1/29/2024 Route: West rib to south subsummit Posted On: 1/30/2024, By: the_hare Info: Boy howdy what a route. Great bootpack trench established to about half a mile past Baldwin Creek crossing, snowshoes useful past that. Turned off at 11,800ft to ascend rib up to 13,780 Antero subsummit shown well in supranihilests TR. I was surprised with how secure the rocks were especially on the upper stretch. Solid tracks in place across the rocky dragonsback ridge from the subsummit to Antero proper. On the way back I took an access road from the saddle between the subsummit & the gendarme ridge that ran down around the subsummit and ended on its west rib. The edge of the road was visible thru the sugar snow drifts over the road and provided ok passing. There was one large drift completely covering the road that was hard to get purchase on, ice axe would have been useful for climbing over it. It was w a r m today! Wish I brought waterproof gaiters and a change of socks, the snow melted thru my laces and got my shoes soaked by the end of the day. Theres several smaller loaded-looking W-facing slopes above the trail past the Balwin Creek crossing. It didnt seem like this part of the Sawatch got as much of an unstable dump as the northern half, didnt see any signs instability while crossing. |
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11/18/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 11/19/2023, By: Shredstick263 Info: Road was icy and snowy all the way up, but out of stubbornness, I didn't put on microspikes until 11k feet. Left them on all the way down. Snow shoes also would have been helpful in sections, but if you're willing to posthole a bit, you can do without. Two of us put in a decent track to follow. Last few hundred feet very easy to follow. |
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10/27/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 10/27/2023, By: wanderlust073 Info: The last dry hiking day of the year? A few good size stretches of ice on the road below treeline but bone dry above till the previously reported quarter mile of snow around 13k (easily bypassed). Straight shot up the final pitch is the way to go. Ungodly windy on the summit. |
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10/21/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 10/21/2023, By: caesarsalad Info: 99% summer conditions (still!). About 0.5 mile of deep snow at 13k feet completely covering the road I wouldnt recommend driving through (see photos) but clear besides that. Even that stretch theres a small path on the far right side to avoid walking in the snow. Brought spikes but didnt use them. |
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9/29/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 9/30/2023, By: Strugglr Info: No snow on the road or the trail to the summit. Perfect fall day. Biking that road is no joke, up or down. Aspens are stunning right now. |
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9/28/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 9/28/2023, By: Piotr Info: Nice and dry all the way. See pictures for conditions around. |
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8/26/2023 Route: Little Browns Creek Posted On: 8/28/2023, By: ajnesvisky Info: After reading up on some peak/trip reports, I also opted to go the LBC route. I'd echo the sentiment that this has a fairly strong argument to be the standard route up. Incredibly easy to follow the route, trail is in great shape mostly although some sections were definitely affected by the heavy rainfall the night before. The beginning of the route until you meet the road is gradual enough to do it quickly, and I opted to take the "shortcut" just below 13,000' mentioned in other reports which was by far the steepest portion of the trail. The class 2 section before the summit was fun, at about 13,900' the clouds were incredibly thick all the way through the summit (no views of anything that day). Saw 0 other people on the way up LBC route, encountered maybe 15-20 or so coming up the standard route on my descent. RT took about 8 hours. Highly recommend going this way if Antero is in your plans. |
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8/13/2023 Route: Little Browns Creek Posted On: 8/13/2023, By: dogsandguitars12 Info: The snow mentioned in the previous report didnt stay around, fully dry. LBC is a fantastic route with a great trail. Only saw 1 other person on the actual LBC trail, saw a few on summit and near the trailhead. Smooth sailing, wish most trails walked this good. 7.5 hours round trip. TH couldnt be easier to get to. Traffic coming back to Denver sucked hard. |
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8/12/2023 Route: Via Little Browns Creek Posted On: 8/12/2023, By: blonde_dinosaur Info: Someone else posted this recently, but I also think Browns Creek should be the standard route for this peak and Im not sure why this alternate option was deactivated from the site. I ended up pulling the gpx from a previous trip report. The route is long (I clocked in at 15 miles and 5,500ft gain) but the trail is very enjoyable and I thought the gain was fairly gradual. Despite the fact that I summited at 9:30am and all weather forecasts predicted precip after noon, I pushed through some pretty heavy SNOW to get to the summit. It accumulated on the rocks of the ridge and made them pretty slippery - I was glad I had poles. For anyone attempting tomorrow, I would pay close attention on the ridge line and then the final push up the talus in case some of that snow freezes over. Summit pic attached looking back at ridge - it was crazy! |
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8/1/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 8/1/2023, By: wmagnuson7 Info: Just a couple points to add: 1. If you don't have a Jeep or side-by-side (or lifted truck/SUV), its pretty miserable getting even up to 10,800 feet so would strongly recommend driving something with significant clearance to decrease the anxiety of significantly harming your vehicle and/or getting stuck. 2. Once you get to the class 2 portion, stay along the ridge line (don't drop down or go to the right). Overall, I will probably never do this hike again because it was not very scenic and the drive was horrendous. To date, this was my 18th 14'er and least favorite. Cheers! |
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7/31/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 8/2/2023, By: SARAH342 Info: DRIVING: Did up to 12,000 in a lifted wrangler, no problem. A couple of large rocks to skirt, but if you've got the clearance and some confidence you'll be golden. Could continue maybe to 12,500 or all the way to 13,800 if you're okay ok washed out sand. CAMPING: Camped around 11500 - there were mosquitos, but plenty of great sites with fire pits, easy to park. Got pretty cold around 42 degrees on 7/31. Might want to bring your own dry wood. Cronin Peak neighbors and was dropping rockslides throughout the evening - kinda spooky. HIKING: Easy ascent on Jeep road, but still pretty. Straightforward class 2 with a fun and short ridge line traverse. Exemplary views, had the summit to ourselves on a Monday and only passed a few friendly folks earlier in the day. Might want to consider ibuprofen, ascent happens quickly, could get lightheaded. Love, Celine and Sarah |
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7/29/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 7/31/2023, By: Clairebaums Info: The trail was super dry with no snow on any of it. 90% of it is a jeep road, and the top portion is the only class two portion which is about a mile. It includes a fun scramble on a ridge and a scree field. |
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7/21/2023 Route: From Little Browns Creek Posted On: 7/22/2023, By: cdgibbons Info: Summer Conditions. As others have suggested, if you are willing to put in the mileage and elevation gain, this is a much more scenic, much more enjoyable alternative for Antero. Thank you to those with detailed trip reports on this site. I did it with White as a day trip but if you would prefer a backpack, there are some excellent campsites between 11,000' and 11,200' in a flat, open area. I took the trail to the high point of the Antero/White saddle where it ends at a spur of the Baldwin Gulch road, turned right, hiked 300' of grass to 13,100' where the road crosses the ridge and followed the standard route from there. There are other options, though I would not recommend leaving the trail below the saddle, as that slope looked pretty loose. Saw a few backpackers early and late in the day, no other daytrippers on this route, about 16 folks on the standard route between 8-11 AM, and then the crew of badass ultramarathoners starting the High Lonesome 100. 15.6 miles and 5400' for Antero alone. |
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7/9/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 7/10/2023, By: burnhamc Info: Peak was easily accessible, road is clear of snow. I drove to the top around 13,500 and then climbed to the summit from there. The drive can be made by about anything with 4low and good clearance, took around two hours to drive up and another two to get back down. Someone was up there mining, and a few people at the parking area near the summit. I was the only one on the peak. |
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7/8/2023 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 7/8/2023, By: Skitch Info: Didnt even try the road with our Jeep Cherokee and glad we didnt. Most of the hike was walking up the road but was pretty and peaceful. Lots of OHVs and wranglers coming down during our descent - hitched a ride with one of them to cut off a few miles. Thank you kind strangers! |