Mt. Sherman

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/14/2024, By: zackj99
Info: Summer conditions. A single significant snowfield that is completely avoidable. Road is in good condition to the trailhead. Pretty crowded but a gorgeous day for a hike! 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/4/2024, By: RobertClement
Info: Trail head was solid no snow. No snow crossings needed for a summit. Winds were around 40-50mph with gusts significantly higher. We had some goats summit with us. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/29/2024, By: mjm1231
Info: Mount Sherman was crowded! Conditions: dry for the most part (mountain-forecast.com nailed forecast). Nothing to note in the approaches through the mines. Three small snowfields on the west slope, 30 yds, 15 yds and 10ft, that are very packed. The last bit of snow (10ft) to the saddle is like climbing a snow stair. Brought spikes but didnt need. No snow on summit pitch but snow at the summit. Road isn't bad if you go 20 mph and park in the lower lot that is a quarter mile from the gate/TH. 3 hours 17 minutes car to car. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/25/2024, By: mijoflynn
Info: All snow in the basin is now gone. Just a few remaining snow patches on the west slopes before the turn into the gully (the trail is marked in red). They were rock-hard and slippery at 7am, and spikes were helpful but not necessary; no need for traction on the return trip once things had softened up. There's no meaningful snow on the route once you turn into the gully. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/22/2024, By: Javfa1958
Info: Really nice day on Sherman other than some intense wind at the top. A few snow crossings left especially approaching the saddle. Nice short glissade on the way back. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/20/2024, By: kilimannejaro
Info: The trail after about 12,500' is very clear. Before that it felt like a ton of bushwhacking to get to the slope. It's obvious from the parking lot what to aim for (a well trod line along the slope), but the actual way to get there is not super clear at first sight. The pictures should illustrate waypoints along the flat part of the route. Also, for the flat beginning part, snowshoes would not be unhelpful. There's still some glissading along the route; I found myself wishing I'd had my ice axe a few times. 

Route: South Slope
Posted On: 6/19/2024, By: benpmason3
Info: Started at 5am and summited at 7:15. 4 hours car to car. Fog rolled in the last half of the day and made visibility challenging. Took the south route because the cornice above the southwest route looked very sketchy and about to collapse any day now. Below the cornice there were lots of signs of wet loose avalanche. South route was almost entirely dry. Only put on spikes once for a short but steep stretch at the top. Made a loop out of the trail and came down on the southwest route, away from the largest part of the cornice. Still was kinda sketchy and hard to find the best entry point into the bowl, so I'd recommend doing the south route until the cornice is fully collapsed. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/18/2024, By: MountainHiker
Info: The saddle snow/cornice is still being tracked in for the traverse on the uphill. The upper part was not a traverse yet; it just went up, but with steps. That last steps were fairly steep. The final step to get on top was a tall one. Would not want to have done that without a pole. I started late, 9:30, & the snow was user friendly. Be careful on the glissade, There are a couple glissade tracks with rocks poking through in places. The road below hilltop mine has a couple snow crossings. The ridge above the saddle has some snow crossings, but is mostly dry trail. Impressive snow piles next to trail along the summit approach. As always this time of year, pack the microspikes and a pole. The road will shake the S#i+ out of you and your vehicle. Be careful, although most sturdy vehicles can drive it, there are some hard hits lurking. Just accept it will take an hour instead of taking life from your vehicle! 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/15/2024, By: Nick_B
Info: Started at 5:30am, parked right at gate at end of Fourmile Creek Road. Summited at 7:27 am, hung out for 15min up top, arrived back at car 8:55am. Road Condition is fine, any/all SUVs should have zero issue getting to trailhead. Even saw a Corolla survive up to the top, though I wouldn't advise it lol. Weather: Wind fluctuated from non existent to a fair bit of gusts on ridge. Overall I'd rate mild, 3.5/10. But don't underestimate the need for gloves, when the wind blows it's really cold. Regarding snow conditions, there is a short 100-200yd traverse on the main trail before the cornice. Trekking poles are great for this, but not necessary. More risk for slipping later in the day. Now for the cornice.... Guys please be careful with that. Plenty of evidence of it deteriorating significantly in some spots. I swung way wide to the north on the ascent and glissaded down the south side on the descent. For gear, I wore micro spikes, gaiters, and used trek poles. I think the whole trail is accessible without any of those, but quality of life *with* them is significant IMO. Trailhead to cornice mostly no snow. Base of cornice to Ridgeline trail = 100% snow. Ridgeline to summit mixture of loose rock, very occasional postholing snow, and a lot of thin crunchy ice on rock that's very easy to walk on. 

Route: South Ridge via Iowa Gulch
Posted On: 6/15/2024, By: jts26
Info: From Iowa Gulch TH, fairly continuous and bulletproof snow at 8 PM step off. Snow cuts out once you swing into the Sheridan-Sherman Gully, ridge is 80% clear of snow, and 100% avoidable. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/15/2024, By: shaines90
Info: I summited about an hour after Nick_B, and spent more time up top headed toward Dyer Mountain (which I aborted due to incoming dark clouds) so came down later. I made it back to my car just about noon, by which time most of the snow had significantly softened and postholing had become a problem. The small snow fields on the lower parts of the trail will likely be fully melted out in the next week, and the cornice all along the Sheridan-Sherman saddle is starting to show signs of coming loose - lots of cracks along it. Had a nice glissade from the top of the cornice almost all the way back to the ruins, though! 

Route: South Slope
Posted On: 6/6/2024, By: RobMcG
Info: Easy and dry to the Fourmile Creek TH, but it was very warm, 47F and windy at a 0630 step off from the gate. We never really found frozen snow all day. Very slushy and wet everywhere, even on the summit by the time we got there at 1000. We really took our time picking a route to avoid Wet Slide Avi Hazards, and swapping Micro Spikes and Snow shoes back and forth several times. Post holing a lot across unavoidable snow fields. We climbed to the ridge to the north of the collapsing cornice line that crosses through the saddle between Sherman and Sheridan. Tough way up, but the climb was fantastic, and once we made the south ridge, it was a nice easy walk in micro spikes. We made a loop for our return, and came down the east facing open snow field toward White Ridge, then dropped straight to the TH, island hopping across the smallest snow fields we could find. Post holing if we didn't put on the snowshoes. 6 hours total trip. Great day. The snow will be way more melted away in another week or 2 with such hot weather. Lots of animals, birds, insects, and beginning of new vegetation. 

Route: South Slope
Posted On: 6/2/2024, By: syrupgravy
Info: Found great corn for a ski on the south slope! The main part of the route as it turns to the summit plateau (~13k ft) is no longer continuous and requires stepping 2 ft or so over rock. You might be able to find another way through. Started at 5:55, summit at 8:35, and dropped at 9:10. Can ski straight off summit. Upper face (I went skiers right of the climbing route, see photos) was a bit crusty still, but below the rock transition mentioned above it was perfect corn! Really fun and still great! Came to 5.4 mi RT from where the snow starts on the road. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/2/2024, By: masonzastrow
Info: Started at 4:30, summited at 6:45, back to car at 9:15. We intended to do the summer route, but saw a considerable cornice running along most of the saddle between Sherman and Sheridan. With a solid freeze and no fear of it falling, we checked out a notch in the cornice right where the summer route takes the ridge. You could get over it with an ice axe, but it would be inadvisable to come down the same way, so we went around the north end of the cornice instead and climbed angled NW up the south slope to eventually meet the trail. Wore spikes the whole way and only sunk once or twice. GREAT glissading conditions, with an axe I was able to slide down maybe 600 feet total throughout the descent. Expect to park one mile below the gate, unless you have a real rig. I got to the trailhead fine in a Nissan Juke. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/1/2024, By: yoanna
Info: Perfect condition! Barely any wind till the ridge. Started at 7:30am (late but oh well) and back to the car at 11am. Parked a mile away from the summer trailhead at the gate. The upper layer of the snow was soft enough in the morning so I was able to make the entire trip with only cleats. If I were do it again, I may start early before 6am to avoid the postholes on the way down specifically the section close to the parking.