Route Description

From U.S. 24 just south of Leadville, turn onto Colorado 300 and cross the railroad tracks. Drive 0.7 mile and turn left onto County Road 11 toward the Halfmoon Creek. After another 1.2 miles, turn right on the dirt road to Halfmoon Creek. Drive on the good dirt road (except for the usual washboard and potholes) for 5.3 miles to the Mt. Massive parking area on the right.

Details:

Leave the parking area and begin hiking up the Colorado Trail (also the Mt. Massive Trail) - Photo #1. Hike for 2 miles and cross South Willow Creek (Photo #2) at 10,900'. Continue for another mile and cross Willow Creek (Photo #3) at 11,000'. Both of these crossings are fairly easy unless the rocks are submerged or icy. Continue northwest up a hill and then north to reach a trail junction at 11,300' - Photo #4. Leave the Colorado Trail by turning left up the Mt. Massive Trail. Hike about 1/4 mile up a hill, through some small clearings, and reach 11,500' where the terrain flattens out and you can finally see portions of Massive ahead - Photo #5. "South Massive" (14,132') is in full view to the west.

Continue to a flat area at 11,800' where the next leg of the route is obvious. Grassy Point 12,466' is dead ahead and the trail ascends it on it's right (north) side - Photo #6. Zig zag through willows and begin the ascent around Point 12,466' - Photo #7. The hiking here is still Class 1 but it's the steepest part of the route so far. Reach easier ground near 12,400' where the top of the point is off to your left and most of the remaining route is now in view to the west - Photo #8. With 2 miles remaining, the summit is still a long way off. Your next goal is to reach the saddle between "South Massive" and the summit ridge, but 1,500' of vertical gain remains below the saddle. Continue up the excellent trail as you gradually gain ground and eliminate distance - Photo #9. Near 13,000', gain a small hill for an unobstructed view of the remaining hike to the saddle. Photo #10 was taken just south of the trail and shows the area. Keep hauling to reach the 13,900-foot saddle - Photo #11. Photo #12 is a broad view of the terrain preceding the saddle and the remaining route to the summit.

Less than 500' of vertical gain remaining, but the terrain now gets more difficult. Turn right at the saddle and follow a small trail up toward the summit ridge - Photo #13. The trail stays right of the ridge crest and is often covered with snow in late spring. Photo #14 is another look at the route from the saddle. Continue on trail segments and over talus to reach the summit ridge above 14,200'. The exact line to the ridge depends on snow conditions and/or route finding along the broken trail. This ascent does not exceed Class 2 hiking but you will have to look for lines around some of the rock formations near the upper ridge. Photo #15 looks down on the climb from the saddle.

Near the ridge, reach a notch and a signed (hopefully) trail junction. This is where the Southwest Slopes trail comes up from the south. Photo #16 looks back at the trail junction. Past the junction, stay right of the ridge crest and weave up through the rocks (Photo #17 and Photo #18) to reach easier terrain on the ridge crest near 14,300’ - Photo #19. Photo #20 looks back on the area. The summit is not far off, but still is not visible. Gain a large false summit where you can finally see the summit - Photo #21. Drop to the left (west), continue to a saddle just below the true summit (Photo #22), and follow the faint trail over to the top. From the summit, Photo #23 looks back on the summit ridge.