Route: West Ridge Posted On: 2023-05-30, By: ssowalskie Info: Much of the trail is snow-free, though there are sporadic patches of snow here and there, particularly after turning right at the fork to South Colony Lake and the switchbacks leading up to the ridge. The ridge has snow as well, but it's easily avoidable for the most part, as you can choose to scramble up the rocks on the north side of the ridge. That said, be careful on the large icy slope on the switchbacks heading up to the ridge, someone slipped and fell about 200 feet today and had to be airlifted out by search and rescue. Postholing was minimal, even with descending from the summit at 10am. I didn't have to use any traction or flotation, and only briefly used poles. The most irritating part of the trail is simply that the South Colony Lakes road after the gate closure is significantly washed out, with it feeling more like hiking up a muddy creek bed than a trail. Overall, it took just under 7 hours from car to car, including time spent on the summit and watching the search and rescue team. |
|
Route: West Ridge Posted On: 2023-05-29, By: terribletigzy Info: Ascended the east ridge and descended the west ridge. Started up the east ridge a little before 4 am. Way too dry for this route so its basically just walked straight through the woods with tons of deadfall and no obvious route for much of it. Route was completely dry until ~11,200 where very avoidable and intermittent snow fields began. Only had to cross a few snow fields and it stayed hard enough to do so in just boots. Above tree line there was very little snow. West ridge on the descent held a lot more snow, but it was still hard due to a good freeze from the night before. There was lots of evidence of previously postholing on the route both in the trees and from the saddle to the summit. I carried snowshoes and never used them. Micros would have been helpful on the way ridge, but not I didnt even bother to take mine out. Its too melted out for the east ridge. West ridge goes (and way more scenic) but I would recommend starting early or you might have some issues. Also south colony road was basically a stream with some high river crossings, waterproof boots were a life saver. |
|
Route: West Ridge Posted On: 2023-05-28, By: GaryBroome6 Info: Road to summer TH is clear of ice and snow. TH to tree line is gorgeous. We got off trail coming out of tree line and ended up on the south face of Humboldt a couple hundred feet above trail. Seems like this isnt too uncommon based off footprints and seeing other hikers. Just continued traversing and boulder hopping until the trail came up to meet us. On the descent our group agreed we were better off as we avoided a lot of snow. Some post holing and snow field sections where snowshoes might be nice but its not really worth lugging them all that way for a couple short sections. Traction helped though and Im not sure I wouldve traversed the last snow field below the ridge without. Wind on the ridge was comically bad. Struggled to keep my footing when it gusted. |
|
Route: West Ridge Posted On: 2023-05-13, By: HoosierWaffles Info: Started around 7 from South Colony Lakes. Some snow in the basin but as you go higher and get on the ridge the snow is more avoidable. There are still some snowfields that need crossed on the way up the the saddle. Didn't use floatation on the way up but did on the way down starting around 12k. Pretty windy on the ridge that day I think the forecast said 25 mph, probably wouldn't want to be up there any windier than that. The Sangres got snow Thursday so this could be dated, but Humbolt was by far the driest peak in the area. On the approach snow was avoidable on the road until 10,700. |
|
Route: Southeast Gully Posted On: 2023-04-15, By: milesmorris Info: 4/13 looked up and there is very little snow on the south side. Check out pics. |
|
Route: Southeast Gully Posted On: 2023-04-12, By: One Sierra Charlie Info: Southeast Gully does not go from the exact summit, but is in okay shape for skiing. The bottom (forested) section will melt out soon and was the crux of the route for me. The lower portion of the gully is interrupted by a small cliff containing an impressive ice fall. The snow in the trees on either side of this obstacle is thin and rotten so I found the best option is to boot up the steep snow (and rock) adjacent to the ice fall (I learned all of this on a recon mission the afternoon prior). I skied the trees to skier's right on the way down and this is pure survival skiing with lots of sudden collapsing of the snowpack. This may have been partly due to the insanely warm temperatures over the past few days. Most of the route above tree line has adequate snow coverage and quality. The snow probably ends about 30 vertical feet below the summit. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-04-10, By: Limidi Info: Decided to take my GF on her first winter climb out in the rockies. Took the east ridge up, early start of around 4:30 am. Refreeze made the snow and ice on the 4wd road very solid, did not need snowshoes until around treeline. there was a good snowshoe path all the way up the route until treeline. Above treeline there is a large snowfield from 12,000 ft until about 12,500. At 12,500 onward there are intermittent patches of grass, snow and rocks up to the summit. Beautiful day! Decided to descend the Southeast Gully, Not the best idea. No apparent av danger, but it got very icy towards the middle. Took at least three hours to descend the gully safely. Not Fun. In hindsight, we should have just taken the east ridge back! Would not have taken so long, but there were personal issues that affected the descent. Would definitely have brought an ice axe though... At the end of the gully, snow was nice and deep, and the 4wd road back to rainbow trail had a few snowmobile markings but not much else. Overall a fun day aside from the gully, so be advised! Total trip time was 14hr11m. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-04-09, By: Maricopa Mountaineer Info: Summited Humboldt via the east ridge. The snow starts about .6mi in from the south colony lake 2WD TH and remains until about 4 ish mi in and around 12k ft. No signs of avy danger on east facing slopes. There is a massive dry patch from 12k to 13,400ish and then patchy snow on the ridge to the summit. There were 3 others I saw today, one solo and one group of 2. The group of 2 tried glissading down the southeast gully without ice axes, I had them in my sight for ~20 min on my way down but they had only managed to drop about 30ft from the summit, I hope they made it back safely. Total time was 8 hours and my watch recorded 12.77mi with ~5300ft of gain |
|
Route: West Ridge Posted On: 2023-04-08, By: GabbyCanada Info: The 4WD road was impossible to drive trough (Most vehicle track stoped about 1/4 mile). The rest of the 4WD road still has snow/ice and a fallen tree about 1.5 Mile up. We started our hike around 5h30 from the 2WD parking lot. From the intersection with Rainbow trail all the way to the old south colony TH, the snow was compact (we had snowshoes on but the walk was pretty easy). From there we climbed up a small gully with a little bit of snow in it making it easy to climb to the rock section (with did not do the true west route but we could see some switchback a little more west of our position). At the top of the gully we did multiple switch backs to regain the west route trail (witch is no that well marked). From there the summit is all yours. We had a little bit of wind and some gust wind maybe 30mph from the SW. There was almost no snow on the summit and on the ridge. We had some microspike but they were not mandatory. We decided to go down on the east route (Not a good idea if you didnt come up that way) because we thought it would be faster. After going down the ridge, we ended up bushwalking until we finally reached Rainbow trail (Please dont climb up our trail because we went straight down). Our trail is further down rainbow trail than the one used by winter_wisher and colekics and we marked it with a X. Total hike time 10h and 35 minutes, total outing around 13 hours. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-04-02, By: winter_wisher Info: Conditions were similar to colekics's Humboldt East Ridge report, posted on 03/12/2023. Thankfully, we didn't see or hear signs of avalanche danger, and above-treeline snow on this route was sparse. Unfortunately, we didn't see a trench. Although we made new tracks, we noticed that the lower-altitude tracks we made that morning were melting to slush and fading. I wouldn't count on them lasting long. We started from the 2WD parking due to ice and snow on the 4WD road. Additionally, there's a small fallen tree across the 4WD road roughly a mile up; even snowmobile tracks stopped there. Snowshoes were pretty much mandatory beyond this point. After cutting west from Rainbow Trail and snowshoeing the forested ridge toward Humboldt, we emerged into a drift-filled glade beyond which neither snowshoes nor microspikes were necessary. Above the glade, occasional and shallow patches of crusted snow covered the tundra. Wind above treeline was 30 mph sustained with stronger gusts all the way to the summit. Total hike time was 12h45m. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-03-13, By: colekics Info: Solid but tough day. We got to the trailhead at 3:30 am and started a bit before 4. We had to park about 1.5 miles from the Rainbow trailhead due to snow on the road, so our total route length was about 10 miles. There were some ATV tracks for about 1/3 of a mile, but after that, there were just some nordic tracks and then eventually nothing, so we tossed snowshoes on. The snow on the road wasn't terrible. We got to the trailhead and went about .2 miles down the trail before finding the turn-off. It is difficult to spot, but we left a pretty hefty trench, so get it while it's good. The only annoying part of the treeline portion was pretty close to the beginning, where we had to take off our snowshoes to get past some fallen trees, exposed rocks, and dense brush. After that, it was just trail-breaking until timberline. There was existent but minimal slide risk in this area. Again, our trench should be there for a while. At treeline we stashed our snowshoes in a little snowbank so they wouldn't get blown away. Up above treeline the wind was 40mph sustained but gusts got up to 60. The snow above this point is variable, but we definitely did not need the snowshoes anymore. Going up the ride we just stuck to the exposed rock bands where we could. We stuck all the way to the crest of the ridge after the 13,400 foot (ish) point. There were sections of rock that we climbed up on, and in between them we walked in the snow close to the edge. Pretty much did that same monotonous thing until the summit. Easy going on the way down, but the snow got a bit slushy. Got back to the car at 2:30. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-02-13, By: _coloradical Info: Nice smooth climb of Humboldt via the East Ridge on Sunday, Feb. 12th. The road is nice and packed down to the Rainbow Trail cutoff. From here the trail is pretty easy to follow but the turnoff to gain the East Ridge route is pretty faint. Make sure your paying attention otherwise you may miss the cutoff. I wore boots without traction up until about 10,600 feet, and transitioned to snowshoes until 11,300 feet. The ridge is pretty wind blown, I was able to wear boots up until 13,500 feet where I transitioned to spikes for the final climb. Not sure what the upcoming snow will do, but awesome job to everyone who has helped keep this trench in place. I did my best to keep it packed in but I was the only one to make summit yesterday, one other person behind me also wearing snowshoes to help keep it packed down. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-02-11, By: shapovalovm Info: Perfect conditions on Humboldt. The trench is renewed thanks to a group of 2 that were ahead of us today + then the 2 of us. The turnoff for the ridge is pretty obvious and is a couple hundred yards before the rainbow trail climbs the ridge (so you end up being a little left to the ridge and then awkwardly climb it from there). We used snowshoes roughly between 10k-12k and I would highly recommend them. Above treeline (~12k) it's mostly tundra and rock, barely any snow, which make for a very easy way up. The weather was perfect today, very warm, felt like spring. The wind gets worse for the last 1000' probably due to terrain, but today was not too bad. The 2WD trailhead is easily accessible by any car (the road to the TH is completely dry), you can take your Lambo there if you have one. The road past that looks easy, but don't be fooled, it gets bad really fast (maybe ~.7m in). |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-01-29, By: astranko Info: 3 of us summited today. The trench to treeline has been refreshed as of 1/29. It was visible in some places, buried in others during our ascent. We used snowshoes above ~10k to treeline. We booted to the summit, and then used snowshoes from treeline back to ~10k. We did not find them necessary on the rainbow trail or on the road to the turnoff. Trenching was strenuous up to treeline. The first slope to 13.2k is mixed tundra and snow and easily passible. Above, we found a few windslabs that were stable and a good bit of rime and snow covered talus. The weather from 13.2k to 14k was abysmal. Cold, windy, cloudy, etc. Overall, a fun if adversarial day. I can post pictures of some parts of the route upon request. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-01-29, By: JasonCrane Info: Stayed in Westcliffe on Saturday night & aborted a Humboldt attempt for Sunday. Entire Sangre de Cristo Range was in the clouds on Sat/Sun with visibly severe winds & extreme cold. Sangre de Cristo has been in the clouds & enduring high winds since Mon Jan 23rd. Unfortunately, was not able to actually hike S Colony Lakes Rd or Rainbow Trail. Be wary of wind slabs & wind drifted snow after this week's on-going high winds onslaught. Check your own weather & mountain forecasts for a more favorable weather window Wed-Fri timeframe this wk. Use your best judgment. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-01-17, By: benmangelsdorf Info: Hiked Humboldt's East Ridge yesterday. Started at 6:30AM, returned to car at 4:30PM (not exactly FKT material lol). Snow was friendly on the road. Put on my snowshoes at the Rainbow Trail junction and kept them on until treeline at which point there was so much wind that there was hardly any snow to deal with aside from a bit around 13,500ish on the ridge proper. The snow ranged from thin (and filled with deadfall and twigs eager to catch your snowshoes and make you trip) to deep powder, and the first portion of the trail alternates between them in a way where IMO it just makes sense to keep floatation on until treeline. We got lucky and had a pretty awesome trench through the deep stuff (thanks to everyone who put that in!), but I imagine that will largely be gone as of today. I did not wear traction during any point of the day, but it might be nice to have on the ridge after you take snowshoes off depending on how much snow there is there. Crazy weather conditions: started sunny and bluebird, then blowing clouds, then snowing as we hiked down. Not exactly my favorite route, but a super fun day out! Also, note, photos uploaded in reverse order. Captions give a sense of where they were taken. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-01-14, By: yaymountain Info: Successful summit today! Don't miss the left turn about a quarter mile past the bridge otherwise you're tacking on unnecessary miles. A couple guys did that today, ouch! Some parts after turning are bare so use GPS to find trail. You'll soon hit the trench and that will take you to treeline. Be prepared for crazy winds. Mountain Forecast said 25-30 mph and Open Summit said up to 70 mph gusts. I didn't have an anemometer but the wind was nasty AF, especially after leaving the trees at 11,800 and proceeding up the open field during the 1,000 feet hike up towards the ridge. This was the worst part with consistent winds in your face. We started at 7:30am at the TH and summited at 1pm after four measly miles! Our avg. summer pace is 23 min mile for 800'+ gain for reference. We did not need to use snowshoes during ascent and stashed them at treeline. We used them during descent but only bc we brought them. As a result, there's a great trench now! Thanks to those who came before us for starting it. I'm sheepish taking winter credit for this one bc snow above treeline very thin and negligible. Axe is way overkill. Also, saw two bighorn sheep at 13,600ish which was pretty cool. They left some tasty chocolate covered raisins. Ran into a group of two heading up Marble Mtn. Also ran into Patrick from Iowa at the summit who camped at 11k feet and took a slightly different variation up. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-01-11, By: Logan5280 Info: Started at 2wd trailhead for a solo ascent on 1/8. Packed snow from trailhead until the turn off from Rainbow Trail. Going through the woods, there was no sign of a trench anywhere, so I followed the GPS route until tree-line. From around 10.2k until 11.7k, it was constant knee-deep postholing, even with snowshoes. Even though the other folks on the mountain that day packed down the trench throughout the day, flotation is still highly recommended to avoid a major sufferfest. The upper forest (above 10.5k) might be skiable if you really try, but there's not really enough snow yet to justify it; snowshoes are probably the best bet. Above tree-line, it was just a wind-swept meadow with patches of snow here and there for the most part, with a few larger snow patches (spikes might be helpful for the ridge). Despite the mild forecast, there was some pretty intense wind constantly above tree-line. Overall, a bit of a sufferfest, but doable. |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2023-01-09, By: Ryan987 Info: Trail to the peak was a slog, first half compromised of post holding through knee deep snow until tree line (bring your snowshoes!!! We made a big mistake leaving them behind. Skiing is maybe possible, although wouldn't reccomend it just yet). The second half is climbing exposed face with intense constant wind with gusts up to 60 mph. I wouldn't rely on mountain forecast.com for accurate wind forecast. The last mile or so along the ridge was a fun class 2+ hike. Only 2 other people on the mountain and the summit had amazing views of the crestones. Be prepared to use your GPS to lead you up and down. To the guy who summited first in orange puffy, thank you very much again for the trail breaking! |
|
Route: East Ridge Posted On: 2022-12-27, By: Stee Info: The road to Rainbow TH was easy with my 4runner. It had some deepish snow in a few spots but never a problem. There is a nice trench in the snow to tree line but it had melted in several areas making a GPS track very handy in the woods. No snowshoes or spikes were used today. The wind was brutal. I only made it to 12500 ft and I turned around. It was knocking me down to the ground every few steps! |