Route Description

Take the Georgetown exit off of Interstate 70. Drive through Georgetown and follow the signs for the Guanella Pass scenic byway through Georgetown. Drive 12 miles to the top of Guanella Pass (11,700') and park in one of the two large, paved parking areas on either side of the road. Mt. Bierstadt and The Sawtooth fill the view to the east. The Bierstadt trail starts near the parking area on the east side of the road. The upper parking area (on the west side of the pass) has restrooms.

Details:

Start the hike by heading down the Bierstadt Trail. Photo #1 shows most of the route. The great trail weaves through the willows and crosses Scott Gomer creek. The trail has been improved over the past few years and now there are wooden bridges that have been built so you don't have to walk through the mud or bash through the willows. Ignore the warnings that several 14er guidebooks give about the willows - it's no longer a problem. After crossing the creek, hike about .25 miles through the willows on the solid trail. At 11,800', the trail becomes steeper and you will exit the willows. The trail switchbacks up to 12,400' on a large shoulder northwest of the summit. From the shoulder, you can see the Sawtooth and Bierstadt. Continue up the trail as it curves around to the right and goes southeast up the shoulder.

The terrain becomes a bit more rugged as you hike up the slopes. Near 13,300', leave the normal route by turning left and traversing across the slopes toward the bottom of the gully that you can see on the northwest face of Bierstadt. The hike across is the face is straightforward unless there is fresh snow or ice. During winter, you must cross a few small snow fields to get to the base of the gully. If there is fresh snow, there could be danger of snow slides here. Normally the snow is packed by the wind and sun and is easy to cross. In all cases, be careful. A few hundred feet below you the face drops off considerably and it's nearly 1,000 feet to the basin below the Sawtooth. Photo #2 shows the route to the gully after you leave the Bierstadt trail. When you reach the gully, begin climbing up through the talus. Near 13,600', the gully becomes steeper and you must work harder to get around some of the large rocks and small cliffs. There are several ways to get to the summit. I have shown a couple in Photo #3. Pick your own route but try not to go too far to the left where there is steeper terrain that is farther from the summit. The gully actually splits into a couple of shallow gullies near the summit. I found the right side to be a bit easier. I encountered some Class 3 scrambling but not much. It is possible to climb the gully to the summit and still keep the difficulty at Class 2.