11/22/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 11/22/2025, By: greggfah Info: Perfect conditions. No wind and warm temps. Microspikes needed. A few inches of snow from storm 2 days ago. Parking lot empty at 0630am. |
|
11/9/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 11/9/2025, By: PetersLittlePiper Info: Some icy spots near the top, but easily avoidable. Google was incorrectly saying the pass is closed, it's not |
|
11/5/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 11/5/2025, By: gschwartzkopf Info: Trail is clear and dry up to 13,000’, then some patchy ice to the summit. |
|
10/12/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 10/13/2025, By: Joel11 Info: Took a friend up his first 14er yesterday. Trail conditions were good. Very windy at the top. Snow around 13k. I did not use spikes as I gave them to my friend to use. It’s up to you whether or not to bring them. If you have experience with walking on snow and ice you should be fine without. If it’s your first 14er definitely bring spikes. Be ready for wind, the weather is definitely changing up high. Muddy through the willows. The trail has widened since I started doing this hike which was sad to see. What was equally disappointing was seeing people cutting switchbacks and walking through the tundra. I get it, it’s easier to walk on and a lot of people just don’t know, but please stay on the trail until the mountain is fully covered in snow. It can disrupt the alpine plant life even if it looks “dead” this time of year. |
|
10/12/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 10/12/2025, By: lschultes Info: Started at 6:15 am. Made the summit at 9:37 and back to trailhead by 12:30. Lower section of trail was frozen and slightly slick in the morning but fine without microspikes. Upper part to the peak was icy and snowy. Highly recommend microspikes and poles. |
|
10/8/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 10/8/2025, By: rejectsociety Info: Started out at like 6:00 AM. Was still fairly dark until an hour into the hike around 7 when the sun started rising. The flat part at the beginning was slightly crunchy underfoot but became fairly muddy by the time I got back to my car around 10:00ish. After clearing the opening flat and getting to the actual slope the trail became fairly well packed snow with a few icier spots. Would definitely recommend micro spikes especially for the way down. Beyond the saddle on the final push for the summit the rock field takes over and there really isn't a very identifiable trail but its still very doable |
|
9/30/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 10/1/2025, By: BlondeMtnBeard Info: Did a quick jaunt to the summit on the afternoon of 09/30/25. Conditions are transitioning from full summer to fall/winter. Some mud at lower elevations through the willows, all easily avoidable. Patchy snow beginning at 12.6k, more sustained snow on trail from 13.1k until gaining the summit ridge at 13.8k. I brought spikes but didn’t use them at all. Those comfortable traveling in the mountains and on snow will probably be fine without, while the less sure-footed might find additional traction and poles helpful. The runoff from the melting snow was more of a nuisance than the snow itself. With a melt-freeze cycle in place for the next few days, I imagine early mornings will be firm and icy. |
|
9/27/2025 Route: Bierstadt, Sawtooth, Blue Sky Posted On: 9/27/2025, By: slowtoad Info: Guanella Pass Trailhead parking filled up at approx. 5:40AM on a Saturday Mount Bierstadt Trail had minimal trail snow with some larger patches towards the summit, otherwise seemed like solid conditions Sawtooth Ridge Traverse: Lots of snow on the south side of the traverse (seemed like some pockets held at least 8 inches), most rocks on route are still visible but had to be wary to putting my foot onto an unknown snow patch. North side was much easier but with some unmelted (but trail broken) patches on route. I had and used micro spikes (pics attached) Blue Sky: Route finding was little tough at the start of the west ridge with the snow, and snow remained on trial most of the route up to summit but well broken in. The gully that drops into Scott Gomer Creek was pretty gnarly with melting snow and it's usual loose rocks, be cautious! |
|
9/14/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 9/17/2025, By: Alyssamackenzie Info: Peak conditions looked to be starting to transition into Fall with minimal areas of ice, but below freezing conditions on the summit with small patches of snow, flurries and hoarfrost on moss and vegetation on the upper ridges. |
|
9/6/2025 Route: Bierstadt, Sawtooth, Blue Sky Posted On: 9/6/2025, By: kmyi Info: Got to parking lot around 3:15am. Several cars/tents that were there overnight and a few others but definitely spots in main lot and lot across the street. Big digital sign on road reminding you not to park on the side of the road or you will be towed. There are new boards on the boardwalks as you begin and they are very nice and stable. They were frosted over this morning so we had to walk carefully. At this time in the morning there were some icy spots up high where the water is coming down over the rocks. It is mostly avoidable but just be careful. If a rock is wet, it may be slippery. A few icy spots on Blue Sky but are avoidable. The muddy bog in the alders is not joke. If you take your time you can usually find a not so muddy path on the side or through the alders a bit. The mud is intermittent so when you think you're finished with the mud, there's more. Other than those few things the conditions are still nice. A few yellow and orange coloring on some aspens coming from 285 on guanella pass. |
|
8/12/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 8/12/2025, By: rambis_21 Info: So I climbed Bierstadt this morning for some high altitude training before work. It's been maybe 5-6 years or more since I've been up here to see the trail. I remember the trail was in ROUGH shape from Guanella pass back then. I'd like to complement CFI and all the work done to maintain, improve, and make this trail more sustainable. It's still super wide going up the slope up high but man I think it looks so much better than what I remembered from years ago. Won a donation from me today! |
|
7/19/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 7/20/2025, By: philbearbutt Info: No snow on any part of trail as of July 19th. Snowfield before the summit is by the trail but there is no need to walk through any snow. We did not encounter any significant mud either. Parking lot full by 6AM on a Saturday but plenty of parking on highway. Trail was reasonably crowded but no "traffic jams". Very cold and windy at the boulder scramble crest and above. I didn't need a third layer jacket until this part. Colorado Fourteeners Initiative was replacing boards of the boardwalk on the way back but it seems like they'll likely be done this weekend, and this did not stop walking through. There was a lot of car traffic at noon. There seemed to be parade of boomers on motorcycles driving through for about 30 minutes but they didn't get off their motorized tricycles to touch grass. |
|
7/5/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 7/5/2025, By: maxavanzi Info: Summer conditions. |
|
7/3/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 7/3/2025, By: hkroyall Info: We got to the parking lot at 5:45 and it was already full. We were in the first handful to park on the street. It was bright enough when we started that we did not need headlamps. It was mid-40s when we started the hike, but warmed up considerably when the sun peeked over the ridge. The trail was wet from runoff above 13,000 ft but it was mostly avoidable. One snowfield left before the final ridge, but there's a path worn through it. |
|
6/23/2025 Route: West Slopes Posted On: 6/23/2025, By: SWINTJJ Info: We started at 0455 this morning with only a few cars in the lower parking lot. I saw at least two headlamps ahead of us. We ran into one of those on his way down, but the other must have taken the Sawtooth. We only made it to 13,300 as runoff had made the trail icy on a steady basis from about 13,000. With the possibility of rain and snow coming we did not want to risk injury, so that controlled our decision and we turned around. I don’t think spikes would have helped much. As we descended there were a lot of people still coming up. Some were not really dressed for the potential incoming weather, but that is their choice. We got back to the parking lot by 0905. We saw a few goats on the trail, and I saw a female moose on the way back home. |