Mt. Princeton

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 10/20/2014, By: windwaker
Info: Road to trailhead did not have too much snow. The Subaru that was following me made it to the radio towers. About 1-2' of snow on the mountain itself. We missed the turnoff for the trail from the jeep road, and endind up having to break trail across the ridge to cut our way back. We saw the trail but never connected with it. This made the ridge more like a class 3, but it was doable with the right warm weather gear. Storm rolled in and chased us down. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 10/7/2014, By: aim54pheonix
Info: Previous report still valid. Almost zero snow. Road to the upper trail head is fine. I parked just past the radio towers. Had no issues on the road in a jeep liberty. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 9/29/2014, By: robinbk
Info: Peak is still in perfect condition -- no snow or other issues. Driving my 2014 Forester to the campsites above the radio towers was trivial, and I think I could have driven to where the trail leaves the road had I wanted to (saw a 4-Runner up there). Weather was questionable (heavy clouds, light precip, medium wind near the summit), but startlingly warm the whole time -- I don't think it dropped below 40 F overnight at the 11K campsites! 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 9/23/2014, By: YearlyClimber
Info: The Peak was in prime condition! There was no snow whatsoever and some trees had started turning yellow. The temperature was extremely warm and there was no need for any windbreaker except in the last push when there was a slight breeze. The road up to the radio towers was passable with a Honda CRV though driving required special attention due to all the ruts and divots in the road as well as the fact that it tended to slope towards the edge of the mountain. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 8/22/2014, By: jemdur
Info: Found some ski poles above treeline. Describe to me and I am happy to return them to their owner 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 8/11/2014, By: mbechina
Info: The 4WD road was fairly easy for my Explorer all the way to the top. I hit bottom at one spot, but it wasn't anything terrible. The road to the radio tower is easy 4WD and up to just beyond the trailhead is also fairly easy. We parked just above the trailhead at a big pullover on the road (not far from where I hit bottom). The hike from here was fairly easy. It starts downhill to the trailhead then is an easy accent to the saddle. The upper portion of the saddle has a little loose rock, but nothing terrible. I never felt uncomfortable during the climb. On the way back, we continued on the saddle over Tigger Pt., following the ridge back to the road which actually dropped us right above our vehicle. If you're looking for an easy way down, this is not the route. It is steeper and not very clearly marked. But if you are looking for an extra accent with some beautiful views go for it. NOTE: If you get to the saddle and it looks like weather may be moving in, Tigger Pt. is a possible alternative to summiting Princeton. It's an easier accent and about a 45 minute decent back down to the road. Just be careful! 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 7/19/2014, By: vxnguyen
Info: Perfect condition on the trail. No snow. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/25/2014, By: addrock528
Info: Summer conditions in full effect. Do not bring snow gear. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/12/2014, By: goldenite
Info: Great day on Princeton. Just three snowfields left and we tried to pack/trench them well so the morning hardpack doesn't send you down the slope. My friend and a new friend accidentally took the old trail (I went ahead to Tigger) and it was horrible for them (possible rock slides). The site's GPX file hasn't been updated, so this still might happen. We saw another group do the same and warned them a little late. Just be sure to take the switch backs up, then the ridge to the summit. We tried to make the rock wall blocking the old trail more obvious and added a carin or two, but just be on the look out. Photo is the route from the top and it still looks like the old trail is the way to go, but don't! 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 6/8/2014, By: duncanmil
Info: While I came prepared to climb in lots and lots of snow and bad weather, the standard route was actually very clear, except for a few areas, and the weather was beautiful. Even the snow areas were easy to traverse, and proved to be a nice relief from the sharp rocks. Actually, while the views from the top were the most beautiful of my now 19 14ers, the hike up was my least favorite because of the sharp rocks. This was my first 14er with my new (and very expensive) boots. They were worth every penny. Definitely a 4WD high clearance road up to the radio towers. My jeep made it fine, but 4WD cars should park in the lower lot even though it adds six miles to your hike. This was my first 14er using a GPS, which I very much enjoyed. Last year I took a wrong turn on Lindsey and ended up on Class 4 rock on the wrong side of the mountain. The GPS is a nice gadget for those occasional moments of stupidity we all can be pron to have. 

Route: non standard
Posted On: 6/3/2014, By: Trotter
Info: Road completely clear till a mile past radio towers. Quite a bit of snow in gullies, gets soft by late morning. Brought snowshoes, never needed to use them. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 3/24/2014, By: Vincopotamus
Info: Hiked from the 2WD TH up the road to the radio towers before being turned around by high winds. Road is about 80-90% snow covered, with a good trench established. Snowshoes were unnecessary up to the radio towers, but microspikes were helpful on the way down. I wouldn't be surprised if the trench is drifted in above the radio towers so I'd guess snowshoes would be helpful on the upper part of the road. Snow was nice and firm in the morning, but was softening up a bit when I came back down at 11am. It could be a bit post-holey in late afternoon on a warm day. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 3/10/2014, By: SnowAlien
Info: Broke trail in ankle to knee deep powder to about 12k, beginning of the ridge to Tigger, where we stashed our snowshoes. The transient nature of our efforts cannot be more apparent as big chunks of the road had melted out by the time of our descent. Our tracks melted and then refroze. Snowshoes now are likely not needed untill after 11k. The ridge between Tigger and Princeton still holds a lot of snow - a mix of hard pack, windblown powder and rocks, not enough to justify bringing snowshoes, but be prepared for a fair amount of postholing on the ridge.

1. Princeton from Tigger
2. View of Antero from Tigger-Princeton ridge
3. Tigger as viewed on the descent
4. Near the summit 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 1/20/2014, By: summitbound
Info: Boot pack to the radio towers. From there to ridge it varied depending on the road exposure. Either snowshoe s or hard wind slab. St route from ridge to saddle has numerous snowfields to navigate. Little to no danger but the snow is bulletproof even for crampons. Saddle to summit wind blown. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 12/25/2013, By: KTC88
Info: I climbed Mt. Princeton on the 24th. The road from the 2WD TH is packed down (looks like a snowcat went up it) and easily hiked in boots to the 4WD parking area. There are a couple of snowmobile tracks after that, but they stop around 11,300 or so. I used snowshoes to hike the road from there until I got on the ridge. I went up over Tigger Pk and then on to Mt. Princeton. While there wasn't a lot of snow on the slopes, there are some snow filled gullies (wind slabs) that you would have to cross if you elect to take the risk and climb via the standard route.