6/8/2016 Route: Snave Posted On: 6/8/2016, By: Monster5 Info: Mostly firm icy snow (summit around 7AM) with a bit of storm snow. No ice; direct is pretty much out, left start is a bit junky. We took the right couly start (moderate, 4th class top out) and traversed back left into the main Snave (lower angle snow with a couple steeper 4th class bands up top). Descended the saddle between Evans and W Evans. First 100 ft mostly dry. |
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6/4/2016 Route: Posted On: 6/4/2016, By: LilSpookies Info: We drove up to the Summit parking lot and climbed a few feet to the summit. Super easy climb if you start at the parking lot. Road is clear the entire way up and you may see some goats on the way. We wanted to watch the sunrise so we arrived early but there was still a handful of cars coming and going so I recommend going early to avoid people. You don't need spikes or anything, most of the snow is pretty packed. Beautiful sunrise. Bathrooms are open at the top as well. |
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6/3/2016 Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake Posted On: 6/4/2016, By: Meags33 Info: Summit lake start at 0730 and snow conditions were good, frozen over and no postholing. Definitely recommend crampons for the hike up Spalding, general hiking shoes don't have enough grip. I used snow shoes and didn't have any problems getting up. Some fun glissading down the Spalding-Evans saddle then about a mile of scrambling in rocks and packed snow. Started alone but was happy to join a group of 3 and we were the only ones on the trail. Be careful if you're thinking about going without a group. Tons of wildlife and people on the road. |
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6/2/2016 Route: Posted On: 6/2/2016, By: SnowAlien Info: Road is open and Mt Evans is open for business! Tons of traffic there already. Hit a couple lines on NE face - one on far right, continuous with some billygoating and one on far left - a short '50 ft downclimb is required. Ascended the line in the middle, but it's very rocky at the top and also currently requires a 70-100 ft downclimb. Summit ski is in, and goes pretty clean. Given delays in opening the road, was surprised not to see more snow up there, but it probably has to do with windloading pattern this year. Impressive (cleaned up) drifts on the road on the drive in, which explains the delays. Saw lots of wildlife out and about - baby goats, big horn sheep, right in the middle of the road or close by, completely oblivious to people and cars. |
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5/12/2016 Route: West Ridge from Guanella Pass Posted On: 5/13/2016, By: STIBungy Info: The road up Guanella was plowed about halfway to the TH parking lot yesterday. Crews are chipping at the snow daily. Snow up the gulley has a nice hard crust in the morning but gets mushy in the afternoon due to the warm temps this week. Wore microspikes and carried my ax up. Glissaded down in the afternoon and strapped snowshoes on from the base of the gulley through the willow field. Still postholed in certain spots but not too bad. |
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2/27/2016 Route: West Ridge via Scott Gomer Posted On: 2/28/2016, By: jmanner Info: Climbed Evans via the winter closure yesterday. We ascended using the west ridge via Scott Gomer Creek and then over the West Ridge to the summit. We stupidly dropped into the South Clear Creek drainage, below the road, to try to save mileage, however it only added misery. We put a pretty good trench from the Bierstadt trail/road up through Scott Gomer Ck onto Spalding, so it should be a little easier for another that goes up that way before the March Storms. The gully that offers closer access to the west ridge looked pretty dry, so I am sure that would be a more viable option for folks on snowshoes. The west ridge from the Sawtooth was relative clear of snow. FYI, the willows are the devils work. |
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12/27/2015 Route: Road Conditions Posted On: 12/27/2015, By: blazintoes Info: The Blazintoes and Fatso Mt Evans road report. If you‘re crazy like me, it is possible to ride a fat bike all the way to the summit. ~30 miles RT from Echo Lake FYI. The first 2.5 miles are packed down by snowshoes/skis. Then the black top opens up with several patches of snow to cross and three significant avy fields to consider (mile 3, 5 and 7 don‘t quote me on that). Along the avy fields, there is ~6"-8" of slab type snow on top of ice. Very sketchy (4th image). However, 80% of the road is ride-able. Beautiful winter day with lots of animal activity. A small family of sheep and a healthy elk pack. Finally, the last 200 feet to the top is cruiser. |
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11/29/2015 Route: West Ridge from Guanella Pass Posted On: 11/29/2015, By: sky_high Info: Not many people on Bierstadt and Evans this weekend. We hit the trail around 6:30 with temperatures in the single digits. The snow from this weekend was very powdery, and had not been tamped down, and going through the willows was much easier with snowshoes. By the time we left, the route up Bierstadt had been traveled by less than a handful of people but was mostly packed down and do-able in boots at least up to the first big rise. In a 14er first for us we were the only car in the parking lot before noon when the weather started to turn and the wind came up. The snow still looked pretty thin in the upper reaches, although it‘s about time to start bringing microspikes at least. Instead of going up Bierstadt we cut off the trail and went toward Evans. We battled our way through about 3 feet of fresh powder interspersed with willows up to the gully for the west ridge. There is a bit of snow in the gully, but mostly it is just covering the rocks and there is not much for crampons to get a hold on. Snowshoes are a must in the valley until the trail gets tracked a bit more, and some kind of traction or a reliable set of boots with good tread will help with the vertical portion of the trail. As far as snow conditions, don‘t bother going to Evans or Bierstadt to ski yet, they are still very lightly dusted in the upper reaches. |
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11/8/2015 Route: West Ridge from Guanella Pass Posted On: 11/8/2015, By: AlexeyD Info: Typical thin, early-winter snow cover for most of the route. Unfortunately, the boggy areas in the willows are only partially frozen, so expect slow going through there. There is fairly decent boot currently track in place along the base of the NW shoulder of Bierstadt, which can be utilized to minimized willow-schwacking. In the west-facing gully that gains the Evans massif, we mostly stayed on the south-facing slopes to climber‘s left on the ascent (which are either melted out or have only a thin layer of crusty snow), and took the middle of the gully on the descent - which had quite a bit of deep, unconsolidated snow. Would probably do the S-facing side both ways if doing it again. Above the gully, the tundra flats are a mix of shallow snow with deeper (2‘+) sections. The deep sections were just a bit too short to warrant snowshoes, but expect some postholing. For the time being, there is a pretty good boot track through there as well. The trail on the West Ridge itself is still visible, and is a mix of snow, bare rock, and a little ice. Not too bad yet. We carried snowshoes and microspikes, but did not use them. Spikes might be nice for parts of the gully, but we didn‘t find them essential. Snow cover currently insufficient for snowshoes, though this will likely change soon. A pole was very handy for the numerous creek crossings, occasional snow traverses and general balance. All in all, while there is no one single particularly awful part of it, the whole thing (the willows, the occasional deep postholing, the annoying rock-filled gully, the rather long, high-altitude traverse along the West Ridge and back) makes for a longer and more exhausting day this time of year than the gain and distance alone would tell you. A pretty fun way to do Evans though! |
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10/11/2015 Route: West Ridge from Echo Lake Posted On: 10/12/2015, By: hokiehead Info: Did Bierstadt -> Sawtooth -> Evans on Sunday. big wind, but once we were on the right/South side of the sawtooth, we were sheltered. 4 of us on the trip, one took microspikes, but only used them for a brief period. Sawtooth is 90% snow free. Notes: most snow is in the first part leaving Bierstadt, but no difficulty getting across this. as you get close to Evans and start traversing to West side (maybe just before this), there‘s a ledge with exposure to your left that‘s snow covered. I did not enjoy crossing that, but it was short and care got all four of across safely. |
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9/6/2015 Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake Posted On: 9/7/2015, By: jmjr2k Info: Temps at the Summit Lake parking lot were in the upper 30‘s at our 7:00 a.m. start time. The wind was fierce at gusts up to about 30 mph, or so which made it feel like the teens! The trail was in fine condition, and there were quite a few folks on the mountain that morning due to the Labor Day crowds. It was a partly cloudy day with no precipitation, and beautiful for enjoying the summit to Mt. Evans. There are a number of cairns which will mark your way up until you get to West Evans where you need to pay closer attention to them since there is quite a bit of talus and boulders there to the summit. There might have been about 150 people crawling around the summit at 10 a.m. when we arrived! |
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8/9/2015 Route: Posted On: 8/9/2015, By: George Mason Info: Northeast face route is starting to get a little torn up from traffic. Wildflowers are in full force and mountain goats were putting on a show. Road, Summit Lake Trailhead all in good shape. |
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8/7/2015 Route: West Ridge from Echo Lake Posted On: 8/10/2015, By: BurningBrule Info: The section of trail above the upper Chicago Lake and on the west flank of Mt. Warren is very bad. It is the section which has been wiped out by avalanches and runoff the last few years. There was a crew from CFI (Colorado Fourteeners Initiative) working on hacking out something presentable but it still a tough go especially coming down. It is very loose soil and rocks and we slipped and fell numerous times. Hiking poles are strongly recommended. |
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8/4/2015 Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake Posted On: 7/26/2015, By: chananiclesofnarnia Info: UPDATE: Road Reopened! Just checked cotrip.com, and as of this morning the access road has been reopened. Apparently there is still construction being done so there might be delays or other closings but for now it's open again (at least until it closes again for the winter!). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACCESS ROAD CLOSED UNTIL AUGUST. Sadly, I wasn't able to do my planned hike today as the road to Summit Lake is closed until some time in August. The Mt. Evans website hasn't been updated since the winter closing in 2013 so no relevant information was available there. Strange being closed in the peak of the season but I imagine there's a good reason. I don't know how to get reliable information about when it opens up again, but if you're interested in doing this hike, maybe try calling around to the Colorado DOT before heading out. |
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7/18/2015 Route: West Ridge from Guanella Pass Posted On: 7/18/2015, By: hollek Info: Starting at mile 1 to 2.5 be prepared for wet, muddy and cold feet. Tie your laces tight because you will sink in some spots to your shins. No use taking the off trail options because you will still get wet. Wet feet still beat getting your feet stepped on by taking the high traffic Bierstadt trail. Everything is absolutely perfect after 2.5 miles. Bonus - When you get back to the main Bierstadt trail, you can forgo the wooden planks at the small creek crossing and get a convenient shoe and shin cleaning. |
