Pikes Peak

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 9/28/2020, By: coopereitel
Info: The Barr Trail... We left Conifer at midnight and started on the trail at 2:00am. It was dark all the way through onto the treeline. As far as I know we were the first on the trail, and on the summit saw people coming from below. The summit was one of the colder times of my life but manageable. We returned to the car at 1:00pm. It was like a parade of people coming down off of the incline so take note of that. Otherwise a pretty low amount of people. I would say that I hit my low for the day from mile 7 to mile 8. I felt like the worst part about the trail was the mile marker signs which were demoralizing to say the least. They felt very long. No snow and the summit was still under construction. It was a cool one for sure, but probably a one and done type thing for me. Mad respect for the people who can run the entire thing. I thought I was cool for running downhill. Do it! 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 9/22/2020, By: kkulling
Info: Got on the trail around 7am. Dry trail all the way up. Any remaining pockets of snow were generally off trail. Construction ongoing at the summit. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 9/14/2020, By: GordoByrn
Info: Called an audible to climb Pikes, rather than head to the Collegiates, which looked really snowy from Pikes. Trail is clear through to the Devil's Playground. Put the spikes on twice above 13K on the way up, short sections, mainly for comfort. Didn't need any traction on the way down. Crags Campground was chilly as the creek was acting like an evaporative cooler, dropping temp and raising humidity all night. Really nice route. As another poster wrote, trail is quite sandy so no issues with mud due to snow melt. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 9/15/2020, By: overthe59hill
Info: Damp, dry gravel, sand, and packed snow in areas. No need for snow and ice gear. Trekking poles advised. A little unexpected snow started around 1:15 but didn't continue for long, and nothing accumulated at that time. But I think snow is expected later this week. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 8/20/2020, By: Troyister
Info: Headed out at 4:30 AM and there was 4-5 vehicles in the parking lot, returned at 11:15 AM and the lot was full. Had rained the night before so the trail was wet but it is almost all sand so there was no mud. From the treeline to the ridge felt like the steepest and hardest part of the trail, the last 1/2 mile to the top has some very easy class 2 parts to the trail, and the rocks were very solid when stepping. Storms hit early as I was in Colorado Spring after the hike and could see storms all around the area (probably about 12:30ish) Visibility was very good for the local area, but looking southwest you could barely see the Sangre De Cristo mountains, to the northwest Lost Creek Wilderness was a little easier to see but still the forest fire smoke and haze made it for poor photo opportunities for distance shots. Legs and lungs on the way up and knees on the way down, trekking poles were my friends today on the descent. 

Route: East Slopes
Posted On: 8/18/2020, By: 123tqb
Info: Barr Trail detour adds about 0.5 to 0.8mi, depending how much of the highway you cut off. Trail is in great shape and the construction is not noticeable until about 100ft below the summit. The summit is horrendous however. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 7/13/2020, By: mjflynn74
Info: Can one claim a summit if the actual summit is roped off, and if excavation debris from construction is piled higher than the normal summit, and also roped off? What a mess up top. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 7/1/2020, By: eudyke
Info: Conditions were great all the way up!
Crags trailhead, road to trailhead and facilities at parking lot were in excellent condition and not at all crowded. Encountered less than 10 hikers all the way up and back.
Many people think Pikes is an easy hike because you can drive to the top. It is NOT! I found it an excellent challenge! Maybe should have acclimated a day or so before attempting since I drove in from Houston the day before. Learned a big lesson and hope others heed this advice. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/29/2020, By: Som_Tawyer
Info: Went from Crags Campground to the summit of Pikes Peak via NW Slopes route. Both (1) the road in to the trailhead and (2) the actual trail to the summit are in summer conditions. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/22/2020, By: MTBen
Info: Hiked the crags, but got a view of the northwest route, looks like it's clear of snow. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/20/2020, By: Benoryan
Info: There is a fair amount of ice and snow scattered on the latter half of the trail but it's easy to get through without microspikes or boots. The summit was very windy and cold but it was still pretty early, around 9 am. 

Route: Both
Posted On: 6/19/2020, By: JQDivide
Info: Just an FYI: Pikes got a dusting of snow on Friday afternoon.
NOAA said 3-5, but it doesn't look like that much from Divide, maybe 2-3. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/16/2020, By: bluekaypierce
Info: So windy! Met lots of people turning around about 3-4 miles in because the gusts above tree line were literally knocking people over. Temperatures were warm though (~45 degrees at the base around 5 AM) and there were only a couple remaining patches of melty snow. Parking lot had maybe ten cars in it when we got there at 5 but was overflowing by 11 AM. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/14/2020, By: giovanniclean
Info: Trail was in good shape 99% of the way. Just a few small snow fields up top where the trail parallels the road. Major wind up there today...20-30mph sustained with 60mph+ gusts. I turned around at about 13,200ish ft. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/8/2020, By: E_A_Marcus_949
Info: Second time up this route. Parking lot was getting full by 5:30am on Sunday. Route is clear apart from the two crossings below the road hairpin turns where there is still snow on the route, however there is solid boot pack in those sections. Otherwise, clear all the way to 13,300'. Turned around due to awful winds knocking us over. People continued on. Looked clear of snow all the way up. Summer conditions.