French Mountain

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 10/17/2021, By: wintersage
Info: Halfmoon Creek TH is still closed a mile below the Elbert TH. Road to the TH is mostly dry with a few patches of snow and ice. The approach road to Casco is mostly snow and ice, microspikes helped the entire way. Above 12600ft, the snow gets quite deep but is still too unconsolidated and on steep terrain to warrant flotation. Ridge has some posthole-ing and trapdoor snow. Warm bluebird day with no wind. I descended the east slope of French to get back to the approach road. 

Route: FFC combo from Lackawanna Gulch
Posted On: 9/8/2021, By: cougar
Info: Accesed this group from north lake TH off 82 since halfmoon creek is still closed. Rough route. Stream crossings at bottom are low and easy rock hopping, for Lackawanna too. Unofficial trail faint on spots up into the basin, awful loose slopes up to Frasco ridge, with a loose path. Everything dry. Scenic basin but must be easier by standard route. Seems legal to camp at trailhead, short ways off highway. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 7/20/2021, By: brauda02
Info: Route is all dry. A couple of snowfields on the French-Frasco side but all easily avoidable. I think difficult class 2 is right for this though I made a few easy class 3 moves, notably on the top of the Casco summit dome. Didn't see a register on any of the peaks. Hiked in to a great camp at 11,600 last night -- right next to the only downed tree on the road. Didn't see a soul above Halfmoon Creek (was able to find a dry crossing on a log below the road). If you are frustrated by the hordes on the 14ers, there is plenty of solitude to be found on the Centennials. Halfmoon road is still closed a mile below the Elbert TH. I'll be happy if they never reopen it. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 7/21/2020, By: Unknown
Info: Summer conditions. Creek crossing doable with 4x4, but I parked prior. High clearance 4x4 to the top, multiple streams to filter water. Frasco to Casco doesn't have the most solid rock, good day 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 7/15/2020, By: mjflynn74
Info: I'm a city driver with an AWD crossover and made it to the trailhead just fine, taking it slow after the Massive TH. The first creek crossing has two options. Left (pic 1) might be the better one, but I tried right (pic 2) and didn't quite make it across without getting my feet wet. Water is about a foot deep. That's what extra socks are for, I guess. Second creek crossing has multiple options for getting across with feet dry (pic 3). I did French and Frasco, and there was no snow on the route. Didn't look like there was any on the ridge to Casco, either (pic 4). Great hike -- French has absolutely amazing front-row views of Massive, Elbert, and La Plata. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 7/1/2020, By: DrSluice
Info: Had to take boots off and wade the stream crossing right at the start - no big deal but kind of annoying. Second stream crossing I went 10 ft downstream from where the "road" crosses and was able to scramble between boulders to cross. I didn't use the ice ax I brought cause there isn't enough snow to glissade any more. You could go way out of your way to get on snow but it's soft enough in the day it wouldn't be safe to glissade in my opinion. Beautiful climb - I'd call it easy class III not class II there's some fun scrambly parts. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco via Fiascol/N. Fork TH
Posted On: 6/28/2020, By: supranihilest
Info: See my Frasco Benchmark report for details on the route up to Frasco's summit. From the summit of Frasco there's very little snow - two short crossings, no traction/axe needed. The route is very straightforward. Some loose rock but nothing of consequence. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 6/18/2020, By: Slawson405
Info: Road is mostly clear to treeline. After that there are patches of soft deep snow zig zagging over the road/creek forcing some willow trekking until the mine. The climb up french's main route is still deep and steep, so if you want to climb the snow go early when it's soft. Or you can alter to the right up the steeper face of French and avoid snow. Traverse to Frasco and Casco is still holding snow (pic 1 shows casco), which would have to be negotiated to continue on. We did not do so due to lack of appropriate gear, and condition and prevalence of snow on traverse (pic 2 shows traverse from French to Frasco on the left). 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 10/27/2019, By: angry
Info: 2-3ft of unconsolidated snow from th to the summit. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 10/14/2019, By: majtytom
Info: There was some tricky ice on the 4WD road, but some melted afternoon. Snow coverage was present only on the ridge crest. From French Mtn to Frasco, it was dry or totally avoidable. From Frasco to Casco Peak there were some spots to go through climbing Casco from the saddle. But no traction or even poles needed. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 9/23/2019, By: mtnkub
Info: Stream crossings are easy now (see below) and the avalanche debris (2 mi from TH at first stream crossing) is cleared off the road. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 8/26/2019, By: dwoodward13
Info: You can now cross both stream crossings without getting wet. The first one, if you go downstream about 30 yards from the vehicle crossing, the stream braids into 3 channels. First two channels you can cross on nice stable logs. Then go upstream about 15 yards and you can find rocks to hop across. The 2nd crossing can be easily done with rocks. Route up French is straightforward. I messed up the routefinding pretty good nearing PT 13,470 on the way to Casco so be careful here. If you get off a lot of the rock is extremely loose. After this route up Casco is well worn. For descent, I think it's better to go all the way to the saddle east of Casco then drop down, but dropping down into the basin at any point will work too. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 8/18/2019, By: durkan
Info: Started from Halfmoon Rd and completed the lollipop loop counterclockwise from French to Casco. With the beautiful weather, we spent a plethora of time on each summit. Some snow to work around but it's all avoidable, if so desired. Bring some water shoes for the early creek crossings! 

Route: From Frasco
Posted On: 8/18/2019, By: WildWanderer
Info: Avoidable patches of snow. 

Route: French/Frasco/Casco Combo
Posted On: 8/5/2019, By: SurfNTurf
Info: Didn't summit, but made it to 12,500' before a dog injury forced a turnaround. Can provide pretty accurate conditions. Parked and camped at the first creek crossing, which is about knee deep and frigid. I'm sorry if anyone heard my cussing tirade on the other side while my feet (and I) screamed in pain from the cold. The second crossing (pictured below) is shallower and shorter, though the water is running faster. I wore my Tevas for both crossings, and the mile of road in between, before stashing them and putting on trail runners. There's a significant avalanche debris field 2 miles from the trailhead (1 mile after the second creek crossing) that was tedious to work through. I think this is where my dog cut her paw. Lots of downed trees, slippery snow, and splintered sticks. Road and upper basin are snow free. Routes up the peaks looked like the minimal snow was avoidable as well, but we bailed around the Iron Mike Mine at 12,500' when I noticed my dog limping.