Mt. Bierstadt

Route: Bierstadt, Sawtooth, Blue Sky
Posted On: 7/6/2026, By: Lost Steez
Info: Epic hike. Summer conditions. Was expecting more class 3 moves, but it wasn't bad. Route finding is straightforward; cairns are placed all along the traverse. 

Route: Tour de Abyss Loop
Posted On: 6/23/2026, By: shakabrah
Info: Full summer conditions on most of the route except for patches of snow on the descent off Bierstadt. They were mostly avoidable but if you follow the "standard" descent I think that puts you right in the middle of the remaining snowfield. The snow was soft and somewhat unstable by 8:30AM this morning. I'd be prepared for a couple more class 2-3 downclimbs than usual for the next few weeks if you're trying to stay out of the snow. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/20/2026, By: UneasyHeart
Info: Conditions were great. A little bit wet in spots. No snow on the trail path so I didn't need to use spikes. Just a little windy at the top as predicted. Got to the summit at 5:45AM 

Route: Tour de Abyss Loop
Posted On: 6/19/2026, By: pthomps17
Info: Route is in full summer conditions except for a steep snowfield descending off Bierstadt to the sawtooth. Much longer and more difficult route than expected. Don’t take this lightly. Hope to have a trip report up soon with more thoughts! 

Route: Tour de Abyss Loop
Posted On: 6/24/2026, By: Mfariss45
Info: Awesome climb, but was tougher than expecting. The ridge on Bierstadt is rock-hoping not tundra. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/19/2026, By: HikesInGeologicTime
Info: You could step on snow, but you’d pretty much have to go out of your way to do it. Protip: if you aim to summit near sunset, you might get said summit to yourself in June, then potentially have the whole mountain to yourself, depending on how slow you are descending!

Pics not particularly relevant to conditions; I was just excited about how much better my “new” phone is at taking night shots than my old one was. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/15/2026, By: caesarsalad
Info: Trail is completely dry to ~12.7k. From there to the saddle, the trail has a thin trickle of water running down it. Saddle to the summit has a few patches of snow that are well packed down if you want to go over them, or easily avoided if you don’t (see photo for an example). Regardless, no traction or flotation of any kind needed. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/12/2026, By: kkuhl40
Info: 3rd time up bierstadt today, took my girlfriend up for her first 14er. Great hike, but I can tell the trail has seen better days. Not bad at all, but there is some restoration areas and parts that have appeared to degrade since I’ve last done it. Trail did have some ice on it for the last 1.5ish miles but is easy to go around. Great day overall. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/11/2026, By: theolubke
Info: Snow is melting fast. In the late afternoon, there was a steady stream flowing down the trail for a few hundred feet below the saddle. With overnight freezes and morning sun rising on the other side of the mountain, this area will be icy in mornings for several days.

Marmot at the summit was way too interested in our food. It's probably not readers of this site, but please do not feed wild animals! 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/10/2026, By: repjap22
Info: Snow and ice still present and melting by noon making trails slushy/muddy. Brutal wind today. 30-50 MPH made for a long day and a short time at the summit. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/7/2026, By: evanspond
Info: Snow and icy patches for the last 3/4 mile, microspikes needed 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/6/2026, By: mpetruccelli
Info: Tons of snow roughly halfway up. Microspikes needed. Go early because slush starts and becomes muddy and slippery. Saw multiple people slip and fall due to the conditions. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/7/2026, By: Kileyraffaeli
Info: Some ice and snow above 12,500. Used spikes last 2 miles on the ascent and the descent. Saw a few people without spikes and they were slipping around. Otherwise, really great conditions. Some mud here and there but nothing crazy. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/5/2026, By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: Microspikes and/or poles are still recommended on the last 1,200 feet of the hike, due to remaining snow and ice. Today, a lot of hikers without microspikes were avoiding portions of the upper trail and walking on the dry tundra. The final pitch has some snow as well. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 5/31/2026, By: SteffenLikesFrogs
Info: Arrived at the trailhead around 4:40am. Trail was dry and completely free of snow until about 13,000' give or take, and it was firm and we didnt posthole on the way up or down.

Microspikes and trekking poles were absolutely necessary for us to successfully summit, but others were doing it without.

Once we got back down the mountain the lower trail sections got muddy, but could be avoided and wasn't deep.