Pikes Peak

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 12/20/2021, By: backcountrybrodes
Info: Drove up FR 383 to the Crags TH with maybe an inch of snow on the road, which was consistent all the way up to a little below tree line, but basically none after that. Devil's playground is almost completely dry and the winds were very mild; it was a beautiful day on the mountain. Reached the top at around 11:45am, where we saw a good number of tourists at the visitor center and in the parking lot, and the cog also had made it up.

When we got to the top we explored, took pictures with our own sign (got to have a sign for each one lol), and ate donuts as one does. Unless the next storm is relatively big, the conditions probably won't change very much at all. Go get Pikes while it still has early fall conditions! Hopefully it gets snow soon though. Definitely needs some. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 12/6/2021, By: Jonathan Deffenbaugh
Info: Came up via the Incline then finishing up on Barr Trail. No snow on the Incline. Small stretches of snow and ice above timberline, more so at the 16 Golden Stairs but not continuous enough to need traction (i.e. microspikes), was also avoidable. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 11/27/2021, By: mtnmike
Info: Beautiful sunny day, very light wind. Only a few inches of snow from the last week. Trail is 70% snow packed as of yesterday. Spikes are helpful but not absolutely necessary. Last mile through the rocks is definitely a grunt. Overall awesome climb (5 hrs up, 3.5 hrs down for us). 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 11/23/2021, By: CoHi591
Info: Cold and windyyyyy day. Just a little snow to contend with, there were spots when spikes might speed you up but they're inconsistent so we never even considered putting them on, definitely would not need snowshoes. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 11/15/2021, By: Eagle Eye
Info: I found small sections of snow and ice on the well traveled trail, otherwise about 80% dry. I brought micro spikes but never put them on. It was a very windy day there yesterday, especially at high altitude. The toll road was only open to Devils Playground (mile marker 13) and closed the upper 6 miles due to high wind. So I had this huge summit to myself, the rarest of rare!

A route description note, both the (L) Crags and (R) #664A Devils Playground trails (first fork at 1/2 mile from the TH) are now signed very clearly. I know they were not in the past, and the forks' 3 pipes described in the Route Description could be easily missed especially in snow. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 11/3/2021, By: olgav100
Info: Another Pikes Peak is in the books. It was beautiful...until it wasn't. Last mile and half the clouds rolled in, and there was no view (luckily, I have seen it more times than I care to admit). Snow above tree line, fresh, ankle deep, but navigation is still easy. I broke the trail for ya:) Quick turn-around, back into sunshine. I didn't put my spikes on the way up, didn't feel the need, but definitely for the down part. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 10/25/2021, By: kuhnderweisbach
Info: The window for summiting w/o winter gear is closing. Summited this past Sunday and can't say much other than the temps and wind made this a lot more difficult. Western winds drove the temp down into the 20's so be prepared if the forecast has any possibly of winds. There was a small amount of snow patches that had either boot pack or were windblown so walking across theses sections was easy and done in trail runners with no traction. If this week's storms dump enough snow on Pikes I'd say its traction devices and possibly floatation until June. The rock scrambling above 13,000ft wasn't very difficult as my Husky was able to navigate with ease. Definitely one of the easier Class 2's. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 10/25/2021, By: goingup
Info: I needed Devils Playground Peak and Little Pikes Peak so a friend and I decided to drop cars and do a point to point run (Crags to Manitou Springs). The winds were whipping on the North west side of the mountain making the day cold and harsh. Snow and ice was not an issue on the east side at all. The northwest side has a bit but nothing of concern. We did not carry spikes nor did we feel we needed them. This is a beautiful 20 mile run and another way to enjoy Pikes, probably the most unenjoyable 14er of them all. My quest to climb all the unranked 13ers continues. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 10/17/2021, By: ScottLovesRMNP
Info: Patchy ice and snow about 13,000 feet, but nothing to be concerned about. You can almost always step around it on a dry spot. I took microspikes but never put them on. Balmy sunshine with light breezes -- a better day for the Barr Trail than most summer days if you ask me. Should be in great shape until the next storm. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 10/17/2021, By: ScottLovesRMNP
Info: Patchy ice and snow above 13,000, but very little to be concerned about. You can almost always step around it on a dry spot. I took spikes but never put them on. Balmy sunshine, light breezes today -- better than most summer days to do this hike if you ask me. Should be in great shape until the next storm. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 10/5/2021, By: WVMountaineer
Info: Cancelled LB-Blanca Traverse plans and summited Pikes via Crags TH Friday, Oct 1st. About 2 inches of snow from Devil's Playground to summit from the day/night before. It snowed 3 to 4 inches above 12,500ft during our hike. Whiteout conditions on way down to Devil's Playground. We all had poles so traction wasn't necessary although one of our hiking members did slip and fall descending the final slope from the summit. Road was open on our way up but closed at Devil's during out descent so don't count on a ride down from the summit. Upper Crags TH is not closed yet. Started 5:11 am summiting at 10am. Hung out at the summit building for about an hour, donut machine busted... 3 hrs back to the TH finishing at 2 pm. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 9/26/2021, By: davewarfel
Info: Trail is in good condition. No blockages. Very dry. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 9/22/2021, By: andy_schlichting
Info: Beautiful day on the mountain. Started at the Crag's trailhead around 6:30 a.m. and it was about four hours up. Our group was a bit slow over the last mile or two on the way to the summit, but we made decent time overall. It was a bit chilly and breezy starting a bit before the Devil's Playground. The trail's in great condition and very easy until the scramble on the summit push, but it's still well-defined and not difficult. Fall colors looked like they're a couple weeks away still. Very little gold on the aspens below tree line. The summit is still under construction, but all of the facilities are open. The trail is closed the final couple hundred meters and you have to detour along the road, which probably adds an extra 200 meters or so each way.

I must say, while this mountain is no easy feat (14.2 miles according to my Garmin), it's not the normal feeling of euphoria at the summit when you're surrounded by dozens of people who drove or took the train to the summit. Honestly as soon as you cross the road, you're surrounded by traffic and there are a lot of casual hikers so it's nothing like any other 14er I've done. Very few hikers coming from the bottom. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 9/7/2021, By: ballardwf04
Info: Trail is all clear- no obstacles to note. Final stretch of trail is still closed, so you'll need to hike along the road. Unfortunately, smog is still very much obscuring the view. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 8/22/2021, By: Sambvaughan
Info: Same as the previous report. No weather issues or anything of that sort. Just follow the signs near the summit - only a couple hundred yards of walking along the road.