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Houghton Mountain

Peak Condition Updates  
5/27/2023
Route: S/SE Gully
Posted On: 5/30/2023, By: Tony1
Info: South-facing gully is still in from the summit but is getting thin quickly down low and at the very top. Started and finished in Animas Forks with a quick hike up the beginning of the California Pass road to the line. Used crampons up the line and skis to descend. Seasonal temperatures on this day with a complete bluebird sky. I dropped from the summit at about 10am and found mostly corned up snow but with a few hard spots. The California Pass road had complete snow coverage after the first couple hundred yards as of the date of this entry. As I passed by on the way down, an OHV was getting towed out of the snow by another OHV. Nice. Finally, cheers to SnowAlien for all the San Juans beta this spring. So many good ideas, so little time. 
3
5/18/2023
Route: SE gully ski descent
Posted On: 5/20/2023, By: SnowAlien
Info: Houghton looked very much in the day before from Jones/Niagara. Particularly the 1,000+ ft SE gully looked attractive. On the early morning skin up to Tuttle I was able to see 2 sets of older ski tracks in the gully. Approached from Tuttle on skins and booted a part of the ridge. The storm clouds have moved in and engulfed the summit, but I had great cell reception (AT&T) and was able to watch the weather radar from the summit. After waiting for about 30 minutes I saw a break in the clouds before another wave of storm would move in. SE was a mellow ski descent around 30 degree steepness. Mining ruins in the California gulch were picturesque. 
13
8/3/2021
Route: Southeast Ridge from Animas Forks
Posted On: 8/3/2021, By: supranihilest
Info: I parked at the junction of Animas Forks Road/CR 2 and Picayne Gulch/CR 9 intending to make a loop from Houghton all the way through Point 13,075; better to park at this junction and do the uphill to Animas Forks early in the morning than after 20 miles at the end of the day. Anyway, Houghton's southeast ridge is easy, mostly grass and dirt, with a couple of steep sections and a couple of small, chossy rock bands that don't really pose much of a problem. The entire ridge is Class 2 if desired, even the steepest parts through the rock bands. 
5 1
7/7/2020
Route: California Gulch
Posted On: 7/8/2020, By: Flyingfish
Info: Summer conditions slightly muddy in the early AM 
2/1/2020
Route: S/SE/NE slopes
Posted On: 2/3/2020, By: SarahT
Info: Started from Eureka. Several slides have crossed CO-110 but its in safe condition at the moment. A dumb route finding error caused me to opt to climb steep south facing slopes to gain the SE ridge a bit below 12,000'. Not recommended - snowshoes and ice axe is never a good combination! Once on the SE ridge there was one steep section but the snow was in good condition. To descend I started down the SE ridge and then soon bailed to the NE slopes, which were by far the safest option and let me avoid descending the steep bit on the ridge. I descended the North Fork drainage back to the road (after bagging Engineer & Seigal). It is very narrow and steep slopes loom on either side - not a place to be except in the best of conditions. I had to do an 8' jump near the very bottom to get down a strange rock wall - man made I think.