Mt. Princeton

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 7/2/2019, By: LetsGoMets
Info: Almost summer conditions. Road is almost completely melted out save for a patch preventing driving above 11,400ish. Summer route has 5 snow gullies to cross, none of which show any instability but were firm in the morning. Tigger also snow free as I looped over that on my way down. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/30/2019, By: Brugensummit
Info: Parked at the radio towers at 0400 and on the trail by 0430. Beautiful morning which later turned in to a beautiful day on the mountain. Opted for the standard route as opposed to hitting the summit via Tigger peak. With the melt we had the past week there were only 3 small to medium sized snowfields to cross. Snow was packed down in the morning so well did not need spikes, was definitely a slush pile on the way down from the peak but if you are follow the bootpack you can make it without traction if you are careful. Shouldnt be an issue in the next week or two as they should be melted off. Other than that, the trail is in summer conditions. Took a little over 6 hours to get up and down, great day out there. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/25/2019, By: Dayute
Info: 4wd road is dry and in pretty good shape for what it is up to the radio towers. Started up at 6AM and ran into 6 snowfields. Two on the upper portion of the road and four underneath Tigger on the way to the saddle. Was very glad I brought my axe as a few were steep, slick, and had rough looking runouts. Little bit of fresh snow from the saddle to the summit but all was avoidable. Feet stayed dry in trail runners all day. Snow was still very solid and slick at 11am on the way down and was again very glad I brought my axe. Section of the trail where it turns off the 4wd road is snow covered but there is a log in the road where you should turn up the ridge. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/15/2019, By: schorrratzlaff
Info: We climbed Princeton yesterday morning, going over Tigger on the way up, following the standard trail down. The initial climb up Tigger at 6:45 was already very soft, with significant potholing, prompting us to climb through loose talus to the ridge line. Tough going. From the summit of Tigger to the summit of Princeton there was minimal snow, but the snow that was there made it difficult to follow the trail going up. the summit is largely clear of snow.

Following the trail from the top was much easier. As we approached the saddle it was easy to see the trail traversing Tigger's north face, and we descended the snow to intersect. We followed the main trail, with frequent crossings of snow filled gullies. By the time we were descending the snow was very soft, we did not bother to put our spikes on. if we had traversed the gullies in the morning with harder snow, then spikes would have been required. The gullies are very steep, and having an ax or hiking poles for self arrest is a great idea in the morning. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/12/2019, By: ZodiiakClimber
Info: Summited via east slopes/Tigger. Road is clear of snow until about 1/4 mile past the radio towers. From there it's intermittinat until the turnoff for the standard. From the road up to Tigger is consistent hard pack snow. I went up that slope around 830am. From Tigger to Princeton snow is quite intermittent. It's fairly consistent to the saddle and from the saddle to Princeton there's hardly any besides a couple small patches. Took the standard to go down to avoid going back over Tigger. The gullies on the standard were definitely snow covered. If you're going this way be very careful. Many trails of footprints Andy none of them lead to the trail. I took a set that led ablut 200 ft above the trail and when heading down a rock slipped out from under me and sent me rolling down. I would have been dead if I didn't find a stable rock to hold on to. But through gullies, I was post holing to my knees every step. When I got back to my car my shoes and socks were soaked from all the snow in them. Tigger is a good way to go right now but I highly suggest waiting on the standard. The Avi danger is super high through those gullies 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/5/2019, By: spartan0512
Info: 4x4 road is drive-able until 10.8k. Snowdrifts start from there on. Snowdrifts scatter the switchbacks from 10.8k until 11.8k where complete snow takes over. The snow is soft in most places but I was able to follow earlier tracks that were slightly consolidated the entire way to the summit. My spikes broke early on the switchbacks, so I had to traverse the gullies with just my ax. There are about 5 gullies you have to cross, 2 of the big ones have pretty deep snow. I definitely would avoid the rocks and the east slope and just boot pack up to the ridge after you are done with the traverses. The terrain on Mt. Princeton is the worst I have come across, reminiscent of the back side of Mt. Bross. Don't blindly trust any footholds once you have reached the ridge. Summit is pretty tight and has amazing views. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 5/4/2019, By: Danger_D
Info: The worst of both worlds! There isn't enough snow to make this an actual snow climb, but there is enough to make the rocky ridge climb a very very slow process. The road above the radio towers is also deep angled snow which turned into a huge slog. I would definitely let this melt out for a few weeks before attempting (unless you are masochist). Be aware that it is getting very warm, so there are a few places you may trigger a wet slide if you are out in the afternoon. Use your head.

The good news is I was able to drive 2.5 miles up the road to park. The road is badly rutted and I had to cross scattered snow, but my RAV4 handles it no sweat. You might be able to go farther, but turning around is impossible for most of the road so I stopped where I could safely get out. It will be a couple more weeks until you can get all the way up to the radio towers.

Pic 1 - Overview of the route
Pic 2 - Where I was able to drive to
Pic 3 - The road above the radio towers
Pic 4 - Tigger and Princeton
Pic 5 - Final ridge up to Princeton 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 5/6/2019, By: gthrockm
Info: As Danger_D said, Saturday's conditions proved to be very trying and made for very slow progress. I started from the lower (8,900) trail head around 2:45am and bagged Tigger shortly after sunrise and then traversed to Princeton. Snow started on the road around 10,800 or so and was unavoidable the rest of the way up. Snowshoes were mandatory, followed by microspikes to the top of each peak, although I debated putting my snowshoes back on for the traverse to Princeton as post-holing was frequent and tiring. Snowshoes were 100% necessary on the way back down. By mid-morning, the icy snow had turned into slop that made me slide around on the angled trail even with snowshoes on. I finally made it back to my car shortly after 1pm, more than 10 hours later. Exhausting day.

Pictures in order: 1) Princeton from the slopes of Tigger, 2) sunrise, 3) Tigger from the peak of Princeton, and 4) Princeton the afternoon following my descent and a hearty lunch.

Importantly: I had a brand new Black Diamond 60 cm ice axe that I lost on the descent near the treeline around where the hiking path meets the road. If anyone finds it, I would greatly appreciate you letting me know! 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 4/13/2019, By: Will_E
Info: Good conditions on Princeton today. I started at very bottom of road, which is mostly dry for first few miles. Put on spikes just after the radio tower, and left them on until just before summit. The steep section before the final ridge would have been easier (and safer) with an ice axe, some of the section is extremely stiff and tough to get spikes to dig in, I slid a few times but was able to catch myself.

I had snowshoes with me, but never needed them. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 2/10/2019, By: Dose
Info: Went back to Princeton finish the route. Solid hard pack to radio towers. The trench that was put in two weeks ago is completely gone. So I put in a new one. The snow on the avy cut out is horrible. Tried putting a new one in and abandoned it. Followed the road. The avalanche chute at the first switchback is good. The higher one has recently slide. There was a new debris field from when I was there two weeks ago. There is a solid bypass up rock just short of it. Rest of the route to treeline is unremarkable. Went up and over Tigger. Did not need traction. Slow going boulder hopping. Route to saddle is mostly clear of snow. At the saddle put on crampons. There is a mix of snow, ice, and exposed rock. Pick your line and head to the summit. The snow was good. Didn't sink and not bulletproof. On the way down was feeling tired. There was no sun all day and to this point snow had been good. After looking at the standard route and with CAIC having a Moderate rating decided to give it a shot instead of heading up and over Tigger. Wind wasn't hitting them and the sun hadn't hit them all day.There are 4 chutes that you have to cross. The highest 3 had stable snow and no issues. I think given the right conditions, they could go. The lowest chute was no good. At the edge I broke through crust about 12 inches deep and 24” of horrible soft below. Decided this was a no good. I climbed up about 150 vertical feet to a solid rock band, traversed the rocks and down climbed to regain the route. Uneventful the rest of the way down. Did't want to use my snowshoes on the way down and ocassionally post holed but other than that no issues. 16.5 hours from start to finish. I am slow, but still plan on a long day. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 1/27/2019, By: Dose
Info: Interesting snow conditions on Princeton. Solid hard pack from winter trail head to radio towers. At the radio towers put on snow shoes and followed a skin track up. Left the standard route and followed the skin track up the avy bypass. Even following the tracks, I was consistently sinking up to my knees and at times, up to my waist in the soft snow. The skin tracks ended at the beginning of the second switch back at 11,200 when whoever put in the trench skied down. I tried to put a trench in the rest of the way, but the snow conditions above 11,200 are horrendous. Snow was waist deep to chest deep. At 11,300 as I was making my way up, I heard a loud whomp and saw a crack form about 25 feet ahead me. Decided I had enough and started making my way down. As I descended about 50 ft down, I heard another loud whomp and another crack form below me. I traversed out of the danger and made my way down to the standard route. Bottom line, I would assess the snow as unsafe and wouldn't recommend going higher than 11,200 on the bypass route. The standard route looked passable so I decided to check it out. I made my way down to the avalanche chute and it looked like it had slid in the previous weeks. It did not look safe to cross. Luckily there is a safe bypass that one can climb up and regain the standard route without crossing the avalanche chute. It is about 25 yards short of the avy chute. It might disappear with the next snow, but it is clear now. Went to just before where the Princeton Trail cuts off the road and the route is good to at least until the junction. After losing so much time and energy, I decided to turn around there. Not sure what the conditions higher up are. 

Route: Long range photos
Posted On: 1/27/2019, By: RyGuy
Info: Here are several close up photos of the Mount Princeton route from near Nathrop, Colorado. (I did not hike it, just providing photos)
Photo one: Winter route up through the trees along the ridge to avoid the upper road, plus the ridge up Tigger and the SE Ridge of Princeton.
Photo two: Mount Princeton's face.
Photo three: The large chute that comes down off Tigger.
Photo four: Closeup of the area around the Radio towers. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 12/16/2018, By: wintersage
Info: Tried to take my 4Runner up to the radio towers, but gave up about 1 mile from the ranch. The 4WD road had ice and way too much deep snow. It was also a little too narrow to safely exit in case the road got even worse up ahead (and it did). I parked off the side of the road in an inlet right before the private property sign to stay out of anyone's way, in case someone was coming up that day. No one did, however, and I had the mountain to myself all day.


Road up to the radio towers was pretty decently packed due to what looked to be ATV or snow cat tracks. I stashed my snowshoes and continued the rest of the way with microspikes. After the radio towers, some parts of the trail had hard slippery snow that definitely required traction to pass without slipping.


I took the ridge up to Tigger Peak to avoid avalanche danger on the main trail, and this was quite the scramble! So rocky that I took off my microspikes to boulder hop effectively. After a few false summits later, I got to the ridge that takes you from Tigger to Princeton. Wind speeds were incredibly high, knocking me off my feet at times. I could hardly stand on the summit.


Because avy danger was low-moderate today and I was too exhausted to summit Tigger again, I decided to take the main trail back down. Crossing the three avalanche gullies was nerve-wracking but the snow felt stable enough. I used microspikes all the way down. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 11/17/2018, By: NickJohnson
Info: Was able to drive about 3/4 mi up the road before we didn't feel comfortable going further. We hiked in fresh powder on the road in our microspikes up to the towers, then donned our snowshoes. The snow only got deeper the higher we got, and it wasn't packing very well either. Even with our snowshoes it was mid-calf deep in places.

After the last switchback on the road before the cairn the snow got even worse and it took way too long to get to the cairn. And at that point, there was no good path up to the ridge. We finally made it, but it was too late in the day to go further. In hindsight, we should have just taken the ridge directly from that last switchback (we descended that way).

Above treeline there was a lot of rock exposed, so snowshoes probably wouldn't have been useful, and one could probably have continued safely on the trail instead of going up and over Tigger.

Whoever goes up after us before the next snow should have a nicely packed trail! :D 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 11/11/2018, By: Squirrellysquirrel
Info: The road: We hitched a ride to the radio towers; recommend -high- clearance 4x4/AWD vehicle; much of the 4x4 road was covered in 6+ inches of snow and after the towers the road became significantly covered in snow; saw tracks from a Polaris type just beyond towers that turned back due to conditions. For the afternoon descent, the lower portion of the 4X4 road contained many sections of icy areas. The route: Heavier snow conditions past the radio towers, yet boots, gaiters, and poles were fine for the remainder of the road before the cairn as well as up most of the route; microspikes maybe helped in the snow bits, but over rockier sections, boots proved to have a better grip. Snow levels varied from thin and windblown to stretches of knee/thigh deep post-holing in spots. Snow consistency varied from hard/compact to windslab/faceted snow to copious powdery duff stuff. Ridge line was -windy, windy- with strong snow-kicking gusts; balaclava and eye protection are great accessories for the top half of the route. Got a coupla gnarly rock bites on my shins while traversing along the ridge line due to indiscernible areas below deep powder drifts within the chunky rock portion of the upper path. *** Took the standard East Slope, yet considering the future forecasts for snow, might be best to hike directly over Trigger peak and bypass the avalanche prone areas below; the snow in that area was windslab with knee/thigh deep faceted snow beneath and with the forecast this week for more snow, well, 3 outta 4+ spots felt sketchy already... additional snow seems ripe with avalanche potential. Recommend using good judgement, an ice axe/ropes, or better yet: avoiding it all together. For the descent along Trigger's backside and the road: there were icy areas, which proved quite slippery. Brought snowshoes, but unnecessary for this trip.