Mt Evans Or Pikes in Late March/April?

abbie237 · Post by **abbie237** » Sat Mar 05, 2011 12:31 pm

Hi All,
I just got new boots and have got the itch in a bad way to do some early season hiking. I was thinking this might be a good time to do Mt Evans or Pikes Peak since I've never really thought about either one all that much before, and plus since they're on the front range it might be a good early season hike/climb. What I'm wondering is 1) What's the story with Guanella Pass these days? 2)Is it generally too snowy to hike? I know this is very dependent on how much snow we've gotten, but has anyone been up either one lately? 3) What would be the most accessible route this time of year? I'm not necessarily looking for the easiest route, but definitely the one where I don't have to use crampons or an ice ax. If that's the case in general, I'll wait.
Thanks!!
Abbie

zoomie83 · Post by **zoomie83** » Sat Mar 05, 2011 6:25 pm

1) What's the story with Guanella Pass these days? 2)Is it generally too snowy to hike? I know this is very dependent on how much snow we've gotten, but has anyone been up either one lately? 3) What would be the most accessible route this time of year?

SarahT drove 7.7 miles up Guanella Pass Road (out of 13) from Grant on 2/19 but the upcoming storm will probably change that. I would guess Its hikeable in snowshoes but any route up Mt Evans would be quite long until you can drive to Guanella Pass.
I think the TH for the Crags route on Pikes Peak is open. That route would probably be your best bet.

summers · Post by **summers** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 11:47 pm

I climbed Pikes from Crags February of last year, and did not need snowshoes. Below treeline, it was well packed (glad I had microspikes), and above treeline it was blown pretty clean.

I plan on getting out and climbing a couple of times in late March or early April, and a repeat of Pikes or Evans are both possibilities. I will likely be doing one of them in early April with a friend who hasn't climbed either and wants to...

realhillboarding · Post by **realhillboarding** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:19 am

I know "it depends on the year", but historically, when do they usually open the road to summit lake?

zoomie83 · Post by **zoomie83** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:54 am

Usually, in late May the road is open to Summit Lake, then about a week before its open to the summit.
From the Mt Evans website:

The road to the top of Mount Evans is typically opened in May (Memorial Day) when CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) has completely plowed the road. Usually the road to Summit Lake is opened before the last 5 miles to the summit is opened.

realhillboarding · Post by **realhillboarding** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 1:50 pm

thanks, that's good to know! I knew it generally opened first but I wasn't sure if that meant they just opened it a few days early while they finished plowing the rest of the road, or if they did us backcountry skiers a favor and opened it late-april so we could get some laps on the north face couloirs :D

Mt Evans Or Pikes in Late March/April?

Mt Evans Or Pikes in Late March/April?

Re: Mt Evans Or Pikes in Late March/April?

Re: Mt Evans Or Pikes in Late March/April?

Re: Mt Evans Or Pikes in Late March/April?

Re: Mt Evans Or Pikes in Late March/April?

Re: Mt Evans Or Pikes in Late March/April?

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