Mt. Cameron

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 12/14/2020, By: JQDivide
Info: Cam, Lin, Bross... didn't use snowshoes or spikes. There were a few places some people would have like them, but not needed. Road mostly clear from gate to summer TH. Not a lot of snow on the route. Snowy, but not deep. Lots of wind blown areas. Trail is snow covered but visible. No trench or boot pack because of the wind. 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 10/18/2020, By: olyayaya
Info: Extremely windy. Gusts of 55-75mph. I got knocked off my feet on the ridge to Cameron. Was impossible to stand and hard to breathe on top of Cameron. 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 9/17/2020, By: lauradaughtry
Info: *NOTE: I did not climb/summit Democrat, so I can't entirely say what the condition of it was beyond the saddle connecting it to Cameron* Got to the trailhead at 7am (on a Thursday) and the lot was mostly full. Other than a few patches of packed down snow near the summits, the trail was completely melted of snow. Microspikes aren't needed at all; but trekking poles, snow or no snow, are invaluable for the descent down Bross. Clear day with light wind, but low visibility due to the wildfires. Sadly, I saw a lot of people not keeping to the trail. (This shouldn't be an excuse as the trail was in great condition and is very well marked/visible.) People contributed it to not using a map/AllTrails, etc. or the trail appearing "less easy" than the eroded pathways nearby. I even saw some people descend down the iron/ore section up to the summit, which is NO WHERE near the trail. Please, PLEASE stick to the marked trail! The fragile environment thanks you for it! 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 9/5/2020, By: kingshimmers
Info: Smoke is gone - had a beautiful day with no wind. Route is dry. Starting to get some fall color up in there. 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 8/24/2020, By: schindlc
Info: Started late and did the loop counter-clockwise. Smoke conditions were better than anticipated and I left my N-95 mask in my pack. Heavy traffic as expected so expect some dirt and fine gravel to coat the trail and give you a slip here and there. Especially with the heavy traffic most people were pretty good about picking up trash, with the exception of food on the summits. Just a reminder: pack out everything you pack in, even food that falls in the dirt. 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 8/22/2020, By: Eli Watson
Info: Posting for smoke conditions on DeCaLiBro > "S Bross": The air was pretty bad this morning. My eyes were watering upon arriving at Kite Lake after pedalling/hike-a-biking from Paris Mill. Other hikers had to stop to cough consistently. By the time I reached the Democrat-Cameron saddle my throat was raw. The air quality improved considerably after noon, especially on the Bross side of the loop and the haze in front of Democrat had noticeably lessened. By the time I was back down to Kite Lake, the air was much better than it had been that morning. Less than 10 min spent on all 3-5 summits combined (depending on how you count), since I didn't feel inclined to spend much time up there. Splits for reference: Paris Mill 8:48 AM Kite Lake TH 9:30 AM Democrat-Cameron saddle 10:10 AM Democrat summit 10:30 AM Democrat-Cameron saddle 10:50 AM Cameron summit 11:19 AM Lincoln summit 11:32 AM Bross summit 12:02 PM "S Bross" summit 12:15 PM Bross trail junction 12:36 PM Kite Lake TH 1:16 PM Paris Mill 1:30 PM To avoid clutter with a bunch of the same photos, see my Democrat report for pics. 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 6/23/2020, By: wolfgangstiller
Info: No need to hike any snow until around 14,000 ft just before Mt. Cameron. The snow is no problem and microspikes are not needed nor is it deep enough for post holing. 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 6/21/2020, By: gneissone
Info: The snow is back! Probably won't last long, but almost the entire ridge from Democrat was under snow. Lots of blowing snow while traversing over. Cameron summit was clear. 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 6/16/2020, By: mtngoatwithstyle
Info: A couple of minimal snow crossings at the bottom, in the middle of the trail before the saddle and on the way to Cameron right before the false summit. When soft in be mindful as in some spots snow starts to sink down into rocks. Other than that, trail to Cameron and Lincoln is snow free. 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 6/12/2020, By: madmattd
Info: 99% dry from saddle with Democrat and over to saddle with Lincoln. One short stretch under snow, but easily avoided, and likely won't last long anyway. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 2/25/2020, By: Eagle Eye
Info: I reached Mt Cameron from the Paris Mill (winter closure) on Sunday. I got an early start, trying to beat an incoming weather change but DID NOT. I stayed on the Kite Lake road, then the summer trail around the lake, then reached the Democrat-Cameron saddle. Most all to that point had been in powder where snowshoes wouldn't have helped. The saddle was loaded up with snow. Visibility kept decreasing as it snowed harder and eventually I couldn't see more than about 30 feet. Nearing the Mt Cameron summit I was on top of the rocky ridge crest instead of the lower, more inset trail. It was a fairly thin and cornice-like passage with big drop-offs on both sides, especially on climbers right. When I reached the summit I turned around. My tracks were already completely covered and I saw no sign I'd come up. I carried but never used my snowshoes, but did wear micro spikes all day. The area probably got almost a foot of snow during the day. The road up to Paris Mill was second worst I've ever seen it. I'll post in Mosquito Range, Kite Lake TH. Conditions, too. cheers, mike via 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 12/22/2019, By: dwoodward13
Info: Did the loop today starting with Bross. Bross is mostly windblown once gaining some elevation out of Kite Lake. There are 1 or 2 snow slopes, but you could bypass them on rock if you wanted. Route to the base of Cameron is dry. The trail bypassing Cameron is starting to load up a bit in spots. Might be better to go over Cameron both ways after the next storm. Trail to Lincoln is a mix of snow and dry rock; similar story for the trail from Cameron down to the Democrat Saddle. Snowfield on the upper reaches of Democrat can be avoided. Heading back down to Kite Lake, we followed the trail until it started down a headwall near 12,500 and stuck to a rock rib. The trail crossed a loaded slope and the party that put in a booter from Kite Lake up to there sidehilled some steep slopes, with steep slopes above it. We followed the old mining road back down to the lake thats just to the east of the summer trail on a rib. Brought spikes, crampons, and snowshoes and only used the snowshoes from 12,500 back to the car. Shockingly windless for most of the day today! 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 10/17/2019, By: mtngoatwithstyle
Info: Took standard route from Kite Lake up to the saddle of Cameron and Democrat. The wind was INSANE from 13K all the way to almost Cameron. Trail is dry with very few sections that have some old/icy patches. Had to turn around because of the strong and wild gusts pushing and strong winds. The trail will most likely change with our next snow storm cycle. 

Route: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, Bross
Posted On: 9/14/2019, By: RickyDavis
Info: We did the full circuit clockwise. The trailhead was mostly full when we arrived at 7:30pm Friday, and when we departed on our hike at 7am there were cars parked down 3 switchbacks on the road and at least 2 groups with 25+ people. The trail is in full summer conditions and completely dry. There was a lot of wind and the route from the saddle between Democrat and Cameron was fully exposed to the wind. Between Cameron and Bross the wind was blowing hard enough to push me off course a bit. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 1/14/2019, By: Eagle Eye
Info: A nice trip up Mt's Cameron and Lincoln yesterday. I started out a little before the silver mine building on the Kite Lake Rd. Two guys very far ahead of me put down a snowshoe track (thanks!) up to the Democrat-Cameron saddle, and then they went up Mt Democrat. From the D-C saddle I went up toward Mt Cameron which did not have tracks. When I returned back over Mt Cameron from Mt Lincoln another guy was summiting, and he snowboarded from Mt Cameron towards Kite Lake. (See 1/13 Mt Lincoln Peak Conditions for pictures.)