Sunshine Peak

Route: Northwest Face
Posted On: 6/6/2017, By: Nelson
Info: The crux right now is crossing Silver Creek. The Creek is running very strong and I saw no obvious place to cross. 200 ft. Before the cairns at 11,350 there is a major snow bridge at least 10 ft thick. You can cross here but you will be on the wrong side of the South fork of Silver Creek. This is much easier to cross. I put on micro spikes at 11,500. Going through the forest was a pain but once out, things went smoothly to 12.800 where I put on crampons for the gendarmes and climb to the ridge. Overall conditions are great on this route. 

Route: Via Redcloud Peak
Posted On: 5/29/2017, By: MissH
Info: Lots of snow still above 11,800. Sunshine peak was aptly named yesterday... postholing every now and then was a good price to pay for the glissades down the NW face. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 5/29/2017, By: Pika_wanderer
Info: Trail dry up to treeline. A few snowfields to cross from the ridge to summit, but snow was firm and we did not need to use snowshoes. We used microspikes and an ice axe on a steep snow field just below the summit- I would have been uncomfortable without either. We did not traverse to Redcloud but the ridge over seems mostly wind blown. A word of caution on the way down: it is easy to lose sight of cairns on the talus field crossing. Do not try to go directly down the talus field- it's very loose and dangerous. Go back to the last cairn you find (there are numerous) and search the area until you find the trail again. Also, as mentioned in a trip report from last year, there is still a mountain lion burial site about 5 minutes into the hike after you crest one of the first hills. Young horse carcass off the trail- be aware and don't do this hike alone. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 5/22/2017, By: jknappe17
Info: No snow up to about 11,800ft after which we had a nice packed crust perfect for kicking steps from there up to the ridge and all the way to the summit with intermittent dry patches. Barebooted the whole route including the traverse to redcloud but had an ice axe and microspikes just in case. Made it back to sunshine summit by 11:15 and had some minor post-holing on the descent. Not sure of current snow conditions but last weekend was perfect for us. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 4/6/2017, By: blainerblainer
Info: Light dusting of snow down low that had melted by the time I came out. Around 11,000 feet and higher significantly more snow (more than a foot of fresh stuff above timberline), snowshoes we're definitely helpful all the way to the summit. In some parts I was digging a trench even with my snowshoes, postholing at 13,000 feet is hard! Some small cornices on the ridge and on the beginning ridge to Redcloud, farther along ridge appeared windswept. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 2/18/2017, By: jladderud
Info: Beautiful conditions. Snow was stable and weather cooperative (no wind!); though there is another storm forecast for this weekend so that may change. Blazed a trail to the summit all the way to the top. Snowshoes (or skis) were a boon, especially below treeline. Switched to microspikes and an ice ax above 12,500' or so. Lots of post holing on the way down. Cornices on the ridge were small. The trail to Redcloud was mostly wind-swept (though we didn't hike it). Wish I had brought skis to get down. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 2/16/2017, By: ewiggans
Info: About 2' of fresh snow the days prior made the ascent very difficult. Skinned/snowshoed about 0.8 miles in from Mill Creek and decided to stop, taking us about 4 hrs to cover very little ground. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 1/13/2017, By: mikefromcraig
Info: Apparently this isn't really a good winter route. We started at Mill Creek TH which you can drive to in winter but couldn't really figure out a realistic way to get more than 0.5 miles in without some very sketchy terrain.

I guess for winter ascents people hike from the winter closure near Mill Creek TH all the way to Silver Creek Grizzly Gulch TH and go the standard route from there? 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 12/31/2016, By: KC Aakhus
Info: Began at Mill Creek trailhead at 7:00 a.m. The beginning of the route was marked by patchy snow, meaning you can avoid it up until about 11,000 ft, though that often means taking even steeper lines on some of the talus and grass/rocks. At ~ 11,000 ft snowshoes became mandatory (skins might have worked, though it's quite steep and the bottom layer was sugary). Took snowshoes off at 12,500 ft at the flat area before the ridge. Never put them back on until 12,500 ft on the way down. The east ridge, summit, and first part of route to Redcloud did have appreciable snow, but it can be mostly avoided and is often firm from wind. Crampons were never necessary, but microspikes were handy from 11,000 ft and below on the way down when going in and out of mixed snowy talus. 

Route: Via Redcloud Peak
Posted On: 10/25/2016, By: DynamicPursuits
Info: There were a few snowy and icy sections on both Red Cloud and Sunshine above 13000ft. They were intermittent and easy to avoid or go through without an additional gear. 

Route: Via Redcloud Peak
Posted On: 9/5/2016, By: sky_high
Info: I came across to Sunshine from Redcloud at about 10:00 am. The weather was still clear and the crossing was easy. I wanted to add this, though, to describe the descent down the northwest slope. The path is quite doable, but I would strongly recommend against going down this way unless you have experience with easy class 3's, and some trekking poles to stabilize yourself. The going is mostly over talus which is fairly well stabilized, but there are patches of loose scree here and there that make this challenging. Also, when you see the waterfall on the upper part of the slope, make sure to go to the west of it, either ascending (where it is a dark steep-looking gully and you can hear the water on approach) or descending. There is a 10' wall with plentiful handholds to climb, but difficult going for four-legged companions, and dogs that do not like steep climbing should not be taken this way. I was surprised at where the route goes down, yes it is that steep little gully. That and the initial walk down the summit are the only real challenges on this route, and the forest below that connects to the main trail is well trodden and very worth walking through. 

Route: Via Redcloud Peak
Posted On: 7/24/2016, By: stevenrox
Info: same conditions as Red Cloud Peak 

Route: Northwest Face
Posted On: 7/16/2016, By: lrosenmayer6
Info: I wanted to do the Redcloud-Sunshine Combo in a counter-clockwise loop so as to a) go down a different way I came up and b) also heed Bill's warning about not descending via the Redcloud-Sunshine saddle. So instead, I ascended that saddle, which turned out not to be the greatest choice either due to extremely steep and loose scree and talus. I eventually made it up to be greeted by a sign informing me the terrain I had just hiked up was dangerous and not a trail...oops. In agreement with the sign, I would not recommending using the saddle between Sunshine and Redcloud for an ascent or descent.

Other than that, summer conditions on both peaks with some muddy spots on Redcloud. 

Route: Via Redcloud Peak
Posted On: 7/4/2016, By: thebeave7
Info: Hiked from the Silver Creek TH via Redcloud. No snow on the trail and the trail is mostly dry with a few wet spots where the creek floods out of its banks, but one can rock hop over these areas to keep your feet dry.
Full summer conditions on the mountain. I descended from the saddle near Sunshine. It is all loose scree, gravel and talus from the saddle down into the basin so tread very carefully if you are with others. The climbers trail that descends this valley can be found at the bottom and takes you all the way back to the main trail with only a few short snow patches to cross. 

Route: Via Redcloud Peak
Posted On: 6/28/2016, By: crazymarmot
Info: All snow can be avoided, summer conditions.