6/7/2025 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 6/7/2025, By: Joey_parm Info: Quite the day with the snow. (TLDR: this is a longggg day with spring snow and snow experience is required. Only used microspikes and poles - served good enough for an 'axe' due to soft snow) No snowshoes needed up to elkhead pass in the AM / stashed them up there. Heading into Missouri Basin on the pass's south side started with a few gully snow crossings - nothing crazy if you have snow experience. Then we started off with Iowa first, via the alternate, since it looked like that had more snow. Crossed more gullies - at least 2 were very steep and snow was too warm to be safe so we luckily found some rock outcroppings to climb to. Still very slow and draining and set us back a lot. These snow crossings require snow experience and moderate risk tolerance IMO. Iowa ridge had large snow drifts so we stuck to the climbers right and scrambled above the cliffs. Mostly dry. Down Iowa and up Emerald - took a random line up the face to ridge. Mostly dry. Coming back out of basin from Emerald Iowa saddle got interesting. Lots of snow crossings which were immediate postholes knee-deep and too shallow or soft to glissade...so let's just say we got creative with how to cross these without postholing. Elkhead pass back down to Missouri Gulch, didn't use the snowshoes either. We used existing posthole prints from folks that day or made some of our own. |
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5/11/2025 Route: Clohesy Lake / 381 Posted On: 5/11/2025, By: Sbenfield Info: Started from Rockdale in flip flops in order to immediately wade the two streams. Generally unpleasant and cold, but not a huge deal. 381 Road was dry to a bit before Cloyster Lake. We used snowshoes after. Went through a forest trying to stay close the Creek, then made our way to a gentle saddle above Pear Lake. After, we used crampons and axe to ascend the moderate SW face of Emerald. Some postholing on the descent |
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10/6/2024 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 10/7/2024, By: mtnspdr Info: Summer conditions abound. Just a few micro-patches of snow in the rocks on the north side of Emerald (see attached photo). Iowa and the ridge to Missouri are snow free. |
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8/11/2024 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 8/13/2024, By: understaffedpackraft Info: There is a more direct route to the summit from the combo that starts closer to the ridgeline, look for small cairns in the boulder patches where the boulder field ends. This route is, however, switchback scree-city - you have been warned. North ridge route goes fine, a little route-finding. |
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7/27/2024 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 8/1/2024, By: jbealer Info: summer conditions from TH to Emerald/Iowa. we left the trail to soon so headed to Iowa first, i do not recommend it- loose dirt/rocks, much better to decent on. whole point of update is to ask someone to bring a new lid for the registry on emerald, the cap is missing, papers are in a zip-lock bag and were dry but that will not hold forever, or a new better container. thanks |
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6/23/2024 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 6/23/2024, By: Belchfire Info: Great day out there! The swatch definitely is holding more snow than a lot of other ranges around the state, but the route up Missouri has 3 snow crossings (no microspikes/axe needed). Creek crossings are very wet, but was able to keep my feet dry(mostly) on all of the crossings. There is one down Climb to the southside of Missouri that still has some snow and ice, it is slippery! On my way back around, I Made my way up the dry left side of this goalie with a few exposed class 3 moves that were definitely not necessary. The walk over to Iowa and Emerald is completely dry on ridge proper. They should switch the names of these two peaks, as Iowa is super green and beautiful and Emerald is a loose pile of . Only reason for an axe would be glissading. Missouri N face still goes! Left the car at 4:30, Summited Missouri at 7:30, Iowa at eight, Emerald at 8:30, and then made the trip back over and back up on top of Missouri by 945. Back to the car at 11:30. Crusher 7k! Shout out to Andy for letting my partner know Id be an extra hour! Crusher 7k vert! |
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6/22/2024 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 6/22/2024, By: truekyle Info: Still a good amount of snow over the other side of elk head pass. I had my dog with me and we went about 300 feet down from the saddle and decided to come back another day when we didn't have to traverse snow with her. There is a group in the basin that told me they are going up tomorrow so hopefully they will have good news! |
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7/4/2023 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 7/4/2023, By: Tony1 Info: A little less snow than I expected based on the previous entry. Almost summer conditions. Photo #2 makes it look snowier than it is. Dry trail to the Belford split. Between the Belford and Missouri trail splits, the creek completely overtakes the trail for a while, but otherwise mostly dry. Between the Missouri split and Elkhead Pass, just a couple of snowfields, the upper of which is somewhat large but melting quick and it's easy enough to just go straight across. Between the pass and Emerald, I took a slightly lower route than the preferred route listed on this website in order to avoid snow and found it easy enough to avoid most of the snow between the pass and the peak. No snow between Emerald and Iowa. I came down the north side of Iowa and used some snowfields to make the descent easier. Snow was mostly supportive while soft in the afternoon. I brought spikes and gaiters but never used them. I did tolerate wet feet almost the whole way back from Iowa. I expected to have to turn around with the forecast and late start but ended up having some insane luck here with dodging weather. Long, brutal hike but very rewarding. |
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6/18/2023 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 6/18/2023, By: sarahmariekirk Info: Summited Missouri today via the backside of Elkshead Pass but Emerald is still extremely snowy and the snowfields are pretty unconsolidated with rotten snow. Witnessed three wet slide avalanches today on this route, with quite a lot of slide activity on the backside, traversing across the way to Emerald / Iowa. We were planning for Missouri, Emerald and Iowa today but were only able to climb Missou due to a ton of new snowfall over the last few days over a weak layer. Ill be back for these two! |
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5/31/2023 Route: Emerald via Elkhead Pass/ Missouri Gulch Posted On: 5/31/2023, By: tefensmom Info: Still a lot of snow. Only used snowshoes to read end Elkhead Pass on the return. Used axe a lot. Mainly was just in trail runners without traction. Snow very supportive on the ascent, post-holey on the descent as expected. Will add some pics. |
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6/21/2022 Route: From Clohesy lake Posted On: 6/21/2022, By: Trotter Info: Road and trail up to Clohesy lake is dry and cleaned of deadfall. Lots of flowing water on the pear lake trail below treeline, almost impossible to keep your shoes dry. Climb up to Emerald summit is loose and steep, but doable. Summer conditions. |
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6/14/2022 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 6/16/2022, By: rambis_21 Info: A few snow fields to cross after elkhead pass. Snow at 9 am was still very stable and easy to cross and climb. Made for a great glissade down Emerald around 10 am. Full summer conditions. Only climbed Emerald today after how I felt on the summit of Emerald. Still a long hike! |
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6/10/2022 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 6/10/2022, By: terrysrunning Info: I didn't actually climb it because it looked like there'd be more postholing or re-routing than I felt like doing on a day I had a hard limit on how long I could be out, but it looks like it'd go for someone motivated and much of the snow could be avoided. Figured I'd just put the pic up in case anyone was interested, and went and repeated Belford and Oxford since I was there. |
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2/12/2022 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 2/12/2022, By: Geckser Info: Had a once in a winter day in the Sawatch. Low winds, warm temps, sunny skies and a well trenched trail. Felt outstanding to be out there. Went up with the always great @Arthurspiderman. The trip was 19 miles rt and about 7,000 feet of gain. We did a combination of skiing to 12,200 at which point we boot packed up to the Missouri ridge and moved to trail runners for the walk from Missouri to Iowa + Emerald. The avy dangers is certainly present, we heard some whumphing and almost turned around but pushed on because we found a relatively safe rock rib a little ways South of Missouri. The road is closed 3 miles below the trailhead and is in good shape though must be skinned up both ways. The trail up to the basin is in awesome shape (especially compared to the times I was up in Spring) and can be easily skied up and down continuously to the base of the rock shoulder. The ridge from Missouri onward was generally dry and I was very happy to be wearing trail runners and to give my poor boot wracked feet a break |
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10/10/2021 Route: Emerald/Iowa Combo Posted On: 10/12/2021, By: mjlucarelli Info: Snow on the entire route from the Clohesy Lake 4wd trailhead. Snow was deep enough for gators in some spots, but never felt a need for snowshoes. Packed spikes, didn't use them, but I would still suggest bringing them along. |
