Huron Peak

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 7/9/2019, By: HikerBox
Info: The main stream crossing on the 4WD is easily bypassed via a social trail to the downhill side. You can just hop across where the stream narrows. You might get your feet wet where the stream flows over the road just before that but I could sort of rock hop across it. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 7/7/2019, By: NDavidson
Info: Avy debris blocks the 4WD road about 2 miles from the 4WD TH, so add 4mi RT for the hike.There's a stream crossing on the 4WD road about 0.5mi in, so prepare for wet feet. Did not see a dry way across it. A second stream crossing on the actual trail about 0.5mi in. There was a “log” to dry cross, but it looked sketchy to me, so I just jumped it and got a little wet. First snowfield is when you get to the basin above tree line. It's probably a football field size and unavoidable. Some postholing on the descent. The second snowfield is above on the slope heading to the ridge. This can be avoided by going to the right and going up the talus field hugging the snowfield. East side of the ridge line is corniced and loaded, but off trail so you're fine if you stay on trail out of the snow. Couldn't find the USGS marker at the summit, but we didn't hang out real long as some peculiar clouds were moving in quickly. 10.2mi and 3,757ft of gain RT from the car. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/30/2019, By: JakeByk
Info: Northwest Slopes of Huron are looking pretty good. Started 4:30am from Winfield, a large avalanche path blocks the road so it's a 2-mile walk to the trailhead. Brought ice axe and microspikes. Route was in decent shape with a few downed trees but easy enough to navigate in the dark. Two stream crossings, one across the road and one along the route force you to walk through fast moving water, but it didn't get above the boots, though that might change. A snowfield in the cirque below Huron and Browns Peak was also in OK shape, but postholing is inevitable. I would recommend getting down from the peak before 11:00am so this is less miserable. Used ice axe and spikes to ascend a snow gulley covering the upper trail and made for a fun 600-foot glissade on the way back down. Ridge is heavily corniced on the south side, DO NOT take this route - you're gonna have a bad time. If you don't have an axe don't ascend the snowfield, go around it. It gets really steep and there's few bailout points. Wonderful day, get after it. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/18/2019, By: Mitch527
Info: Got started around 4:30AM. Road is still blocked off a mile or so from Winfield, tons of big avy debris on 390 past the blockage. Another huge slide path blocking the road just past the 2WD TH. Two more good size blockages on the 4WD road on the way up closer to the 4WD TH. Trail is mostly clear for the first mile or so past the top TH but some large snow covered areas will easily lead you off trail and have you postholing pretty good as you approach treeline. Once we broke out of the trees (~7AM) the trail was easy to follow and the snow was perfect. Had a good freeze the night before, no flotation or traction needed all the way to the summit (~10AM) but spikes and an axe were good insurance to have. Snow softened up for the way down and we were able to glissade all the way down to the flat snowfield at the base of the ridge. Tried to punch in some good trail through the snow covered spots on the way down to keep people off the switchbacks. 13mi round trip from Avy closure on 390 took about 10.5 Hours but we weren't in any hurry on the way down. Probably another couple weeks to a month before this is in true walk up season. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/17/2019, By: Terminally_Chill
Info: We splitboarded the north face of Huron today. The road was closed about a mile from Winfield due to avalanche debris. By the time we made it to the trailhead we encountered six massive forest altering debris fields. No snow until about where the trailhead begins. As we began the ascent through the trees the trail disappeared beneath thigh deep rotten snow making for frustratingly slow progress. We eventually gave up on the trail and ended up following the path of least resistance into the basin. From here instead of following the summer trail we ascended the North couloir using crampons and ice axes. We eventually linked back up with the summer trail on the summit ridge. The summit is kind of sketchy because it looks larger than it actually is due to a car sized cornice that seems to be on the verge of collapse. By the time we descended the snow was getting pretty sketchy and I had to do a self arrest near the summit to avoid sliding into rocks. Total time was about 10 hours due to the road closure and the required bushwhacking up and down through the trees. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/15/2020, By: Clay5981
Info: Slept near the trailhead after parking just short of the 2WD trailhead near Winfield after seeing that the road was not in the greatest conditions. Most 4WD cars should have an easy time with it, however, about 0.7 miles from the trailhead there is a large pothole that I saw only high clearance vehicles (4Runners and Jeeps mostly) get by. The ascent took just over 3 hours and descended in 1 and a half hours. The trail is in great, summer condition, and the weather couldn't have been better. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 6/1/2019, By: BrookStout
Info: Road is still blocked 0.9 mi from Winfield due to avalanche debris. Trail at the 4wd road and onward is snow covered. Was still a pretty good hike despite the extra mileage. Bluebird day. Used spikes on the ascent and snowshoes on the descent when everything got slushy. 

Route: East Face
Posted On: 5/4/2019, By: GladeWolf
Info: The entire prominent east face has slid down to rock. It looks like it happened yesterday. It was not skiable and likely won't be again this year. Appears to have been caused by a large cornice breaking, and setting everything else off. Large cornices still hang on in spots along the ridge. Appliance sized blocks and rocks in the debris field. 

Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch
Posted On: 5/4/2019, By: wintersage
Info: Road is blocked by avalanche debris 1.2 miles from the Upper 2WD TH (see my trailhead conditions report for more info and pictures).


From that natural closure to the ghost town of Winfield, snow is consolidated in the morning but gets very slushy by noon time. The 4WD road, as well as the Lulu Gulch switchbacks, were all very powdery and prone to postholing. I used snowshoes to cut the switchbacks all the way up to Brown's Peak and stashed them shortly afterwards in order to take advantage of the several dry spots on the saddle (pic #5). I picked the direct ascent via the slopes of Brown's Peak instead of going up the switchbacks to Middle Mountain, and came down the same way.


The saddle between Brown's and Huron was a mix of dry boulder hopping, bulletproof snow, and a few "trapdoors" which were shockingly deep. Winds picked up when I reached this section and were quite strong on the summit as well. While approaching the summit, I noticed a huge cornice hanging to the left (Pic #6). After reaching the summit, I saw that this cornice had a fault line running from one end to another... yikes! (Pic #7)


There is evidence of avalanche activity all around this area, (the three large debris fields around Windfield, the slanted trees right as you leave treeline, cornices, etc). In fact, when I was heading back to treeline I noticed a point release avalanche on the western slopes of the basin that happened just today (last pic) 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 2/4/2019, By: Generalcuz
Info: Attempted Huron Peak, but was shutdown by snow pretty quickly. Road is basically packed with snow a 1/4 mile past where it is plowed. Parked at the Dawson Cabin and snowshoe'd to upper TH. Knee to waist deep snow below tree line from there. We got a trench started, but it will likely be buried by now with the snow that was rolling in. Round trip just from Dawson cabin to upper TH was 21 miles RT. Spicy. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 1/6/2019, By: Will_E
Info: Reached the summit of Huron on 1/5, trail was pretty good most of the way, solid trench up until treeline. The flat middle section of the trail had very soft snow, snowshoes would have helped, but the section isn't terribly long (and didn't have them with me). Final section had enough windblown rocky sections that is wasn't difficult to stay out of the deeper snow. Parking just beyond Winfield, my total mileage was 12.1 for the day. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 12/31/2018, By: Eagle Eye
Info: I reached the summit of Huron Peak yesterday, starting out from Winfield town center. (more about the roads on Missouri Gulch and Clear Creek/S Winfield Trailhead Status/Directions.
I wore snowshoes the whole trip but this route has been traveled recently and there was (and more so now) a good track all the way, starting from Winfield! The existing snowshoe track may deviate off the summer trail briefly in the woods but does return to it. On the upper part of the mountain I got back into the rock bordered switchbacks (summer trail) leading to the summit. The summit block has formed a huge cornice on the north side.
I picked up two different hand warmers that someone dropped along the trail. I didn't see anyone else all day and only my own tracks when coming down.

Image #1: Distinctive exit from treeline.
Image #2: Basin below the mountain.
Image #3: Basin from higher up.
Image #4: Looking toward the summit.
Image #5: View from an upper switchback.
Image #6: Hillary Step and huge summit cornice.
Image #7: Looking back at the ridge line up, and Browns Peak.
Image #8: View from the summit.
Image #9: View of The Apostles and Ice Mountain from the summit. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 11/12/2018, By: Terminally_Chill
Info: Parked right before the 4WD section of the road. It was snowing pretty hard but the road was mostly packed snow and ice. The road was packed and walkable but we used flotation as soon as we got to the trail head. There was significant accumulation and the storm didn't seem to be letting up so we retreated at around 12,500-13k ft due to avalanche concerns. Otherwise the ridge looked like it would require micro spikes all the way to the summit but there was definitely bare rock visible. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 10/28/2018, By: hikecolorado1
Info: Snowdrifts ranging from a few inches to a few feet. Trail is difficult to see. Lots of loose rock and gravel underneath the snow. 

Route: Northwest Slopes
Posted On: 10/28/2018, By: cardgenius
Info: To add a little to other report:

Brought snow shoes but didn't use them, stashed them at tree line. Microspikes and gaitors the whole way as the trail is icy in the trees and snow is deep in spots once above tree line.