5/15/2026 Route: Via Hardrock trail from Cunningham gulch Posted On: 5/15/2026, By: SnowAlien Info: Summary - no traction or ice ax needed, snow is avoidable. Eastern slopes of King Salomon looked pretty dry on the prior scouting trip, so I took a chance and left skis in the car. Been wanting to do the peak for a while - when we did Little Giant back in 2022, it was a very smoky day, so we skipped it. Then I wanted to ski KSM in the spring of 2023, but there was an avalance accident due to too much snow. Sadly, it doesn't have enough snow to ski this spring. I started around 8.30am from Cunningham gulch TH, which is Subaruable. Creek crossing with the ice cold water was the first crux. There is a sketchy log to cross in the vicinity, which I used to cross the creek on the way back, but not in the morning. Ran into a trailrunner (the Hardrock type), which I took as a good sign that snow crossings are doable in Hokas. The only route modification was to go to the top of the ridge and cross over there, since the standard Hardrock trail near the top of the ridge (~13,000 ft) is still snow covered. The ridge direct to the summit had a couple class 3 moves. Beautiful day. Stats: 6.5 miles, 3,000 ft |