6/12/2026 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 6/12/2026, By: Alpine_Exchange_36 Info: Trail is in good condition. No snow on the lower basin and only one stretch where there is some and thats right before the crux of the trail. Spikes would be helpful, but its a long way to carry them for such a short stretch. Its not more then like 15yds. You can avoid this bit of snow by going around it but for the time being, if you want to stay on the standard trail you do have to go through it. With any luck it'll be gone soon and Harvard wll be effectively snow free |
|
6/6/2026 Route: Harvard and Columbia Traverse Posted On: 6/7/2026, By: shaines90 Info: Started about 4:45am from the trailhead after camping about 0.5 miles down the road the night before. Pretty much dry trail until well up into Horn Fork Basin. There is one fairly high runoff creek crossing right now, then a couple of bigger snowfields on the final slope to Harvard; saw some people opting to climb talus on the slope rather than cross the snowfields in steeper areas. Harvard side of the connecting ridge to Columbia is pretty much totally dry and a slog of boulder hopping, then a couple of major snowfields on the ascent up to Columbia's ridge, all of which are pretty well-tracked now. After getting off the summit block, the descent down Columbia is totally dry all the way back. Did not need microspikes or axe, poles were sufficient for stability. |
|
5/24/2026 Route: Harvard and Columbia Traverse Posted On: 5/26/2026, By: jakeandorbake Info: posting this tuesday but summited sunday of memorial day weekend i don't know the why or how based on slope aspect or luck of the draw on snowfall, but the collegiate and further south sawatch stuff has some potential for major snow sloggin, as opposed to massive which was fun and clear. probably melting fast this week, but for most people right now, I'd heavily recommend spikes and/or great poles for the traverse - even harvard alone to be honest. snow even in the woods starting at 11k the last headwall up harvard, and much of the back bowl, actually was a booter more or less. that made the non-rock-hopping traverse sections mentally easier because the line was visible from miles away. the rock hopping parts were admittedly a little sketchy though - certain types of boulder fields felt obscured and confusing. also, imo, if you happened to be too late in the day, the steeper snow would definitely be too soft to confidently kick steps into going back down the standard columbia way, things were so much better. intermittent but not bad snow. that was the real fun of the day 7.5 hours RT |
|
5/12/2026 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 5/14/2026, By: maxb2005 Info: The road to the trailhead and the first few miles of trail had no snow. After that, most of the trail is covered. In the morning most of the snow was well packed and did not require microspikes or snowshoes. As the snow melting it got a lot harder to traverse. The basin is also covered in snow until the real scramble starts. We got there around 11am and didn’t bring snow shoes which made traversing the high snow fields very difficult. The summit block itself and preceding couple hundred yards are practically clear of snow. We definitely recommend bringing snow shoes and descending through the high snow fields was a nightmare without them. We would sink up to our knees or sometimes hips in snow without them. It was not an easy hike by any means, but with proper preparation it won’t be too crazy and for sure worth it! |
|
4/24/2026 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 4/25/2026, By: AlejandraOutside Info: The road to the trailhead was completely clear of snow, as were the first couple miles of the trail. After that, snow covers most of the trail. This was not a problem in the morning during the ascent because cold temperatures the evening before had frozen the snow, and it was easy to walk on the crust. Without micro spikes, which we never used. The basin is also full of snow until the hike over the hill that one goes over before the Harvard summit comes into view. After traversing the high snow fields, we stowed snow shoes for the final ascent, but we did follow an established boot track on the snow field leading to the summit. My buddy did use my my ice ax to cut in steps for a short, hard track of snow near the summit. The summit block itself and preceding couple hundred feet are clear of snow. We were very grateful for snow shoes on the way down as the softening snow could have been a post holing nightmare, which was definitely evidenced by deep holes left by others. The snow is deep throughout the basin. Not an easy day, but if you’re gritty and determined she goes for now! |
|
4/6/2026 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 4/6/2026, By: notidealbutfine Info: Departed N. Halfmoon TH at 4:45AM. Nice bootpack on trail for ~2.5 miles. I was able to wear trail runners and stay on top of the snow until the bootpack stopped. From there I switched to mountain boots and snowshoes and broke trail on continuous snow until ~12,600' just before gaining the south facing shoulder, which was totally dry (as was the rest of the route). Switched back into trail runners for the final push to the summit. Pretty much wore snowshoes the entire way back due to slop. Would have been an awesome ski; go get after it! 13.96 miles / 4,652' gain / 8 hours, 49 minutes |
|
2/14/2026 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 2/16/2026, By: aksean22 Info: Really nice day up Harvard on Saturday. I parked my Crosstrek 0.4 miles below the summer TH, but by the time I got back most of the new snow had melted and there were several new tire tracks. I think just about any vehicle can make it all the way now. I followed the remains of an old trench up to treeline where it disappeared and broke trail the rest of the way. There was more snow than I expected, and flotation is definitely needed above the Columbia/Harvard split. With a few portages I skinned all the way to the ridge at 13700'. There is lots of trapdoor snow and rock hopping the rest of the way, which was very slow going. A mix of walking and dodging rocks back to treeline, then skied pretty good snow the rest of the way back to the car. There's a great trench in if anyone gets it before the next storm! |
|
1/16/2026 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 1/18/2026, By: Skimo95 Info: Refreshed the trench to treeline, super highway at the moment. Fresh snow and no tracks after treeline, snowshoed to bear lake split. Would have preferred skinning but wasn’t sure of the snowpack at the moment. Dropped shoes and used spikes from switchbacks to summit. Storm came in halfway up, but pretty wind scoured on the ridge. Booting was either windboard or sugar steps. I do not think crampons or axe are worth it at the moment. No issue parking at upper trailhead in a F150, I think crossovers with good tires will be fine as well. |
|
1/3/2026 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 1/5/2026, By: AlejandraOutside Info: Was able to get to the upper trailhead in a Subaru with excellent snow tires. I didn't encounter any issues, but snow did get deep on the road in spots, and I would not advise doing it without both AWD/4WD and snow tires. As reported, bootpacked and firm to Columbia/ Harvard trail split. From there one could say there was a trail packed in, but that framing is somewhat generous as it did sometimes consist of 18" boot post holes. I didn't use snowshoes on the way up because I'm inexperienced with them and stubborn, but they would have helped. I did use them on this section descending and was glad I did. The packed in trail does veer from the standard route, so pay close attention and use your own navigation. Things got hairy at the section above treeline where the trail begins to ascend steeply. The trail in place did not follow the standard route, instead veering north; perhaps more along the lines of the snow route. I ascended some scrambly bits southward and rejoined the standard route, wishing I hadn't stashed my snowshoes along the way. The standard route up the final ascent to the ridgeline is now non-passable, IMHO. I ended up in snow up to my stomach just trying to move from boulder to boulder. 2 of 5 attempts which I witnessed that day were successful. The successful climbers mentioned they'd post an update, but I do know they did not follow the standard route. Did not summit. WILL be back. |
|
1/1/2026 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 1/2/2026, By: RyanOlsonDDS Info: N Cottonwood Creek TH easily accessible with medium-clearance AWD/4wd. A Crosstrek or better will be more than adequate. Used snowshoes once on the way up because we followed a bad boot track into some willows. Did not need flotation on the way down (but always good to have it if there’s any chance of snow softening in the afternoon). The summer route is well-booted (stick to trenches that are as close to a summer GPX as possible). Some postholing here and there but snowshoes would’ve been very unpleasant. No traction necessary but microspikes would probably be a decent choice if you prefer to slide around a little less. |
|
12/29/2025 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 12/30/2025, By: headsizeburrito Info: Summited Harvard on a perfect bluebird day after getting turned back on an attempt two days earlier. Parked again at the Silver Creek TH, road mostly dry until there, though the lot itself is mostly solid ice. A little more snow at the North Cottonwood TH, still doable with a higher clearance vehicle and good tires, but getting iffy. Trail is well packed to the Harvard/Columbia split, put on my snowshoes about 3/4 of the way to that junction, didn't need traction before then. Between new snow and wind there are no real tracks to Columbia from the split but since that section is short and once the climb starts it looks pretty dry this is probably a great time to go for that summit. You'll definitely need snowshoes past the split but there is now a good trench, I encountered one person who then turned back just beyond there but helped pack it down to that point. Was able to follow the actual trail more or less with some remnant of tracks from the day before up to Bear Lake. From the switchback section above Bear Lake to the summit ridge is the real work of the route. I tried staying higher to find firmer snow, but wasn't very successful, often in snow mid-calf or deeper. Eventually I vaguely rejoined where the summer route is and just fought through the deep snow going more or less straight up until joining the summit ridge. From there it's pretty easy going. You can generally find the trail if you want to stay on it, or just rock hop to stay on dry surfaces for a good chunk of the last bit to the summit. On the way down I took a much more direct line that is probably better for going up as well if it's still packed. Now's a good time to go for it before the next snow! |
|
12/27/2025 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 12/28/2025, By: headsizeburrito Info: Didn't summit, turns out even with the low snow so far I still should've brought my snowshoes instead of relying on wishful thinking... Parked at Silver Creek TH, road mostly dry to there, but more snow and ice past that point, didn't want to risk getting my car stuck. Added 3mi round trip doing it that way. The North Cottonwood TH parking itself has a good bit of snow, one car was up there and seemed to manage, but it's a risk at this point. Packed trail from North Cottonwood to the Harvard/Columbia split, I had no issues to there and didn't need to use traction. From the split it's much less packed in and while able to stay on top at times, soon began breaking through, often close to knee deep. There was one set of snowshoe tracks I tried to follow, which didn't work all that well with no flotation. After a couple hours of postholing it was late enough in the day that I bailed a little short of Bear Lake. It's clearly more windblown and less deep past the lake, but it was too late for me to keep going. Should have just done Columbia as the standard route looked mostly dry to at least get one summit, oh well! |
|
11/28/2025 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 11/28/2025, By: AlejandraOutside Info: Road up had a consistent inch or two of snow for the last mile or so, but not enough to cause traction issues with AWD. Trail covered with snow with the exception of a couple dozen feet total which was unshaded and melted on my way down. Enough foot traffic that trail breaking was not needed for the most part until the Columbia/ Harvard trail split. From there zero trail broken on the Harvard trail. Six inches up to a couple feet. Mostly unconsolidated powder. Saw a moose. :) Very windy; turned around shortly beyond treeline so can’t speak to trail conditions after that. |
|
10/31/2025 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 10/31/2025, By: scfauth Info: Trail is a mix of dry and spotty snow areas for the first half. Most of the snow is packed down, however the melt and refreeze has increased the slickness in some areas. There are downed trees at about 1.3 and 1.8 miles in but you can easily hop over them. There is a significant amount of ice covering the trail around 11200’ and 12300’. Be careful as you cross the stream as the ice is of varying depths and it is very slick. After you make the climb next to the second lake, snow is consistent. It is a mix of boot packed and areas where you can easily posthole. I did not use traction on the way up but definitely did coming down to account for the softening snow and mud. Moose are in the area and there are also big cat tracks. |
|
9/24/2025 Route: South Slopes Posted On: 9/26/2025, By: Cereal Info: Dry, summer conditions |