6/21/2025 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 6/22/2025, By: Mswift19 Info: Most snow fields to the saddle can be avoided with some route-finding. Spikes not needed. No snow from saddle to summit. |
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6/10/2025 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 6/10/2025, By: SnowAlien Info: Went up to the saddle with Dyer, then took the East ridge. Descended via East Ball mtn for a nice loop. Some postholing, but not terrible (11 am alpine start). Doesn't look like you can completely avoid all snow just yet. Consistent rockfall coming down the centennial Dyers' west face. |
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11/4/2023 Route: Southwest Ridge Posted On: 11/4/2023, By: HikerGuy Info: Snowy. Breakable crust over 3 to 6 inches of snow for most of the route. No gear used. Gaiters advised if wearing mids or runners. I appreciated having my winter boots (Oboz) as my feet were in the snow all day. I forgot my gaiters but did not really miss them as my boots were high enough most of the time. 7.20 miles, 2,499 feet and 4h 3m round trip. Picked up unranked 12er East Ball and ranked 12er Ball Mountain as well. I opted to park at the bottom of CR 2B as it suited my planned route. High clearance vehicles with good tires can continue up CR 2B for now. CR 2 has some snow and ice higher up, but generally clear for now. |
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8/3/2023 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 8/3/2023, By: mtngoatwithstyle Info: Dry to summiit via East Ball Mountain I took an alternative route via mosquito pass that worked really well for me since there is the closure on CR2 and it was a little shorter. I drove CR 3 and then on CR 3C to the first switchback and parked there. From there, I hiked the road that goes to Alps Gulch and then started hiking up the mellow ridge to East Ball Mountain and then took the ridge proper to West Dyer. Came back the same way. Chilly and nice day out there!. |
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8/21/2022 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 8/22/2022, By: CheapCigarMan Info: Parked one car at the Upper Iowa Gulch TH and another at the Lower Iowa Gulch TH. Headed up Dyer's Amphitheater. Began our hike a little too high up and rock walked through the amphitheater with the standard route below us in the willows. Pick your poison as the willows were pretty saturated with water. After West Dyer and back on the saddle we made a call to continue on to Mt. Evans B despite the graupel and rain. |
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6/16/2022 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 6/17/2022, By: angry Info: Alpine start of 1pm from Iowa Gulch TH. Summer conditions, no summit register. |
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2/11/2022 Route: West Ridge Posted On: 2/12/2022, By: supranihilest Info: I parked at a small parking area on the first hairpin on CR-2. I followed old mining roads to Ball Mountain, down Ball and up East Ball to West Dyer. Snowshoes were useful to the bottom of East Ball where it's windblown. From West Dyer I returned to the Ball/East Ball saddle and went south to the Iowa Gulch Road then back to CR-2. Flotation useful but probably not strictly necessary. Axe and traction not necessary. |
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11/7/2021 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 11/7/2021, By: CaptainSuburbia Info: Some snow in the basin, but it was either avoidable or not bothersome. Saw a heard of big horns climbing through the cliffs on the Dyer side. East ridge to the summit was snow covered, but it was never more than shin deep. Descended over East Ball Mountain which was snow covered to the summit. It was mostly dry from Ball summit back to the road. I carried my pickleball paddle but didn't use it. |
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9/8/2021 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 9/8/2021, By: pmodell Info: Today we passed by the lake on the east side at the base of Dyer mountain scree. We continued climbing over the screen and ended up high on the slope with difficult scrambling. After passing all of the willows one should cross to the West Dyer mountain scree Base. There is a nice trail there. |
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6/10/2021 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 6/10/2021, By: ScottLovesRMNP Info: First half of Dyer Amphitheater is dry, some snowfields in top half up to the Dyer saddle. Snow was fairly easy to walk through with boots even in the afternoon. Whole trip car to summit is short, but consists of unstable talus. |
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1/9/2021 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 1/9/2021, By: arnavxv Info: Was able to drive all the way to Iowa Gulch in a rav4. First half of the road there are tire tracks, but after that it's snowmobile tracks I was driving out. Was able to just barely make it, but very sketchy. If I put chains on, would've been a breeze. I packed the road down pretty well and before the next storm, most crossovers with snow tires and/or chains would be able to make it. Ascended by climbing up into Dyer amphitheater. There are some boot pack tracks from someone who did Dyer the day prior, but I found using snowshoes easier for the majority of the gain. Need to do some route finding. Parts of the amphitheater are on/under avalanch slopes, and snow is still dangerous, but all avy danger can be avoided with careful route finding. On a lower angle section I triggered a gigantic woomph that could likely have been heard a mile away. Snow is very variable. Some wind slab, some powder, some ice crust. The final ascent to the pass is the worst - snow on top of a loose and unstable Boulder field. I took off my snowshoes here. Once you get to the pass, the summit is 250' up the ridge. Easy peasy up and down. A fun climb, and a great way to kill a few hours. RT is 3 miles and 1600 ft gain (but those 3 miles are very difficult, mile for mile). |
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9/25/2020 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 9/26/2020, By: daway8 Info: No snow on the trail - what little is left is not in the way at all. |
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6/30/2020 Route: East Ridge Posted On: 6/30/2020, By: mjflynn74 Info: Some snow left in the Dyer Amphitheatre; none of it required traction. No snow from saddle to summit. There are still cornices on the east side of the ridge to East Ball Mtn, if anyone's going that way. |
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7/20/2017 Route: Iowa Gulch Posted On: 7/22/2017, By: JasonKline Info: Summer conditions. Snow was easily avoidable. |