Mt. Belford

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/1/2025, By: khughes321
Info: Trail was totally dry and free of snow. Heads up - the toilet at the parking lot is "closed for the season" and the door was locked so make other arrangements if you were planning to use it. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/28/2025, By: logo
Info: Windy and chilly, snow dusting on trail in places but did not need spikes. Aspens in full flame! 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/26/2025, By: medleyjosh
Info: some snow fell last week, but it is mostly melted, maybe 2 drifts of a foot deep but only for 20 feet in total. Mostly dry, a little muddy in a few places, but other than that, very clear at the moment. 

Route: Southwest Slopes
Posted On: 9/11/2025, By: owenalex72
Info: I did Missouri, Oxford, and Belford in that order, then came down the same way I went up. I did NOT go up or down Belford from the north.

The Missouri Gulch to Elk Head Pass route was dry (except for the creek crossings) the entire way. I will say, since I started at 2:40 AM and summited Missouri before dawn, the trails were frozen. I think the ground has begun to freeze at higher elevations already this year.

Other than that trails were in perfect condition. Day was beautiful. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/28/2025, By: hsfedina
Info: Perfect condition trailhead to peak. We had blue sky day and the entire route was pristine 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/24/2025, By: Tmo1983
Info: Hiked oxford/belford today. Great shape all around. Only one small snow patch I'll post a photo of it shortly. Thanks for everyone who keeps the trails in fine shape. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/24/2025, By: paigemoney
Info: Bell/Ox Northwest Ridge and down Elkhead Pass: Bell/Ox NW Ridge is in great shape. The log bridge pictured on the .com was icy when we crossed early yesterday morning. There’s one snowfield that’s well traversed just before the Belford summit. The boot prints are down to the ground, no post-holing. There’s a small section of snow left on the saddle going up to Oxford but I was able to avoid it completely. Elkhead pass is a lovely leisurely walk but is very wet right now. A lot of stream crossings and 2 snowfields. One is avoidable, the other is more challenging to go around and I did posthole a few times. Otherwise route is dry and as advertised! Enjoy! 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/22/2025, By: wabbajack
Info: Did Mt Belford and Mt Oxford together. Very windy above 13k elevation with not much relief. If you take the Missouri Gulch trail down, there a couple of ice fields that require diversions or glissading. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/19/2025, By: JROSKA
Info: There are two snowfields just short of Belford’s summit. The one closer to the summit can easily be bypassed but the other one must be crossed. Snow was supportive mid morning, but on the return trip after Oxford it was not. Just be mindful that if you cross this snowfield in the afternoon you’ll probably posthole a few times. Other than that it’s summer conditions. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/13/2025, By: ktcampbell22
Info: Summer conditions! Very minor snowfields at the tip top, so far mostly holding for the 10-20 feet they span. Saw probably 20 others. No spikes, wore trail runners and summer clothes. Great hike - more challenging than other "beginner" 14ers, but not crazy - just vertical. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/8/2025, By: caesarsalad
Info: 99% snow free to the ridge. Some patches from the ridge to the summit, but no need for flotation or traction as they’re easy to avoid or go over. Poles would have been nice for the descent as there’s some steep & slightly loose sections. 

Route: Southwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/4/2025, By: carmitz001
Info: Started at 3:15 pm since I woke up late. Mistakenly thought an afternoon/evening hike would work because of low temps and cloud cover. Dry until treeline, then frequent postholing between 11900 and 14000 feet. There's a lot of snow in Missouri Gulch that isn't avoidable without significant off-trail detours. The trails leading to and from Elkhead Pass are mostly covered by snow. The standard Belford trail, on the other hand, looked mostly snow free. The NW gully has continuous snow from the summit to the bottom. 

Route: Northwest Gully
Posted On: 5/29/2025, By: andibertolina
Info: Skied the NW gully today and tagged Oxford as well. The gully has plenty of snow but you have to hike 2.5 miles and 2000+ feet to get there. Not enough snow to ski from Belford over to Oxford 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 5/24/2025, By: jschmitz
Info: Some snow, was fine in trail runners, microspikes and trekking poles. Could get away without the spikes but they certainly added security. Did the traverse to Oxford as well. Did not feel that snow shoes were needed. 

Route: Northwest Gully
Posted On: 5/18/2025, By: Cthulhu 2008
Info: Didn't switch to skis until the trail crosses the gully (2.4 miles, 2,260'), so that's a long way to carry skis. But the gully has plenty of snow all the way to the jumble of rocks at the summit.