Mt. Antero

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 2/21/2022, By: aksean22
Info: The road up to the Baldwin Gulch TH is plowed and accessible to any car. We skinned up the 4WD road to about 12K and then cut left to take a more direct route up the west face. Our "shortcut" required about 1000' of climbing up loose shale covered in a few inches of sugary snow and probably didn't save us any time. Regained the normal summer trail just past the end of the 4WD road around 13,600' and tried not to get blown off the mountain the rest of the way to the summit. About 5200 vert and 14 miles RT. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 12/6/2021, By: MrSmileweil
Info: Started from base of the road at 5am. Recorded 14.61 miles and 4741 ft of gain. Total time was 11 hours, but it has been since September that any of us has done a 14er, so it can definitely be done faster. Would not even attempt to drive car up the road as there is ice within the first few hundred feet that is not going anywhere. There is not much snow on the route at all, but I would definitely bring microspikes for the few annoying sections of ice in the beginning and later down the road in the middle. Some more snow would definitely help with the "should I put my spikes on/take them off" dilemma. Once on the long flat section of road I would take them off until the later patches of ice. Looks like some snow will be coming in throughout the next week possibly. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 12/3/2021, By: benmangelsdorf
Info: Frighteningly nice conditions yesterday. Took my shirt off and basked in the sun on snow-free grass at 13,000 feet. No wind until the summit.

Snow is mostly a non issue. Did not use spikes or gaiters to deal with the few patches that we had to walk through. As others have said, though, there are a few sections of very, very thick ice along the road between the start and around 12,000. Most of them can be maneuvered around if you really want to. Spikes work well for them, though. I opted to not use spikes on the way down because I was tired and lazy and ended up taking a rough slip where I hit my chin pretty hard. My advice is to use spikes. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 12/1/2021, By: Will_E
Info: Nearly summer conditions, other than a handful of iced over sections along the road. Going up I did a slow shuffle to avoid putting on microspikes (I'm lazy like that), coming down I did a less than graceful buttslide (glissade?) that worked okay. Nice and warm, nearly windless day. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 11/27/2021, By: EricCOhikes
Info: Beautiful day on Antero. There are some serious icy stretches, including within the first 1/2 mile, that I wouldn't drive on (I even glissaded down one long stretch just to avoid falling, as microspikes were no match for that ice). Other than the handful of icy stretches, the road is super easy to hike. 40% of it didn't have any snow, and the rest of it only had an inch or so of snow. Though, there was a ~1/3 of a mile stretch higher up that was a bit deeper. Gaiters are handy there, but I definitely wouldn't haul snowshoes around for it. There are several sneaky stretches where super slick ice is hiding under about an inch of snow. There were footprints up to 11,600 that then veered right onto a side trail. There were no footprints from there all the way up to the summit. Despite the perfect weather, I didn't see anybody else all day. While this is a boring route, as a road all the way up to a mining site at 13,700, at least it's not overrun with vehicles right now with the icy stretches. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 11/22/2021, By: christopherriley9
Info: Great weather Sunday, almost no wind and was able to summit in a silky/waffle. Large runs of ice on the road up to the Baldwin Creek Crossing. A few spots were slope to slope and you could not bypass the ice. A lot of "spikes on... spikes off..." the entire way. Of note, I wanted to drive up to Baldwin creek to camp, but the ice runs were just too steep and really thick (even in 4 wheel lock). The truck started sliding about halfway through the first one and I bailed.

Intermittent snow and ice along the entire road. Only a light dusting from of snow on the ridge/summit after the road ended (no micro spikes needed at that point). 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 10/24/2021, By: shawn_locke
Info: Hiked this alone Saturday morning. I took my 2 door Jeep up the trail most the way. Two patches of ice the first half mile but if you have lockers you should be fine. Finally had to park about 5 miles up on one of the switchbacks as there was some snow that was in the way. Easily can walk through as there are tracks. Rest of the way was clear! 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 10/23/2021, By: the_hare
Info: Many patches of ice on the trail up but it's not hard to navigate around/through them even without spikes. Be careful during the large creek crossing when the road splits off to the east at the Baldwin Creek area, the small stepping rocks in the stream were iced over in the morning and didn't hold any traction. Trail was drifted over around 12,500 but there were already postholes to follow. Trail had clear areas to hike thru easily past that section. Fun class 3 ridge climbs available just before the summit push. Gorgeous views all around! 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 10/15/2021, By: katedewey11
Info: Light snow & ice on the road from the 2wd access. Some stretches in switchbacks with drifted snow above the knees. Trail manageable with spikes. Wind picked up at times, but wasn't as bad as I expected from forecast. Overall an enjoyable day in the mountains. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 9/20/2021, By: ltlFish99
Info: I hiked mt. Antero from the lower Baldwin gulch trailhead 2 days ago.
The first 3 miles to the stream crossing were a little bit slow for me. A lot of odd shaped rocks on the road, a little steep, in the dark. When I got to where the road starts to switchback, on 278, it was very pleasant and I started to make up some time, hiking faster. 278A to the end of the road was fine.
The short crossing at the beginning of the class 2 section slowed me dow a little, then the last part to the summit was fine.
Weather was great, temperature on the summit was 58 at 12:40 and very little wind. The return to the trailhead seemed to take forever, as usual.
There was not much smoke.
It was another wonderful day in the mountains, and quite enjoyable. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 9/13/2021, By: marcusmartin
Info: Drove a standard 4Runner with factory tires up Road 277 and 278 with no problem. Pick your line and go slow. The first mile up 277 from the 2-Wheel Drive TH is the roughest. After the river crossing, it gets slightly better. No one at the summit. Fall colors are evident on the mountains. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 9/7/2021, By: Molasses
Info: Summer conditions remain throughout the route. Bluebird day with clear views (no smoke) in every direction. Two years ago I took the 4WD road up to about 12,000'. By comparison, this time it seemed slightly rougher... the ruts were a little deeper, the exposed rocks were a little bigger and more numerous, and we hit our skid plate twice (stock FJ Cruiser). For campers or backpackers, I have a seldom reported recommendation. At about 12,000 feet, and just as you are leaving tree-line, keep your eyes peeled to the right side of the road. Watch for an "island" of pine/fir trees. The island was created by vehicles driving off the road and around the trees, and then back on to the road. Just before the island is a 4WD trail that descends to the right. There are multiple, really good campsite locations on the right side of this trail. I was surprised to find such a good selection of campsites to choose from at this elevation. It's easy to miss this turnoff trail. If you get to the first hairpin turn to the left, above treeline, you have gone about 100 yards too far. 

Route: Little Browns Creek
Posted On: 9/4/2021, By: Mzapo
Info: Trail in great condition and easy to follow up until about 12500 ish where you need to choose a practical ascent to gain the road. The ridge line after the top of the road is reached past the gate had a bit of scramble aspect but nothing to technical or that was overly exposed. Would highly suggest this route to avoid competing with off-road vehicles. Class 2 route due to the scramble but otherwise mostly class 1 hiking. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 8/30/2021, By: jordanthebuff
Info: Parked at the 2WD trailhead. Really underrated route, I enjoyed hiking on the jeep trail. I would think most stock SUVs could make it to at least 10,800, but there are a few (5 ish) spots that could be tough to navigate without 4WD L. It only took about an hour to hike from the 2WD trailhead to 10,800, but I was hustling so I'd expect it to take most a bit longer. Pretty rocky trail most of the way, but never overly steep.

For the final pitch, most people I saw cut across the upper slope. I went straight up the ridge, then came down the south slope and would say that the south slope is a MUCH better option. Way more stable and easier to route find. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 8/23/2021, By: lauradaughtry
Info: Perfect bluebird day, though a little breezy. (It wasn't scary for me--just for my hat!) There was absolutely no snow left over from the dusting these peaks got a few days prior. No smokey skies and views for days!

For those curious, I drove my '17 Toyota 4Runner (TRD pro trim, but didn't use any of the bells and whistles) in 4WD low and made it all the way to the end of tree-line with absolutely zero problems. For any off-road enthusiasts, it was a beautiful drive with a few creek crossings. Plenty of pull-off space and areas to move over for passing vehicles coming the opposite direction.

Perfect day, loved this peak!