6/29/2025 Route: Hermit, Eureka, and Rito Alto from Hermit Pass Posted On: 6/29/2025, By: Dayute Info: Hermit pass is clear to the last switchback at 12,900 where one last snow bank blocks the road. Easy enough to hike around but if you want to drive to the pass you wont quite make it. Hermit, Eureka, and Rito Alto all in summer conditions. Camped between Horshoe and Hermit lakes and had marmot issues, thought I was low enough but should have camped beneath Hermit Lake. Road in is long and relentless, HC required. |
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7/16/2024 Route: Eureka --> comanche Posted On: 7/16/2024, By: yaktoleft13 Info: Started from venable trailhead with intentions of doing the triple, but realized eureka was the next peak to the north and I'd orphaned it this spring. Went to venable pass, side hilled to the saddle, then mostly took the ridge. A long way away from venable, probably the same distance from venable to comanche at least. Took 2:50 from trailhead to reach eureka summit. From there, I went back to the trail split with venable pass and phantom terrace and took the terrace across, then up venable. Went over to spring and comanche, then down comanche trail. Mosquitos were vicious between 12.7-13k up venable and just below the pass on comanche trail. Stats were 16.5 miles, 6700 gain, and 7:50 car to car. Ps Fawkes is a beast. His stats (probably): 40 miles 20k gain all summits at least 3 times |
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6/2/2024 Route: N ridge to Eureka Couloir Posted On: 6/2/2024, By: slawrence2011 Info: Started from 9,1K on the Hermit road at 4:30. Road was try til we turned off at 11,4. Traverse through woods can feel punchy even for my climbing partner wearing snowshoes, but I managed to do it in boots. We climbed an easy snow slope to gain the upper basin, then climbed some class 2 rock to gain the ridge, followed that over Yahoo to the summit. I summitted around 10:30, dropped into Eureka shortly after. A little too late, but great coverage and snow quality in the couloir. I skied down to the lake, then traversed the shelf out to the easy snow we approached on, as the earlier steeper slopes are no longer continuous. I stayed on skis for about 3/4 of the traverse, then had some nasty postholing on inconsistent snow for the last 1/4. Sangre snow is very mature and melting fast. |
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6/16/2023 Route: Eureka Couloir Posted On: 6/19/2023, By: slawrence2011 Info: Started from as high as I could drive my Civic on hermit pass road at 3:30, probably only like 9K. Walking the road was easy, but then at the point where the Blue Skimo guide says to leave the road, there is a trail. How convenient? But later, learned the trail takes you deep in toward the lake, rather than traversing high, so I ended up climbing some deep sloppy snow and class 2+/3 to gain the shelf, when I could have easily gained it closer to the road. I didn't actually summit due to feeling low energy, and by 10:30 when I found the couloir entrance, snow was already very soft, so dropped right then. Couloir in great shape other than too soft. Constantly moving to the side and letting loose wet pass from the new snow. Not necessarily a best practice. Traversed the shelf for a while on the way out with beta that I could ski down to the lake, a bunch of options didn't go, finally I downclimbed a few rocks, then it went with a willow crossing. Slog through willows back to the road was nasty, I connected to it at a much higher point than the 11,4 I left it, but it was easier than increasing the length of the traverse in the willows. Thanks to the couple who picked me up and drove me down most of the way huddling with their two dogs so I could fit! Couloir has amazing coverage still. I wonder if this is the same as the MDM couloir. |
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6/15/2023 Route: West Ridge from N Crestone TH Posted On: 6/15/2023, By: tjf242424 Info: Some patches of snow to cross on the way up to the ridge, but did not need traction. The last 200 ft to the summit is a cornice. I managed it with microspikes and poles. |
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5/9/2023 Route: MDM Couloir Posted On: 5/10/2023, By: blazintoes Info: Ross Boss drove his Tacoma up to 10,000 on Hermit Pass. By 4am ish we hiked sans traction to Hermit Lake TH and stashed snowshoes then hiked to Hermit Lake and put on crampons to ascend up and around the steep shelf before heading to the Mad Dad Mike couloir using Supranihilists gpx track. Thanks Ben. The couloir was firm with good sticky snow. At 13,200 the snow became icy and it was hard to kick steps but at ~40 degrees max steepness it was good hard front point work. We continued the loop to Hermit and down the jeep road to our snowshoes. Some postholing, lotsa wind, a mountain chicken with changing feathers, moose tracks, uv radiation, Reeses, one glissade, and a great day with a good team. This was a fun quick loop. The Sangres still have a lot of snow and the MDM couloir is worth the effort. |
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7/16/2022 Route: Hermit Pass Posted On: 7/16/2022, By: denvermikey Info: Summer conditions. Great short hike. Wildflowers blanketing most of the route. |
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6/29/2022 Route: Hermit Pass Posted On: 6/30/2022, By: PeakMiller Info: Started the morning hiking down from Mt. Adams and thought I would head a few basins north. I had read up on the pass and accepted that it was going to be a long day (adding on 12 extra miles RT). But hey, the weather looked promising. Met a man hiking down from Hermit and Rito Alto. He reminded me that I should start posting on here. Thanks Osprey! The ridge walk from Hermit to Eureka had fun rock and wildflowers the whole way. It was also quite enjoyable to yell "Yahoo!" on top of Yahoo Mtn. (wouldn't you?) On the way down I met a man from Kentucky that was driving up to Horseshoe Lake to do some kayaking. Earlier in the day he had tried his luck on Como Lake Road, but was unsuccessful driving up it, so he opted for Hermit Pass instead. He passed me again on the road down and I asked if anyone was up there when he was kayaking. He said "no one up there cept muskrats". Got down to the car by 7pm making it a 9 hr venture with plenty of type 2 moments. Definitely bringing a MTB next time or a friend with a lift kit... |
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10/16/2021 Route: From Hermit Peak Posted On: 10/17/2021, By: CheapCigarMan Info: Bluebird day. No wind. Powdered sugar snow. Postholed up to my knees in only a few places. Most of the time was ankle deep or less. Wore microspikes that ended up fine but wish I had crampons and an ice axe. Especially for the first few hundred feet of the descent off Eureka. The summit seems to be the northern one, the first one you get to from Hermit. My GPS put it at 38.07899, -105.64123 which showed it to be 5' - 10' higher than it's northern bump. Spectacular views of the Sangre de Cristos and especially the Crestones, Kit, and Humboldt. Seen and heard the helicopter fly in and out for the recovery mission for Maddie today. Very sobering. |
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4/30/2021 Route: Eureka Couloir Posted On: 4/30/2021, By: d_baker Info: Similar conditions as reported by supra Ben Funkstein. Of note, we drove a little beyond the forest service boundary, to approximately 9400' and parked in a less than ideal pullout for car camping. It worked with rocks under our tires. Slightly beyond this point, there's a boulder in middle of road that we didn't want to try to squeeze by, but others have. Continuous snow starts around 9800' but it's smooth sailing thanks to a groomer and other motorized vehicles that appear to track it during the winter. (Evidence of groomers near treeline along Hermit Pass Rd.) We didn't go to Hermit Lake, and instead stayed on the road, given the track, and turned off at a higher point (11,880') and traversed to upper bench, below the climb. ~3.5hrs to base of climb (@ 6:30ish). ~2hrs in couloir. Descended NW ridge, and then slopes between Hermit and the bump to its S. 11+ mile day, ~4250' gain. Snow conditions on approach firm, didn't use snowshoes until after leaving road, and then again on our de-proach. Conditions in couloir boot top deep, in most places. Hiking boots with strap-ons worked well for the two of us today. Point releases by 11am, with today's temps. Fun climb! Sam measured about 40° near the top. |
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4/10/2021 Route: Eureka! Couloir Posted On: 4/10/2021, By: supranihilest Info: The Eureka! couloir is in perfect shape. Follow Hermit Pass Road to the signed trailhead and then continue straight ahead up a steep headwall. This is the first snow climb on the route and can be avoided by going higher on the road. At the top stay on the lower of two benches, the higher is sidehilly. Gear up at the base of the couloir then fire that sucker! Make a mental map of the couloir before going up, as there are several branches that go nowhere and it snakes around. With exception of the last 50 feet snow on the entire couloir was styrofoam to hard styrofoam, no mushy crap, no ice, no rock hard slab. Plenty of spindrift which has undoubtedly filled my tracks. The upper 50 feet was airy, icy, sugary garbage and hard to get purchase in. Some clawing my way up. I continued on to Hermit, Rito Alto, and 12,671, but you could down climb the couloir. Beware, it's pretty consistent in the 40-something degree range and the top is probably 50+. Gear: I wore trail runners from the bottom of the road to 11,300 feet, then put on boots and snowshoes. I wore snowshoes to the bottom of the couloir then switched to crampons and axe. I would say flotation, axe, and traction are all mandatory. |
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4/10/2018 Route: North Slope Posted On: 4/11/2018, By: desertdog Info: The recent storm seems to have missed this area. We drove to 10,300 ft. on Hermit Pass road after that it is blocked by snow drifts. With an early start you will not need snowshoes. We elected to climb up the slope and then the far right gully between the Eureka and Hermit saddle rather than going over Hermit (see pic). This is a great route. Easy class 3 with the snow. Much more fun than climbing Hermit twice. You will need spikes and an axe. Once on the north slope, there is not much snow. The traverse between Eureka's two summits is snow free. Hermit and Rito Alto had very little snow as well. This is a beautiful area and the conditions make it worth a visit right now. |
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7/10/2016 Route: North Slopes from Hermit Pass Posted On: 7/11/2016, By: JasonKline Info: The small amount of snow left was easily avoidable. It was extremely windy, with gusts making it hard to stand up at times. |
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4/11/2015 Route: NE Couly Posted On: 4/12/2015, By: Monster5 Info: Parked around 9600 ft on Hermit Pass Rd, stopped at drifts (high clearance to there). Shuttled from Comanche/Venable TH. Snow is spring-like, consistent above 10K and mostly bare on S/SE facing stuff and ridgelines. Hard in am, bit punchy near rocks/vege in the pm. Snowshoes not used or brought, but recommended if descending a basin instead of a ridge. Followed the road/trail to Hermit Lake and booted up to the lake below Eureka (mod snow, 3rd class - easier swinging right or left). Climbed NE Couly on Eureka (left side of face; not the Eureka Couloir on the right side, which looked fully in). About 55-60 deg with two quickly melting AI2/4th class sections. A week earlier would be prime. Threw on trailrunners and moved on to Venable, Spring, Comanche (class 2, tundra/talus). Descended the E ridge of Comanche (class 4, snow. Perhaps only class 3 dry) and dropped to Comanche Lake (tundra. Mod. snow just above lake). Followed the snowshoe-packed trail out (bit punchy). |
