El Diente Peak

Route: North Slopes
Posted On: 7/14/2026, By: Ericds84
Info: Completed the traverse from Navajo Basin over the weekend, and ascended via the North Slopes route of El Diente. The gully still holds a significant amount of snow, but we were able to skirt it to the left through loose Class 3 terrain. Some might prefer to complete this as a snow climb, but I would not do it without crampons & ice axe. Shaded areas actually seemed to be holding some fresh ice from daily snowmelt. The route was dry from the headwall on, and the traverse is completely dry.

Rangers are enforcing camping restrictions in Navajo basin but very helpful in finding approved locations to camp. 

Route: North Buttress
Posted On: 7/5/2026, By: brauda02
Info: We did N Buttress + Traverse + Wilson N Slopes descent + standard route on Wilson Peak from Rock of Ages

The N Buttress was basically all free of snow. The snowfield after the knife edge part is melted out enough we could avoid touching snow for the most part. We went up and to the right around the supposed three chimneys and it felt chill enough.

The traverse is clear of snow. The one thing I'll mention is that we got pretty confused about the route after the coxcomb where Roach describes the exposure as 'sensational'. There's a big cairn on top of the ridge then the cairns basically stop. We ended up staying on the ridge making a few exposed moves and getting off the ridge on the left side.

We crossed the second snow field on the N slopes descent, but it could have been avoided by staying higher. There were tracks where we crossed it and the snow was soft enough in the afternoon that it was passable without an ice ax though we had them.

Wilson Peak is clear except for the hordes of biting flies on the summit.

Doing the trifecta took us about 12 hours and we are fit ultrarunners. 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 7/5/2026, By: madmattd
Info: Snow on the final push is thinning out, but there's still one or two snowfields that may force some short detours that lead to a little more scrambling than the standard route. The rest is avoidable/non-factor. 

Route: North Buttress
Posted On: 7/6/2026, By: matthewgvigil
Info: Most of the route was dry and in great condition up to the final summit pitch. At the final summit pitch, both of the routes listed in the description still had some lingering snow and ice. Climbing this route in the morning required some extra technical rock climbing to avoid the icy spots. 

Route: Navajo Lake Approach
Posted On: 6/18/2026, By: Craig Barlow
Info: No snow until just below the summit on the north side of the ridge. Did it with no gear besides poles but had to do a little bit of creative routefinding and stiffer climbing than necessary to avoid some hard steep snow. 

Route: Kilpacker Approach
Posted On: 6/8/2026, By: AlejandraOutside
Info: Camping just past Kilpacker was sweet. Dry. Trail totally dry until just past the crest of the talus hill which opens up to the el D/ Wilson basin around 12k ft or so. There is snow across the trail which can be avoided; I went down the hill and around, ascending back up to the standard trail beyond it. There is also a broad, flat snow field before reaching the south slopes themselves. Surprisingly little post hiking here. Also some steep snow on the slopes, with a broad and steep snow field near 13.2k. This is where I elected to turn back given the late hour and overall lack of chutzpah I was feeling on this day (combined with soft late-day snow and no proper crampons). I’m well aware these peaks aren’t usually “ready” until later in the season, but believe I would have been comfortable traversing up to the dry ridge earlier in the day with the right gear.

For now, this was another delightful exploratory mission, gathering info to prepare for proper summer summits and taking in the flowers which were starting to bloom. :D 

Route: Luttrell Line
Posted On: 5/16/2026, By: Jcinco
Info: This line is well into a melt/freeze cycle which led to great booting conditions with not a punchy step to be found. Dropped from the summit at 11 and the high-exposure chute down to the Fox was still bulletproof, as was the short dead-NW inset just below the Fox. The Fox was peasy today. Once in the main gut below, the slightly sunnier aspect on skier’s left led to 1500’+ of fantastic steep early corn. Similar to the previous post, with a little talus hopping, you could skis-off/skis-on down to Navajo Lake.

I think Navajo Lake is the way to go in lean snow years. One dry flat tent spot near the lake. 

Route: Navajo Lake Approach
Posted On: 5/4/2026, By: ericahlstedt
Info: We booted up and skied the Fox Traverse / Luttrell line, and it currently goes with continuous snow from the summit to about 11800ft, then its discontinuous, but mostly rideable snow to Navajo Lake at 11,200.

Cloudy skies kept the super exposed SE facing hanging snowfield "fox traverse" from getting too soft/dangerous. On a sunny, warmer day would definitely need to be earlier.

Above 12400ft snow was soft, cold, powdery. All-time stable riding conditions.

5am start, 1pm summit, 5pm back to car.
13.5 miles, 5400ft vert, 12 hrs.

The road to Navajo Lake TH is pretty much snow free and clear from both directions, Dolores/Dunton, or Lizard Head Pass.

The trail is pretty much dry and in good condition from the TH for the first 2.5 mi. Above 10,000, after the Kilpacker junction, some patchy, thin snow, here and there. We hiked without issue all the way to Navajo Lake where we put skins on to the base of the couloir.

Chute 1 has a short AI/WI 1+ ice bulge, easy enough to front point up with 1 axe. Chute 2 is hidden and goes lookers left off where Chute 1 ends, near 13,600. Chute 2 leads to the hanging snowfield "fox traverse" at near 13,800. One final chute goes straight up to the summit.

3rd time attempting to ski this line, super sick line and well worth the hike in. Went from Rock of Ages/Silverpick basin the first 2 tries. 

Route: Navajo Lake Approach
Posted On: 4/22/2026, By: Splitboard14ers
Info: I was able to drive to the Navajo Lake trailhead (7 miles from HWY 145). The road was dry for first 3 miles, then had a few patches of snow, but a pair of tire tracks through them had already been made, and snow was firm. On some of the patches high clearance is necessary. There is one patch near the junction of Dunton Rd (I think) which was long, about 500 feet in length, and the snow tracks through it were not very straight or even. I gave it the gas and powered through. But on the way back it looked like I could spot a section where someone had gotten stuck in it. About 5-6 miles in THERE ARE 2 LARGE BOULDERS IN THE ROAD AND YOU HAVE TO SQUEEZE BETWEEN THEM. A large vehicle will not fit through. I drive a 1999 Jeep Cherokee and it just barely made it through with only a few inches on either side. Someone may end up moving these boulders off the road, but until they do, this is a vital step if you are trying to get to the Navajo Lake Trailhead.

From the trailhead the going is very easy and pleasant for quite a ways. Not much snow on trail until about the junction to Kilpacker trail. From then on up it was on and off snow. Snow was stable and firm on entrance. All the way up to Navajo Lake it was more dry than snow covered. Then starting at the area of Navajo Lake onward it was consistent snow coverage. Snow remained firm as I approached to the North Slopes route and to the couloir.

I climbed the couloir. It began as firm snow down at the apron, but quickly turned softer and deeper in the couloir. By mid way up the couloir it was ankle to knee deep each step, with even a few steps going waist deep. It took approx 2-3 hours to boot pack the couloir.

From the top of the couloir I chose to traverse the ridge crest to Summit. It took about 2 hours and involved a lengthy commitment of high exposure and some class 4 sections. I reached the Summit, then returned using a slightly lower route below ridge crest *(the documented route on 14ers.com) till I was back to the top of the couloir.

I strapped in and snowboarded down the couloir in very good snow conditions. It being North Facing had stayed cold and protected from the heat of the Sun. The turns were grand. From the bottom of the couloir across back down to Navajo Lake there was some ride-able sections, and there was some unstrapping and walking across rocks.

From Navajo Lake back down on hike out snow had softened up but was still somewhat firm and I did not sink more than a few inches per step. By the time I reached the forest once off the ridge, the snow was softer, and some deeper sinking occured.

The remainder of the hike out was still pleasant. The day was long.
15.42 miles RT
5799' vertical feet
15 Hours 28 Minutes RT 

Route: South Slopes
Posted On: 10/3/2025, By: ColoNativeGal
Info: These conditions are as of Thursday, there is a storm coming in Fri-Sat that is supposed to drop 3-5" of new snow, so take this report with a grain of salt. All north faces and places with shade are holding snow. We had frost on the talus early morning, made it tricky to avoid slipping. Once you pass through the notch to the north side there is snow. It was a combination of snow and grapple which made an interesting mix, plus warm temps offered some melt. We put on spikes, but honestly I don't think they did much other than offer piece of mind. It was pretty slippery. On the final pitch to the summit we were unable to cross the small gully. We tried the harder route up and over, but all places let to the same crossing of this gully, which if one were to slip it would instantly turn into an alpine slide of death. We tried some class 4 moves in spikes, but still couldn't get pass this damn gully. Dry no issue. More consolidated snow with an ice axe no issues. Even if we had an ice axe on us, it wouldn't have been able to get purchase on anything to arrest a fall. We were literally 80ft of gain from the summit and had to sadly turn around. Live to climb another day. There was one other person and we weren't sure if they summited El D or not (we didn't see any footprints in the snow), they did the traverse but turned around when they got closer to Mt W and back tracked to a gully they could bail off the traverse. 

Route: North Buttress
Posted On: 9/29/2025, By: Jonathan Deffenbaugh
Info: Mixed climbing conditions the further you go up on El Diente. Solid alternative to the other routes, but had microspikes and an ice axe for the upper sections. Followed the route sections referenced. Brought crampons but weren't needed. Ended up taking the right variation at the summit headwall referenced, due to lesser snow involved since the upper slabs were caked with new snow. Will post pics. 

Route: North Buttress
Posted On: 9/8/2025, By: David Sandretto
Info: Despite the fresh snow on 9/6/25, the route was already clear. 

Route: Mt. Wilson + El Diente Traverse
Posted On: 8/26/2025, By: Kbrown321
Info: Traverse + standard routes from Kilpacker. Awesome traverse, one of my favorite scrambles. Didn’t find the rock to be too loose especially around the areas where it counted and all cruxes were manageable. Full summer conditions though had to quick exit Wilson due to incoming weather. 

Route: Mt. Wilson + El Diente Traverse
Posted On: 8/26/2025, By: dakotasmama
Info: The first three miles to the Kilpacker Creek crossing and the start of the dispersed camping sites is easy. Once you cross the creek the elevation gain is nonstop and the talus is never-ending. If you take nothing else on this hike, take your helmet. My first attempt was on Saturday, August 9th and I was struck by massive rockfall triggered by a group ahead of me in the grey gully. Even though I wasn’t directly below them and stayed about 50 feet to the left of the gully while they were navigating it, the rocks started bouncing once they picked up speed and two slammed directly into my right thigh and knee, causing such massive pain and swelling that at first I thought it must be broken. Luckily it was just deep widespread bruising and abrasions, though limping back down to camp from that point was brutal. Even if you are very careful, the opportunity to start rockfall is constant once you get above 13k, and the rocks don’t stop for a LONG time. The summits of both El Diente and Mt. Wilson are very small, rocky and narrow, I didn’t see any survey markers. As far as the traverse goes, I cannot believe it’s only considered a Class 4. It is FAR steeper and complicated than it looks in the photos in the route description. I don’t know anything other than what I’ve learned from summitting 52/58 of these things, but there wasn’t a second on any other mountain, including the entire Elk Range, that I felt as terrified as I did on this traverse. Most of the rock is stable but if it isn’t it starts a rockfall every time. There are multiple extremely exposed sections, and even though you would probably survive a fall from them, you definitely wouldn’t survive getting caught up in the rockfall you would likely trigger. Don’t expect to traverse quickly, don’t expect it to be as simple as it looks in the route description photos, and DON’T attempt it if it’s wet or windy. The descent from Mt. Wilson was as miserable as everyone says it is, endless loose talus and nonstop route finding. There were only a couple of avoidable patches of snow. These are two serious mountains and this hike is mentally and physically exhausting - plan for extra time, wear your helmet, and stay alive. 

Route: Kilpacker Approach
Posted On: 8/12/2025, By: Ariella6
Info: Trailhead dry and summer conditions. Please wear your helmet once you are nearing the gulley...... was fairly substantial rock slide on our trip there. Lots of people down below. One person got hit in the leg with a flying rock. Considering the size of the rocks being thrown down the hill everyone was pretty fortunate.

Summit is small. Please do plan on sharing if you others come up while you are there.