5/30/2025 Route: South Zapata lake Posted On: 5/31/2025, By: SimplePole Info: There is a little bit of snow left: on the upper part of the South Zapata Creek trail, below and at the entry gully on the east face and also on the ridge between the twins. Perhaps not enough snow to stop anybody, but I postholed a few times. My GPS showed 11.6 miles and 4,900 ft elevation gain but it felt worse than that. Due to popularity, South Zapata Creek trail is rocky and eroded and the last 1,000 feet to the summit on steep talus dragged forever. Maybe the north ridge is a better option. |
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5/30/2025 Route: North Ridge Posted On: 5/31/2025, By: mjlucarelli Info: Need to cross a few snowfields on the ridge just before the summit but no traction is needed. Other than that summer conditions from Zapata TH. |
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5/24/2025 Route: ? Posted On: 5/25/2025, By: Lubellski Info: See conditions update for Ellingwood Point. |
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11/23/2024 Route: North Ridge Posted On: 11/23/2024, By: Tim A Info: Left the snowshoes at the car after noticing how thin the snowpack looked on the drive in and didnt regret it. Carried an axe and microspikes but didnt use either. I did put on gaiters near treeline. Alternating shallow snow/dirt for most of the ridge, with deep snow just the last few hundred yards before treeline. Above that, mostly wind-scoured with patches of deeper crap hiding trap doors in the talus. I took a zig zaggy path to talus hop all the way up after getting sucked into a few talus holes. Only one on the mountain today but did talk to a hunter below treeline. There are tracks and trenches all over the place up there so keep your brain on when descending. Wind blasted without pause from treeline to both summits and back, the usual November nonsense. |
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10/13/2024 Route: North Ridge via Zapata Falls TH Posted On: 10/13/2024, By: mikemalick Info: Did both North and South peaks. The North Ridge is normally done in Winter, but I wanted something different and did them this way in full on Summer conditions. No hint of Winter anywhere along this route but that may change late week. Winds were at barely a breeze which was good considering the loooong ridge. |
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10/12/2024 Route: Zapata Falls Posted On: 10/13/2024, By: kyrawhitworth Info: Fall color is still hanging on a tiny bit. Theres some social trail and cairns to follow up from before the lake and in general staying on the grass is easiest. We took the gully described in supranihilest trip report and option 1 went just fine. Terrain wasnt bad at all! |
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1/28/2024 Route: Zapata Falls TH Posted On: 1/28/2024, By: man_of_nature Info: Climbed Twin Peaks North from Zapata Falls TH, gaining the ridge after being on the trail for only a short while. Used microspikes from the point I exited off the trail to 10.8k, then switched to snowshoes until shortly before treeline. Snow was predictably unconsolidated, but there wasn't a ton. Mainly mid to high calf post-holing w/o snowshoes, occasionally up to knees. I think snowshoes helped some but weren't totally necessary. Above treeline lots of fun stumbling around in the powder covered talus, a few spots of harder snow above 13k. Easy to avoid cornice as needed and dip down W/SW slope, no avy concerns. Brought axe and didn't use it. Used neither microspikes nor snowshoes on way back down, some areas were melting fast in the warm weather today. Perfect conditions regardless, sunny with barely any wind. |
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11/19/2023 Route: South Zapata Lake Posted On: 11/19/2023, By: Skimo95 Info: There was a 1-3in blanket of snow on Sunday morning. Route finding was straight forward, but the standard route with unconsolidated snow is questionable. On return the first 1-2 miles were melting out already. More of a slog, but a rewarding one. |
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11/4/2023 Route: From South Zapata Lake Posted On: 11/4/2023, By: greenschist Info: Only a dusting of snow on the trail, at most two inches in a few spots. Similar amount of snow above the lake. The steep talus field to the summit was mostly dry. I used spikes on the way down to the lake. By the time I was below tree line lots of the snow down lower on the trail had melted. 13 miles RT, 5400 ft. Didn't see anyone else going for the summit, and only one other set of footprints to the lake. The falls near the trailhead were busy. Very nice weather today, little to no wind, and a lot warmer than I expected. I found the trip report by supranihilest to be really helpful. Much of the Sangres look dry on south-facing slopes. The views of the Blanca group are great. One final note, everywhere there was snow below tree line, there were clear mountain lion tracks, some large and some small. It was a little unsettling, but I didn't see actual cats. I did see an ermine in the talus though. |
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9/22/2023 Route: Zapata Falls Posted On: 9/22/2023, By: NotTimid Info: Route is still in summer conditions - no snow or ice as of 9/22. |
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7/23/2023 Route: Zapata Posted On: 7/24/2023, By: blazintoes Info: Now I see why this peak is best with snow. Holy choss pile. The hike up Zapata all the way up to the lake takes a while. Bring bug spray. Viscous mosquitoes. The upper basin is really dry. The views of Ellingwood Point are spectacular. You can scramble on the minor cliff bands or head up the long loose east boulder field. The steepness never gives up. The sunset was very pretty. |
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6/15/2023 Route: Zapata Falls Trailhead Posted On: 6/15/2023, By: JasonKline Info: Zapata Falls trailhead to Zapata Lake was summer conditions. Going from Zapata Lake to the Twin Peaks, we made a few short, flat, inconsequential snow crossing that could easily have been skirted. The summit of Twin Peaks A South was mostly clear of snow, but there was a nearly continuous band of snow on the east side of the ridge between the Twin Peaks. You can avoid this snow by hiking on the west side of the ridge. The summit of Twin Peaks A is still mostly covered by snow. |
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10/12/2022 Route: Zapata Posted On: 10/12/2022, By: zootloopz Info: Currently up here. Trail is quality. Minimal snow on route, just some mild rock hopping. All north facing stuff above 13k is holding some snow. 4 hours to summit at moderate pace. |
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6/10/2022 Route: Zapata lake Posted On: 6/10/2022, By: gcook33 Info: Dry all the way. 11.5 miles and 4900'. Beautiful weather |
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5/18/2022 Route: S. Zapata Lake Posted On: 5/19/2022, By: Codyhill1991 Info: Fully summer conditions except the summit itself being covered in a bit of snow. Super dry in the hike up to the lake and didn't set foot on snow once the whole trip. Everything else I could see from there seemed mostly dry as well. Oddly, no bugs either. |
