I ascended Bierstadt solo today to bag my third 14er! Got to the trailhead at about 6am on Wednesday, June 12th with plenty of parking left. I needed my thermals + outer layers during the first few miles (especially before the sun rose over the mountains)--chilly! Could have done without gloves, but I was very glad to have them.

Bierstadt was not at freezing elevation the night before I went up, so there was a mix of solid ice, crunchy ice, and lots of mud on the trail. The trail was quite wet on the way up with small streams running down in some places. The river was gorgeous and definitely up! I brought a pair of Chacos to cross the river and was VERY glad I had them. I don't see how someone could get across without completely soaking their boots otherwise. The river crossing is early on, so I'd say it's worth carrying extra shoes/socks to not have wet feet the entire time!

I know Bierstadt is considered one of the easier 14ers, but it's certainly a challenge and reminded me not to underestimate even "easy" ones! I was lucky to have excellent conditions, very sunny. The final push is quite steep but very fun, I thought! This mountain has a shorter boulder field than others I've done, and no scree. There was both a rocky side and a snowbank leading up to the summit; I chose the snowfield which had an epic view to the right. I felt stable (with spikes) on the summit snowbanks, which looked packed several feet deep. Although, I wouldn't recommend going up the snowbank to the summit later in the day/season as the snowpack softens. There are plenty of less risky routes through the rocky side.

It was windy today, nothing crazy but I wished I had a buff/hoodie to put over my ears to block the wind a bit. It took me about 2.5 hours to summit, where I met Gandalf:

Spikes felt necessary for me to actually enjoy this hike. I could have done without them, but it's not like anyone is handing out awards at the bottom for hiking without spikes. I noticed a LOT of people hiking without spikes today who seemed to be doing fine and would avoid snowfields by walking around them...

I get that people want to use the least amount of gear possible, but I would strongly encourage people who have spikes to use them as a matter of Leave No Trace (rather than a matter of skill level). Hiking without spikes isn't the flex people think it is, especially if it involves going off-trail! Using spikes and going straight through snowfields rather than around them (AKA staying on trail) helps preserve the tundra, which is being restored in several areas on Bierstadt! Just because you can hike without spikes doesn't mean you should, and it honestly made it a more enjoyable, less stressful hike for me. Just my two cents.

I wasn't post-holing on the ascent but started to on the way down as the snow softened. The trail had dried out considerably by the time I headed down with much less running water, and it warmed up quite a bit on my descent from 9:30-11:30. All around a great mountain and a beautiful day!