Gladstone Peak

Route: East Face/Cross Mtn TH
Posted On: 7/21/2019, By: HikerGuy
Info: What a cool peak, this route will make you love Gladstone. Awesome snow climb right now. Cross Mountain trail is snow free and dry all the way to the Lizard Head saddle. Snow travel begins after a few hundred feet down in the basin. Snow travel is low to moderate-angle up to cliff band. I carried an ice axe, but did not use it. Traction needed, I used crampons as they provide more bite on softer snow. Once on the left side weakness of the cliff band, no snow from there until summit. Rock was surprisingly stable. I was able to stay on lichen-covered rock the whole way. This should be the standard route, I think it would even be good in dry/summer conditions. 11.3 miles roundtrip. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 7/17/2019, By: 5ClimbingCooneys
Info: VIA BILK BASIN: There has been significant avalanche activity in this basin. We rode bikes from the Sunshine Mesa trailhead to the creek crossing. The 1st mile is good to go, but the last mile has frequent slide debris that makes passage via bike very time-consuming (mainly downed trees). Could not find much evidence of the railroad car or old structure immediately on the other side of the creek after crossing. The log jam has been partially removed by the high waters and is not currently usable as a suitable crossing. There's a snow bridge where the old railcar used to be that we used to cross, but it's showing signs of melting out soon. After it's gone, it may be necessary to wade the creek to cross. The upper basin is mostly buried in deep snow starting around 11,200'. We found a single usable tent site just before the trail drops out of the trees around 11,200'. The upper lake is still covered by snow, as is the entire basin. Great climbing conditions if you like to avoid all the rock! 

Route: East Face up, north ridge down
Posted On: 5/27/2018, By: bmcqueen
Info: We climbed east Face from Cross Mountain trail. Snow was great in the Basin, but gets mighty thin at the cliff band. We climbed the rocks on the south side of the face to access the snow again above the cliff band. From there, climbed the snow straight to the summit, but that won't be there much longer. North ridge descent was mostly dry. 

Route: SE Face
Posted On: 5/11/2018, By: cottonmountaineering
Info: From Cross mtn TH, there is intermittent snow to the pass, the trail is very muddy. Snow in bilk basin is great and did not posthole or need snowshoes. Snow conditions on the route are good, but was a bit slushy coming down around 8:30am. Get this route while its still in! 

Route: East Face
Posted On: 4/28/2018, By: dude4mountains
Info: From Cross Mountain TH - First mile: mud/slop. Mostly continuous snow to Lizard Head/Cross Mtn saddle. Solid snow across Bilk Basin. Continuous high quality snow climb to the summit. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 8/10/2017, By: zinj
Info: Route from the high saddle above (near) Rock of Ages is not at all clear -- which is fine, but plan for this to take longer than you expect. I did a lot of E side traverse below the ridgeline on the way out and mostly stuck the ridge on the way back. Neither choice was obviously better than the other. This is a loose, long ridge that exhausts the mind as much as the body. Nearly every step required a decision -- there were few stretches of more than a couple of steps in succession where a climber could just 'obviously' continue in a particular direction. Got beat up enough (and delayed enough) by Gladstone that I had to drop my attempt on Wilson Pk as weather rolled in. But came back following day to tag Wilson Pk. While sharing an approach, from the point of splitting off, Gladstone and Wilson Pk aren't even in the same zipcode. Gladstone is a much harder climb. 

Route: E slopes
Posted On: 8/15/2016, By: Monster5
Info: From Cross Mtn Trail, went up lizard head (dry, anchors in good condition), then hiked up the east slopes (tundra/rock hop) of Gladstone and gained the SE ridge a few hundred ft from the top (class 3). Route is snow free. I guess a bit loose, but nothing unreasonable or unpredictable. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 7/7/2016, By: asnellstrom
Info: Yesterday we climbed Wilson Peak and Gladstone. The ridge looks way shorter and more inviting than it really is! All of the reports live up to its reputation of being quite loose. Some snow on the ridge just below the summit can be easily navigated through closest to the top of the ridge. Overall a fun hike! No traction necessary. Also, I like how the summit registry is held in place by an old crowbar, very unique. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 10/20/2015, By: VR_CO
Info: Not sure how much melting has taken place in the past week-and-a-half, but recently there were several inches of snow in Silver Pick Basin above ~12,700ft. Along Gladstone‘s north ridge there were at least a few inches for most of the route. This slowed the pace but was not insurmountable and made for a scenic day! I tried to stay on the ridge itself as much as possible, as it was difficult in some spots to re-crest after dropping down to the east. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 7/26/2014, By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: Climbed Gladstone from the point where the Wilson Peak trail hits the Wilson-Gladstone ridge. The entire ridge was dry. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 6/28/2013, By: JosephG
Info: From Silver Pick Basin, you cross several snow fields that cover the trail. Crampons not necessary, but an axe would be helpful in the morning when the snow is firm. Follow Bill’s driving directions, not Roach’s (his are outdated and do not reflect the use agreement). About a mile after turning onto FR 245, you have to cross Bear Creek. High clearance 4WD will have no problems. If you have low clearance, park here and walk the easy 1.25 miles to the Rock of Ages TH. From the Rock of Ages saddle, we dropped into Navajo Basin and ascended a gully just north of the obvious fin on the ridge that is before (north of) the low point. Loose garbage and unnecessary; next time, we‘d gain the ridge from the Wilson saddle. We stayed on the ridge 99% of the time to the summit and all the way back to the Wilson saddle, which was surprisingly solid (in context, obviously; check all holds) and made for an enjoyable ridge run. If you leave the ridge, deceptive trails funnel you down the east side where the rock gets loose in a hurry. Ridge is 100% snow free. Be vigilant: we heard/saw several rock slides. Bring mosquito repellant. 

Route: North ridge
Posted On: 6/22/2012, By: Matt Lemke
Info: From Navajo Basin...dry. Fun scramble 

Route: Rock of Ages Trail
Posted On: 6/16/2012, By: sue personett
Info: The new Rock of Ages Trail is clear of snow until it enters Silver Pick Basin. There are at least 5 large steep areas of snow down low in the basin that cover the trail. I used micro spikes to cross 2 of them. There is also one very large avalanche debris area that can be hiked around. The trail is covered in snow just below the Rock of Ages Saddle. I would advise micro spikes or crampons for the push to the saddle. Take your ice axe for some fun glissading on the descent. The trail is clear to the Tiltin‘ Hilton with a few large but avoidable patches of snow on the way over to the gully. The north ridge up to the summit of Gladstone Peak is almost snow free and you can avoid the few tiny patches that remain. Namaste Sue 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 9/4/2011, By: Wyoming Bob
Info: Climbed Gladstone in a.m., no snow of consequence, anticipated from trip reports that route would be loose, we were not disappointed, caution certainly in order as to large loose talus, no route finding issues from new Silverpick trail head, not even in the dark . . . testament to well placed signage.