Mt. Oxford

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 8/1/2019, By: jryor121
Info: Belford conditions are completely fine. Oxford has no snow and nothing to worry about (unless you end up taking the Southeast ridge that connects you to the Elkhead pass towards Missouri, then there is some snow just below the ridgeline). Was planning on hitting Missouri as well but decided to not push my luck with incoming storms. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/29/2019, By: aldsw
Info: Clear and dry all the way up except the creek crossing in the avalanche field. There's a nice bridge that made crossing easy. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/29/2019, By: jerihomler
Info: Trail was clear throughout Missouri Gulch up to Belford then Oxford. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/23/2019, By: MOUNTAINMANMIKE88
Info: Clear trails to oxford. The avalanches in Missouri gulch had alot of trees down can still see the trail CFI was out there 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/19/2019, By: Tlorbets
Info: 100% summer conditions. Avalanche debris was cleared off trail by wonderful volunteers. Parking lot was almost full at 6:30 am. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/19/2019, By: 4NARNIA
Info: The Belford and Oxford combo was great. The trail and summits are in excellent condition. 99.9% snow free, perfect weather, and very little people on the trail. Pretty long and tiring hike, but got some amazing views. 

Route: Pine Creek
Posted On: 7/5/2019, By: pturk
Info: Virtual summer conditions the whole way from Pine Creek trailhead to the summit. A few snow patches exist but they can all be avoided. I only saw a few people on the Colorado Trail and no one at the summit. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/3/2019, By: axew01
Info: Summer conditions. If you are happy walking across snow in your yard, the few remaining patches will not give you any concern. Shorts and t-shirt day 😀 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/2/2019, By: Harrier
Info: Started at 520, reached Belford 0805, Mt. Oxford 0915, Mt. Belford, 1020, TH 1220. I think there were only 2 hikers that reached Oxford after me as the weather started to get questionable. The return from Oxford was the hardest part of the hike. Good conditions until the avalanche debris field. The runoff was so high that it was covering a 20-25 yard portion of the trail prior to the crossing. Make sure you don't accidently cross early as you should be in a wide open area when you cross. 4-6 snow fields. I'm tall with weak ankles so I had a difficult time on the 140 yard section after reaching the fallen cabin. Rec to still bring microspikes in case this small portion causes you issues. No other section was a problem. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/2/2019, By: BuckeyeClimber
Info: Trail in in good conditions. There are some pink ribbons that mark the way through the avy debris. Which is just amazing. Between the summits there is some snow that can be easily avoided. Just be careful here. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 7/2/2019, By: Taylormcgaughey1
Info: Started at 5:40, hit some snowfields just after hitting tree line. The snowfields were well traveled and easy to get across in the early morning, however in the afternoon they were slick and wet. You will also encounter a few snow patches near the summit of Belford but they are very small. There also snow patches when descending Belford to Oxford, but you can easily avoid them by briefly going off trail.Overall, pretty much summer conditions. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 6/30/2019, By: Owen Puffenberger
Info: Pic shows the route from the summit of Belford. Did not make the trek myself, but many others did. Route appeared to be dry. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 6/9/2019, By: AlexanderShort
Info: Yesterday started off slow as I woke up in my car at 730 am after a record number of “snooze hits”..There were a couple of wild ones starting before 4 am for this, fortunately the weather was superb through the afternoon. I hit the trail shortly after and was able to summit both Belford and Oxford. This was my second attempt at Oxford, had to bail last year due to weather. Yesterday was my 30th new summit, and the hike kicked my ass. However, if you are looking for an early season 14er (early for a big snow year ey), these peaks are a great choice. The trail seems to lie in a unique area that is wind blown so not a lot of snow coverage compared to the intimidating amount nearby. No serious exposure, gaiters were nice to have, but I've post holed way harder. Traction unnecessary. Once you see the avalanche path, head straight up, follow your feet and get after it. Missouri Gulch is a beauty! 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 5/30/2019, By: obo4
Info: Started at 6:30 am. Road to the TH was completely clear and dry. A few patches of snow in the forest -- microspikes were helpful for the entire route. Avalanche debris field was pretty short and easy to cross. Followed ski/boot tracks all the way up to the summit. The switchbacks up to the summit were maybe 25% exposed but there were also tracks making a beeline up the mountain. Got to the top around 10:45. Belford summit was clear of snow and the marker plate was easy to spot.
The trail to Oxford was very clearly defined. The snow on the saddle ridge looked a little sketchy -- the dropoffs were steep, the wind was pretty strong, and clouds were moving in fast -- but we decided to take a closer look, reassess, and turn around if we felt unsafe. We followed boot tracks across the saddle one at a time, moving slowly and testing the snow stability. It looked/sounded/felt very solid. On the other side, we were able to speed-hike/run up to Oxford, and summited at noon. Snow was picking up so we hurried back up Belford just in time before the near-whiteout conditions that made descending from the summit scary. Thankfully we had a GPS so we inched down, following our route exactly, and avoided the new loose powdery drifts that were building up on the steepest slopes. Visibility was back to normal by the time we reached the switchbacks, so the rest of the hike was issue-free. Sky was clear and sunny again by the time we reached the car. 

Route: Via Mt. Belford
Posted On: 5/19/2019, By: WildWanderer
Info: Oxford from Belford today