Missouri Mountain

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/27/2024, By: mountainero
Info: Only lingering snow was right above the saddle. in the morning shade it was firm, but i imagine in the afternoon it and the mud softened up. otherwise perfect conditions. out ran some clouds on the way out and they opened up once i was in town. might have more snow, might be muddier. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/18/2024, By: Curtro
Info: Snow and ice above the trail junction to Elkhead Pass. Ankle deep snow near the summit ridge and enough ice to warrant micro-spikes. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/9/2024, By: MtnMann
Info: Climbed Belford, Oxford, and Missouri on Saturday, 9/7. Conditions were incredible. A little chilly, but clear skies and not too much wind. No snow anywhere and only a handful of simple water crossings in the valley. The SW ridge up Belford, ridge over to Oxford, the SW slopes down Belford were all straightforward. Only thing worth mentioning: I almost missed the turn over to Oxford (and another hiker almost made the same mistake as I was coming down) so keep an eye open for your point to turn. It wasn't hidden or particularly difficult to find, maybe the terrain just felt like it was directing me towards Missouri instead of Oxford. Only difficult part of the NW ridge up Missouri was the loose face on the S side of the ridge, after the false summit. It is pretty loose and could feel pretty exposed if you do not have a lot of experience. Just take it slow and hug closer to the rocks on the left, and climb over the small protrusion to the left of the small spire instead of going around. Solid rock > fine gravel. I camped near the river about 1.8 mi in from the TH. Left at 5:20 am, 1:45 to the summit of Belford, :45 to the summit of Oxford, :35 back to the turn below the summit of Belford, :40 to the basin and turn up Missouri, 1:20 up the summit of Missouri, 1:34 back down to camp. In total: 7:58, 12.5 mi. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/4/2024, By: GrizzlyAdams
Info: On trail at 5:15 am with a summit of Mount Belford by 7:45 am at exactly 4 miles. No issues following the main trail and the ground is bone dry. Around 8 people were at the top and maybe another 10 on trail on the way up. Scooted over to Oxford with no issues and then returned taking the Elkhead Pass route to Missouri. Scree area near the top can be avoided by staying high on the trail. Crested the summit at 11 am and returned down Missouri Gulch (crossing one goat on the way) and closed out the day at 2 pm. Dry feet all day so the water levels are very low. Trails were relatively quiet. Plenty of water access in the main valley for refilling. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/11/2024, By: Ariella6
Info: Trail is mostly dry. Summer conditions. 4 big river crossings, running fairly high right now. Made it across without wet shoes/socks however. 2 stretches of trail near top are washed out. The one area right before summit is extremely slick, slidy dirt. Have poles and be safe. That stretch was a bit scary. I wont do this trail again until trail has been fixed on the washed out areas. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/8/2024, By: bog_gnar
Info: We started at Clear Creek because we did not have a 4runner or high clearance truck/4wd . We hiked up to Clohesy lake and camped for the night - lots of great spots. In the morning we woke up and ascended the very steep West Ridge of Missouri Mountain. We then descended Missouri to the right and continued up Iowa Mountain. Pretty straight forward ascent and descent. Very obvious route. Next up was Emerald Mountain. The Ascent up to Emerald was simple and the descent was a different story. We took it straight down about 1000 feet of Scree Surfing. Not sure if you could find a better descent route but this one was all very loose rock. Doable, and fun, but definitely no trail and no stability. Once we descended, the trail is not extremely noticeable for about 3 miles, but listen to the routes you find online because it loops around a valley that is not crossable. Once you hike 3 miles, the trail is much more defined. Although on a average or high snow season, I don't recommend going until late July because it was muddy and lots of fallen trees. Very doable even in July though if you dont mind getting muddy. Also, few stream crossings - nothing major. The biggest crossing was the original crossing at Clear Creek and I want to say it was probably about 12 inches high at the lowest point - river doesn't move to fast so again, it was super doable in early July if you do not mind wet shoes or bringing a change of shoes. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/5/2024, By: CodyAnschutz33
Info: Climbed Missouri Mountain via West Ridge on 4th of July. Summer conditions throughout entire hike, but stream crossings at the beginning of the hike were no joke. Water was rushing pretty fast and above knees at first crossing. It was obviously freezing, especially early in the morning; felt pretty nice on the way down! Fun route though if you're looking for an alternative with a beautiful lake view and optional cold plunge! 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/1/2024, By: ColoNativeGal
Info: Pretty much the same as the last 2 reports. I climbed up the snowfield to gain the ridge, then on the way down took the screefield. I had microspikes but didn't use them. There are steps kicked in and it was soft enough to kick in additional steps if needed. As stated in the other report you can cross the streams carefully without getting wet. I did a better job in the morning than I did in the afternoon. Going up, the trail is washed out on crossing after the Belford junction so I did more talus hopping, but on the way down the trail was easier to follow along the creek. The other snow crossings are not an issue, but have the potential for post hole action if you cross them later in the day. I noticed a couple of holes on the crossing just above the Elkhead Pass junction on my way down. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/29/2024, By: edmdais1
Info: Some snow crossings in the basin and one more substantial snow field that covers the trail at the exit to ridge from the switchbacks. Most people were bypassing it on left up a loose scree field. The snow was soft and slippery. Both ways are equally not fun. The ridge proper had one little easily bypassed snow section and the crux section is completely snow free. Water crossings are high but with careful maneuvering I managed to stay dry. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/28/2024, By: WinterisClimbing
Info: 90% summer conditions. Snowfields: A couple 10-20 step fields on the trail. One large unavoidable one, one large avoidable one, and one avoidable one right before you summit the ridge. That one is steep. Ridge is dry Stream Crossings: They make this one a bit more challenging. Firstly, at the big crossing after you turn right at the Oxford/Belford - Elkhead turnoff, turn left immediately after you cross it at the fat cairn. Don't continue up the trail there it just dumps you in a boulderfield. You'll turn left into a stream but it's still the trail, just washed out. Hug the stream on the right side until a trail becomes visible, you'll have to boulder hop in some places. Secondly, there's a large stream crossing about halfway between the Oxford/Belford junction and the Elkhead/Missouri junction that is large enough that one may consider removing shoes/socks if one does not have waterproof boots. It's pretty bad. Other than that it was a great trip! 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/24/2024, By: mhaskins2050
Info: Mostly summer conditions but there are a few snow fields that intersect with the trail. We were able to hike through or around them without spikes, but we started post-holing as early as 8am. Snow isnt very deep so its just an annoyance. I would wait another week or two for 100% summer conditions. The creek is moving fast, so theres also a few creek crossings that are more intense than normal. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/24/2024, By: mhaskins2050
Info: Mostly summer conditions but there are a few snow fields that intersect with the trail. We were able to hike through or around them without spikes, but we started post-holing as early as 8am. Snow isnt very deep so its just an annoyance. I would wait another week or two for 100% summer conditions. The creek is moving fast, so theres also a few creek crossings that are more intense than normal. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/21/2024, By: brighthtonhiker
Info: Trail was clear all the way to the junction with Belford. Encountered multiple snow fields in the basin area. Some challenges finding the route across the snow fields but not too bad. Snow was easy to walk across in the early morning, but we post-holed a few times on our way back down. Brought micro-spikes with us but didnt use them. Still some snow on the trail right before reaching the ridge and easy enough to get through/over/around. Glissaded the snow at the ridge on our way back down. Approx 100. Some snow still on the ridge but we didnt have to traverse the snow to reach the peak. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/14/2024, By: samfarmer789
Info: Still lots of snow crossings that are unavoidable. Lost the trail a few times but glissaded down off the ridge which was fun. Keep in the middle of the valley, dont try and gain the ridge too early! Used my spikes almost the whole time but melting fast. Prob will be mostly clear in two weeks. If attempting the triple, I would definitely do Bel/Ox first and then take elkhead pass bc youll already be in the back of the valley. I did it the other way and had to turn back bc of weather. 

Route: North Face Couloirs
Posted On: 5/25/2024, By: gingers101
Info: Snow continuous from 10,800 feet. Cold snow in the north face couloirs. Kinda wind punchy