10/15/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/16/2018, By: Looch Info: Made it to the 4x4 trailhead just before 8am. Able to get there fairly easily in a Subaru Outback but have a feeling that won't last much longer. Couple of inches of snow at the start. Put on the microspikes around 11,300' and lost the trail due to snow cover around 12,200' at the basin. Postholed through snow that was anywhere between 6-18 inches to gain the ridge. Our path through the basin in visible in the photo. From there little snow was encountered till about 13,400'. Pulled out the ice axe at this point for the final scramble up to the summit. (not absolutely necessary but super helpful). We were the only people on the the peak. Sun was out all day with temps in the low 20's. On the decent we noticed that 2-3" had melted and additional parts of the trail were now exposed. Should be climbable for a while longer assuming no new storms roll through. |
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10/13/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/13/2018, By: peakHunter Info: 4x4 trailhead still open. Snow actually helps damper the class 3 trail. Snow from start of trailhead about 4 inches growing to about 6-8 inches to tree line. From there snow gets incrementally deeper. I counted about 12 people attempting to summit with most making it to about 13k so there should be a solid trail stamped out to the summit. Summit had the least amount of snow on the entire trail. New snow coming after 2 days of direct sunlight, I'd be concerned about depth hoar and facets forming after the next 12-18 inches that fall. |
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10/12/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/12/2018, By: Amanda Horner Info: We broke trail to the summit. It's not perfect but it will get you there. Postholed up to mid thigh in a couple spots but shouldn't be an issue anymore. Micro Spikes and Gators were helpful. We all wished we had brought our poles but made it ok anyway. Snow did melt a bit too, revealing more of the trail on the way down. |
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10/7/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/8/2018, By: EthanStrauch Info: Below tree line was comfortable hiking in simply a base layer and vest. Once reaching the final male up the more barren scree field without coverage the temperature dropped. There was 4" to 6" of snow accumulation, but still able to navigate relatively easily. Wore a base layer, primaloft jacket, gloves, hat and ordinary hiking boots and was plenty comfy. Don't know how many more weekends this route will stay good for though. |
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10/5/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/6/2018, By: donovanrice Info: Fun hike! Don't let the mileage fool you, as the vertical can be demanding. There was some snow on the trail close to the summit, but didn't need microspikes. That said, with more snow storms coming, I'm not sure how conditions will change. It gets really steep right before the summit, and I was thankful that the frost wasn't too slippery. I was able to take my Subaru Crosstrek all the way up the 4wd road. There were only a couple places where it got weird but still totally manageable. Did wind up getting a flat tire, but they were old tires, and I didn't notice it was flat until Hwy 24. |
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9/3/2018 Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 9/3/2018, By: hellmanm Info: Snow on the final pitch. It was just a dusting, but with microspikes I was able to go a lot faster than most of the people in shoes. |
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8/19/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 8/19/2018, By: mryjwl Info: The road to the trailhead wasn't too bad but had some big puddles; 4WD is needed to safely get there. The trail itself was dry and clear of snow all the way to the top. Quite a few people this morning - large groups, kids, and dogs on the trail but it was a gorgeous weekend day in August so that is to be expected. Pack sunscreen and gloves though, the summit was sunny and chilly! 4h23m round trip time. |
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7/21/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 7/25/2018, By: Jon1702 Info: Stunningly beautiful, well kept trail. No snow and only a tiny stream crossing. The wildflowers are out in abundance. |
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7/13/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 7/16/2018, By: ClimberSkierDave64 Info: We got to the trailhead at about 9:30 with a Nissan Pathfinder which had no problems getting up the 4wd. We had to use 4LO on one obstacle so I would reccomend having 4LO and a car with good tires and descent clearence. The hike was very easy and fun. I would say it is a Class 1 instead of a Class 2. It is in summer conditions with no snow. |
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7/12/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 7/24/2018, By: Jmunter1 Info: Trail in good shape. Busy trail. Full summer conditions. |
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7/9/2018 Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 7/10/2018, By: Scott Conro Info: This route sucks. It was an easy traverse from Middle Mtn B, which was boring, and the views of numerous 14ers and 13ers were awful. Terrible views of the gulch. The only thing I hated more was the incredibly fun traverse from Browns to Huron. Who likes doing moderate route finding? The worst sight of the day came atop Huron, where the Three Apostles added to the already horrible views of the entire Sawatch. I took the standard route down and was subjected to thousands of vile wildflowers in the basin. Gross. Wanted to vomit. I felt claustrophobic the whole day. Don't do this route. |
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7/8/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 7/8/2018, By: nomad_games Info: all the way summer conditions, trail and TH. and 5 bazillion people. |
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7/7/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 7/9/2018, By: swesleyc7 Info: Clear all the way up. Summer thunderstorms were rolling in at about 2pm. Lots of people hiking... even a few who wanted to risk death by lightning going up after 2pm. Trail is clear the entire way up. Couldn't find the USGS market. |
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7/4/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 7/5/2018, By: PhatVanilla Info: Dry climb - pack lots of water We started below the 4wd road and that added about 4.6 miles total to the trip. The 4WD road is passable with most SUV's, there are a couple of spots but easily you can navigate through them. The challenge will be finding a place to park, we got there early (5:30am) but not many spots left. Also, be sure to pack plenty of water. While the map shows lots of stream crossings, there were only 2 and it was way to early to fill up. once above treeline there are no good water sources this time of year. |
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7/1/2018 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 7/1/2018, By: JonHandshake Info: Summer conditions the entire route. Not a cloud in the sky. A bit cold and windy up top (a light a fleece top with a windbreaker was enough). Finished round trip in ~6 hours at a leisurely stroll with a number of breaks. |
