Mount Belford, Oxford and Missouri

[myfeetrock]

I did Missouri first then over to Oxford then finished with Belford. Round trip was 11 hours.

[MidsizeAl]

I did this a few years ago. We parked at the Missouri Gulch trailhead and started our day with the road miles up to Clohesy Lake. You'll likely have to get your feet wet going across Clear Creek if you take this route.
https://www.strava.com/activities/4178330242

Yeah, there are a couple of creek crossings, and the water can be pretty high until mid August. We brought a pair of old trail runners to cross these in the morning and stashed them in the bushes after switching to a dry pair for the remainder. I remember trying to bushwhack for a while to find a shorter place to cross, but it ended up being a waste of time and easier to just go for it. It was frigid in the morning, but it sure was refreshing on the way back!

[yaymountain]

I’m planning on doing all three, I don’t see a route on this site for all 3. There’s one on all trails app. I’m wondering if anyone has done it recently, what route they took, what time did they start and how long did it take?
I was planning on going up the switchbacks and doing Belford then Oxford, then taking Missouri gulch trail to Missouri mountain and then taking that down to the car.
I would love any feedback or suggestions.
Thank you in advance

I did this a few years ago. Started at 4:30am and clocked in at 14.6 miles and 6,600' gain. Took 9:40 moving time and 11:15 elapsed time. I recommend the way you're planning it b/c you can get to the Missouri standard TH and then make a call on going for it or just heading back in case you're tired. Missouri would be good to do on its own another time too and you would have knocked out the other two for the day.

[yogiberraofbadnews]

I have my gpx track handy from a few years back. Starting with Belford/Oxford and then taking Elkhead Pass to Missouri, it came out to 17 miles and 7k' vertical, took me about 10 hours.

The ridge between Belford and Missouri is strongly discouraged. There have been some deadly falls there over the years due to steepness and rotten rock.

[14erFred]

To add Huron Peak to the mix, consult the following trip report:

https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=4634

[nyker]

I’m planning on doing all three, I don’t see a route on this site for all 3. There’s one on all trails app. I’m wondering if anyone has done it recently, what route they took, what time did they start and how long did it take?
I was planning on going up the switchbacks and doing Belford then Oxford, then taking Missouri gulch trail to Missouri mountain and then taking that down to the car.
I would love any feedback or suggestions.
Thank you in advance

Id' add in that even if you're fast, you want to mind the weather if you opt to do this trio all in one go. If you're planning this in summer, you want to be down before any T-storm hits, as you'll be exposed above treeline the whole time once you emerge from the forest.
So determine your pace/speed and back into a starting time, likely an early alpine start if you're doing this in summer before mid-late September when Monsoon season starts to taper off.

[seannunn]

No offense intended, but asking how long it took others to complete a hike isn't going to tell you much about how long it will take YOU to complete the same hike, unless of course you know how fast that person is.
Marathon PR's range from 2 hours to 8 hours. Without knowing how fast you climb, its hard to gauge how long it will take you.

Sean Nunn

[terrysrunning]

https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=miss1
[/quote]

Is there any reason I couldn't take that east ridge on Missouri direct to the summit from Elkhead pass and descend the standard route?
[/quote]

I had that thought when I did those the first time. “Why not just take that easy ridge?” So I did it. Suffice to say, that was the day I decided I needed an inReach …Didn’t bother to read up on it or anything so hadn’t seen the “stuff of this authors nightmares” reference or anything. It went, but it was scary and nasty.
I read a bunch of trip reports for that ridge later, and most agreed, but there were a few that thought it was easy. So I went back with much more experience later, and picked the right line, and it was super easy and I was actually surprised when I popped up on the summit quickly and without difficulties.
Point is; there’s a decent line there, but if you don’t pick it, you’re gonna have a bad day. If you’re not up for an adventure and really trust yourself, you’re better off dropping down into one of the basins on either side and taking a more conservative way up.

[ECF55]

I was just admiring how ridiculous and sustained the hike up Belford is from Missouri Gulch. It really looks like a beast of a Class 2, and it’s a steeper climb than several of the other Sawatch peaks.

When folks descend after Belford or Belford/Oxford, is there a preference to descend straight down the standard switchbacks or to add some mileage but decrease the gradient via the Elk Head Pass trail? Thanks.

[PJ88]

I've done both and Elkhead pass is better. It's longer, but you aren't dealing with tight switchbacks full of people. You can keep up your pace and it's much more mellow.

[myfeetrock]

I did Missouri first then back down and went up Elkhead, I skirted around Belford to Oxford, the came back over Belford. 11 hour day. Keep an eye out for ghost!

[14ercooper]

I've done these peaks, including as a trio, several times. I don't think I've ever gone down the Belford switchbacks. My favorite loop is to park somewhere between Missouri Gulch and Rockdale, hike up Missouri Gulch, take the switchbacks up Belford, tag Oxford, drop down Elkhead, head up Missouri's standard route (DO NOT TAKE THE RIDGE FROM ELKHEAD PASS - it sucks, super loose class 4 with exposure and I've regretted it both times I've done it), drop down to Clohessy Lake, and talk the road down to Rockdale and back to my car. Super fun loop, and you get to see a lot of all 3 peaks!