Mt. Elbert

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 4/21/2026, By: theolubke
Info: Very good conditions from 4WD TH to summit. We put on microspikes when patches of snow/ice increased around 11.5k-12k feet and kept them on until the top. There were a couple of icier sections higher up when they were particularly helpful in the colder morning but trail is doable without. Floatation not warranted. We stashed our snowshoes at around 12.5k. The few steps we postholed were not worth the effort of putting on snowshoes. We saw a few parties going up the NE Ridge, so we weren't the only ones who can claim to being the highest people in Colorado on 4/20. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 4/19/2026, By: kaizadr
Info: beautiful sunny day but quite windy up top, had to turn back at ~4000m as the windchill was too much for my hands to bear despite glove liners and big mitts. No one else was on this route so had to break trail and spend bit of time routefinding. Didn't see a soul till I was back down to the treeline. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 4/16/2026, By: Hawkeye951
Info: Attempted Wednesday after a Tuesday storm. Trail was snowpacked coming up, only a few inches from the storm. Once I hit treeline I had to break trail. I made it to 13,100 before the wind got too strong to continue comfortably. I brought snow shoes but didnt need them. I used microspikes almost the whole way. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 4/13/2026, By: mlharris103
Info: Spring conditions on trail, plenty of snow and ice above treeline, some large patches just below treeline. Recommend crampons, not microspikes as some snow is deep with ice underneath. It was a windy day so hardshell pants and coat with insulation were needed. Gaiters definitely helpful. My Garmin tracked this at 10.8 miles, same vert. Not sure if others experience the same

SEVERAL groups did not have shoes with adequate traction (running shoes) or enough cold weather gear and got stuck in dicey situations or turned around. Reminder to those visiting or less experienced- be sure you have winter warmth, waterproof clothing and hiking shoes for this summit. It might be warm at the trailhead, but the weather changes rapidly above treeline this time of year. 

Route: South Mount Elbert Trail
Posted On: 4/12/2026, By: zoyt
Info: Light snowfall through the second part of the ascent and entirety of the decent. Strong winds meant slow going uphill against the wind, and because it blew the snow around so much, the trail on the way down looked very different. Most of the snow accumulated in the trail. We didn't use flotation or traction but brought them (would have been changing out of snowshoes every 10 minutes). With any more snowfall than there was, snowshoes would have been handy. 

Route: Southeast Ridge
Posted On: 4/12/2026, By: Lman
Info: It was a beautiful day! Trail is dry with a few isolated patches of snow. A bit more snow after reaching the ridge line but micro spikes should be sufficient since it has been post holed already. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 4/5/2026, By: anderson_abby
Info: Beautiful conditions today! I used crampons while my buddy used micro-spikes, both helped immensely! Snowshoes aren't necessary as there were still some postholes left behind on the trail for us to step in--but might be a good idea to bring them if it snows 

Route: Southeast Ridge
Posted On: 3/29/2026, By: Will_E
Info: Nearly summer conditions, just a little snow in the trees. Road to TH is dry. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 3/26/2026, By: meisandrew
Info: Reached the summit in microspikes. Some deep snow right below tree line but manageable with careful stepping. Trail mostly dry with occasional snow patches above tree line. Started at 10am and reached the summit at 1pm. Calm day with only mild gusts on the summit. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 3/12/2026, By: whbush33
Info: Some deep snow below treeline and lots of ice on the slopes. Most of snow hit by sunlight below 14000 was melting but don’t let that fool you. Microspikes required and snowshoes would have made the climb easier. Extreme wind (60 mph gusts) made the climb brutal with the summit being hard to stand on, would not recommend climbing on windy days. Started at 5 and summited at 12. Down by 4. The path was mostly a trench but snowshoes suggested. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 3/5/2026, By: sarahriseman
Info: This was an absolutely perfect day for the hike - beautiful and sunny, mid 30s where we parked, and only about -5 F with the wind at the summit. There was a great trench until about 11,400', then a semi-packed-out trench from then until 12,300'. You could have used snowshoes here, and we brought them, but we ended up being fine in our microspikes with a waterproof layer tucked into our shoes, so we didn't get soaked when we were postholing a bit in the deeper snow. Trekking poles and spikes were a must, and I would bring snowshoes later this week, with the expected accumulation Thursday and Friday. Once you get to the rock wall at 13,100', the snow isn't very deep, so we probably could have stashed snowshoes here.

We drove up in a 4Runner, so we attempted to go down to the 4WD lot, but didn't feel good about crossing the river, so we had to park in the pull-off right before it. This ended up being crucial for saving energy on the mountain. Don't attempt going down this road unless you are incredibly confident in your vehicle. It's very narrow and rough, with few places to turn around. If you park in the 2WD lot, give yourself far more time than you think you'll need so you can descend before sunset.

This is a doable and incredible hike right now, as long as you're very prepared. Again, fresh snow may change this, so just prepare for that, but we were lucky enough to have an ideal day. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 2/16/2026, By: Dan+Max
Info: Road Condition: The 4X4 road is mostly dry up to the creek crossing with the exception of a few uphill icy patches that will require some momentum to get up. The creek 0.4 miles from the 4x4 TH is partially frozen over and has 2 large collapsed tire holes. After the creek is an long uphill section that is completely iced over with fresh snow on top. I would not attempt to pass the creek unless you have a capable 4WD vehicle with good tires and clearance. I had to back my heavy ass F-150 up and park it at the first pull off as I knew I wouldn't make it past the creek and uphill section. I was shocked to see a Tacoma parked at the TH. I believe someone posted on the 14ers reddit that they recently got stuck in the creek and had to pay for a tow, so proceed at your own risk.

Trail Condition: Nice boot pack to tree line at 2.1mi. After that the conditions turned to crap. I was post-holing in knee deep mostly unsupportive snow for the next 1 mile before I gave up and turned back after about 3.2mi. The remainder of the trail to get to the ridge looked to be just as bad with a lot of wind blown mounds. I scraped my shin up on a trap door summiting Bierstadt a couple days ago, so I reached my limit of post-holing. Did not summit.

My Golden Retriever Max, however, loved the deep snow and was disappointed we turned back. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 2/15/2026, By: mchan25
Info: -road to 4WD trailhead is mostly clear, alot of snow melted but some solid spots still remain
-trail has been completely broken out- used snowshoes to smooth out the path from the summit
-granted no more snow accumulates or drifts, summit is doable in only spikes
Some spots near the summit are bare rock, making the necessity for any other traction inconsistent. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 1/28/2026, By: brian4328937
Info: Trail was pretty well packed to ~10.5k. After that, there were no clear signs of an established trail. I trenched with a boot pack to around 11k, then the snow got too deep and I switched to snowshoes until treeline (vice versa on the way down). From treeline to the summit, snow was patchy on and off, never more than 3-4 inches if you stay on route. Never felt the need for spikes but they could be helpful on the descent. Glad I brought my ice axe, a couple good glissade sections saved me some time on the way down. Absolutely unreal summit views. One of my favorite 14er experiences. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 1/17/2026, By: GeneParmesan
Info: A cold, windy day with a successful summit bid using northeast ridge. Met a young guy in the parking lot at 7am who had tried to summit in the early morning and got to within 300 yards of the edge of the treeline but the post-holing was too bad and he didn’t have flotation. He recommended we take snow shoes, which was a good call for that stretch. We retrenched what we thought was the path.

Above treeline there is very little snow. Micro spikes are helpful, as parts of the path below treeline have snow-covered ice (on the stairs about 2 miles in.) Wind was probably gusting at 70 mph but steadily blowing at 35-40mph all day. About 1/2 inch accumulation of new snow. Trailhead access wasn’t a problem.