgeous day for climbing.