11/30/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 12/1/2025, By: elliebeauchamp Info: Snow was to my ankles or knees the entire time. There was a blizzard the entire time and -18F chill, trail is not very visible out of treeline and in the basin before the ridge crest the snow was the deepest. Also not a lot of visibility. We put on spikes on the ridge crest and used them the rest of the time. My phone said it was 11.8 miles and we parked below the 4WD road! |
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11/29/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 12/1/2025, By: mikeell1 Info: Around 8F with 35mph winds for a chill of -18F. There was light snow the night before. My friend and I made it to the trailhead at the end of the 4x4 road with a 4WD F150. No issue. Not sure why others had problems. No deeper than ankles until the treeline. Post holed a bit after and when we lost the trail. I don't think it's worth bringing snowshoes, just push through the post holing. We used, and I highly recommend, trekking poles and microspikes. Pretty warm aside from the winds when exposed. Typical layering: drifit shirt, base layer top/bot, down jacket, hardshell top/bot, boots, beanie, liners and gloves. The wind was the main miserable part. |
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11/26/2025 Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 11/26/2025, By: man_of_nature Info: Started from 0.4 miles after the turn from winfield up 390. Snow was present where I parked, but was only a few inches at most all the way up to the standard trailhead. Went up the lulu gulch road, sticking north to grab Middle, then to un13471, Browns, and Huron to finish. Came down the standard NW route. Snow was no more than ankle deep and pleasant all the way until the final 500' or so until Huron. Became more trapdoory and annoying. Put microspikes on at the summit and wore them until back at treeline. |
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11/15/2025 Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 11/15/2025, By: masonzastrow Info: Creek crossing inconsequential. Switchbacks to get to the upper basin are totally dry. Some snow in the upper basin which was mostly avoidable, although we crossed it a few times to save distance. Never more than ankle deep. Traverse from Browns to Huron is mostly dry, with snow filled in between rocks. Frequently a minor inconvenience, rarely a major one. Took photos but broke my dang phone screen so I can't post them! |
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11/14/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 11/15/2025, By: gschwartzkopf Info: A few spots of patchy snow in the trees, then very dry up to around 13,000. From there the trail is mostly filled with shallow snow to the summit. I put on spikes for the descent. |
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11/9/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 11/9/2025, By: bangerth Info: Minimal snow at the moment. Enough that you want more than trail runners, but none of us broke out the microspikes and I didn't put on gaiters either because I never broke through more than 6" of snow. All in all still quite an easy day, though the weather was definitely getting into winter territory -- wind chill of perhaps ~10F. |
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11/6/2025 Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 11/7/2025, By: AstroOscura Info: Went up Lulu Gulch, starting from the 2WD trailhead. Intermittent snow and ice once you get close to the ridge line, but not really an issue as long as you don’t mistake ice for snow. Put on my microspikes when the gulch route meets up with the standard route for the final push. The last 500 vertical feet would have been difficult without spikes, but was fairly easy with them. Took the standard route and 4WD road back to the trailhead. The 4WD part of the road had several serious patches of ice, but the 2WD section is fine. |
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10/26/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/27/2025, By: ThomasL20 Info: Started at the beginning of the 4WD road. Mixed conditions on road with slush and dry dirt. A little snow. The trail below treeline was the same, mixed snow and dry. Above treeline in the basin was mostly clear. Around 13,000’ the trail became covered in snow ankle deep. No postholing. The trail was easy to see for me, however, the wind was sweeping the snow across it in drifts making it difficult on the way down. I used trekking poles and micro spikes the whole hike, I think you could get away with not using them. My only concern would be route finding above 13k ft if the winds kept up. |
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10/21/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/21/2025, By: Browndw22 Info: No issues making it to the 4WD trailhead in my bronco sport, just had to take it slow. Snow on the trail started around 12,500’. It was pretty packed down, a few spots where I sunk in a little above my ankles but nothing crazy. Just used poles for the way up, but spikes and poles felt pretty necessary for the way down. Trail was pretty easy to follow. |
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10/13/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/13/2025, By: colemfujis Info: Route was icy when I started but quickly got covered in a thin layer of snow below 12k' and a few inches above it. Traction/poles are a must especially once you start climbing from the basin. Route was hard to find at times but is still mostly clear even with snow but that could change if more snow gets dumped on Huron tonight. |
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10/6/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/6/2025, By: Warhawk06 Info: Packed snow above the 3 mile mark. We used micro spikes for the last 450'. A young woman managed it bare-boot, but she did slide a few times on the way down, and we were happy to have the traction and poles. Only saw 8 other hikers on this climb and 5 of them were clumped up together around 12.5 as we were descending. We used spikes on the descent all the way through the snow field, as the traction was of great benefit, especially downhill. Gorgeous conditions - Aspens are right in peak right now. We managed to make it to the 4WD lot in a RAM 1500; definitely advise to take it slow. As the sun really came out, the frost-hardened mud started to get slick. Absolutely beautiful views on this hike. |
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10/5/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/5/2025, By: AlejandraOutside Info: Snow on the trail from 13,000 feet and up. Fell yesterday, packed down today, but high drifts in some spots. I was glad to have my micro spikes. No post poling. Melted and muddy from 13-12.5. Dry besides that. |
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9/28/2025 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 9/29/2025, By: Avs0 Info: Did the standard route on Sunday, the 28th, and made it to the 4WD trailhead with F-150. The trail was still in summer conditions with some snow off to the side of the trail. No snow/ice sections on the trail. Later in the day, the trail became muddy due to melting, but it wasn’t a big deal and was still easily passable. |
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9/22/2025 Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 9/22/2025, By: Steelernation Info: No snow on the route. The section right before the final pitch is pretty wet and muddy though, I put on my microspikes for the descent and was glad to have them. Took Lulu Gulch up and the standard route down. Lulu gulch is a more engaging route and has much better and more varied views. However, it’s also slow and tedious with lots of loose talus. Definitely type 2 fun but makes for a more interesting day. |
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9/20/2025 Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 9/20/2025, By: Pwrfghtr08 Info: Went up Lulu Gulch, down standard NW slopes. As of this morning (Sep 20), it was mostly summer conditions, with just a thin layer of snow/frost above ~13,500’ where you join the standard route from the N ridge, making some of the rocks slippery. However, we saw it snowing on nearby peaks on the drive down, so conditions could have already changed. Aspens are getting close to peak colors. |
