This is an alternative route to reach Mount Oxford, starting at the Colorado Trail at Clear Creek, segment 12 South. I climbed Mt. Belford several years ago in the snow, so since that was done, I figured WTH. To begin, the Willow Fire fire camp is at the Clear Creek camping area, so you must park at the Trailhead next to the road. This adds 1/2 mile to each end of the hike. Otherwise, you would normally park right next to the bridge over Clear Creek. I started at 4 AM and hiked up the CT following a GPX I found posted online.

Your first goal is to find the right turn that is the connection to the Waverly Mountain Trail. There is no trail. But the GPX I used did a good job of letting me know when to turn into the woods. It is 5 miles from the road and at 11,650 ft. You will notice the trail flattens here (as you are at the crest of the ridge), and the trees are more sparse. If you find yourself descending, you've missed the turn.

Head due west through the trees, flat at first, then you will start to climb. After about 1/2 mile you will exit the trees. A short climb later you will be in tundra on the ridge at about 12,100 ft.

Your next goal is to reach Mount Waverly, 13,300 ft. You follow the ridge west. On the left of the ridge, it is a steep drop-off. On the right, it is a more gentle slope. There are several "bumps" on the way to Waverly. You do not need to climb any of them (unless you want to!). Stay right and you will only climb what is necessary. I made several unnecessary detours in both directions through this section. There is a "waverly trail" that I found sometimes. If you get on this trail, I think it would be the easiest path.

After you reach Waverly, your next goal is Mt. Oxford. This is the crux of the route. There are several false summits/bumps/rock piles that you will need to get around or over. I mostly chose to stay right on the way up and left on the way back (north side). The south side is steep. Every bump past the first one has tallus and/or boulders. Most of it is stable. I choose boulders whenever possible.

Staying at shoulder-height between the bumps offers some reprieve from the tallus.

On my return I did a slightly better job of not climbing when I did not need to. I also briefly found the Waverly Trail. When I entered the woods, I intentionally went further north, knowing I would eventually connect to the CT. This route was very steep. Ok for the way down, not so much for the way up.

My Garmin recorded, and Strava-corrected stats show 18 miles round-trip with 6121 ft. of elevation gain. This could probably be less if I climbed fewer bumps. My "moving time" was 11:30. This was 7 hours out and 4.5 hours back. My total time was 12:10. This was a long and arduous climb. For comparison, I did Longs last year, and my total round-trip time from the trailhead was 11:25. I won't say it was as hard as Longs, but it was definitely a slog.