OTHER Trip Report 08/17/2025

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Mt Bethel 12705
Date Posted	08/17/2025
Date Climbed	07/27/2025
Author	letitbeirie

Bethel
I don't have a ton of narrative for this so I'm not sure if this counts as a "full" trip report in the traditional sense but 48 pics seemed a bit heavy for a "mini." With that, welcome to Mt. Bethel's SW face: 95% of the route is in this shot The service road doesn't last long - maybe 500 ft past this bend it turns back towards the mountain and ends in a laydown area for Loveland. Gaining the slope above the cut for this area is challenge 1 for the day - it's loose and crappy everywhere but a small, shallow gully to the left is much better than the open face. laydown area for the ski hill it's way looser and crappier than it looks the footing on the "good" section Past the man-made slope the footing improves considerably and route finding becomes the primary challenge. There are a lot of old/game/logging/etc. trails criss-crossing the mountain and many of them look legit until they fade out after half a mile. typical "trail" (more like signs of past use) there are some surprises hidden in the woods up here There are occasional route-finding aids but this is not a good mountain for the easily lost. either a cairn or a very unlikely situation still on (a) route Nor is it a good mountain for anyone who skips leg day. the route can be very direct at times one of the more obvious sections more typical "trail" it's hard to tell from pictures but this route is pretty steep After following a faint, intermittent trail(ish) up to 11550', it was pretty surprising to find an established trail halfway up the mountain. an actual trail!? actual trail continues trail gets faint at times but it continues past the saddle At the top of the trail there was an old campsite and a couple well-established trails leaving it. There's also a rock outcrop where you get the first good look at the upper slope and Bethel's giant avalanche gully. people used to haul camping gear up here I guess? pleasant trail continues down into/across(?) the avalanche gully looks like I'm not in any rush halfway up and it looks bigger than when I started The route continues beyond the old campsite on the most eagerly uphill trail. another solid trail continues up past the campsite the trails fade in and out in the grassy parts but there are a number of large, helpful cairns in this area still more of a route than a trail even the smaller cairns are obvious enough to be helpful At this point I saw a random batch of equipment stashed high up on Bethel's SE slopes. Anyone know what it's for? some curious items left in a curious place The route continues uphill to a ledge that wraps back around to the main grassy face. not much of a trail through here but the route isn't exactly hard to find especially with cairns like this and even a blaze for good measure the ledge first good look at citadel (I think?) and the snow fences Once the route fully turns the corner onto the slope your work is cut out for you. there's a trail through here still but it's pretty easy to lose and not all that helpful looking back another curiosity still a lot of steep to go citadel and the snow fences getting there... There was another batch of equipment high up on this slope too, just across the rocks a little bit into the avalanche gully. anyone missing their workbench? or is that a grill? also some giant duffel bags Pretty impressive view down the gully from where it's set up though: looks like people hike the gully - the willows at the bottom look miserable Not much left to climb past this point. finally actually almost to the top above the snow fences This TR is already at 50 pictures so I'll spare you the pictures from Bethel's long, unremarkable ridgeline, but there are great views down both adjacent gulches the entire way. Fast forward to the summit: a fence anchor stuck in the summit like excalibur a closer look Same goes for the way down but I descended by retracing my ascent route so I didn't take many pics anyway. I did get a couple from a detour over to the snow fences though: dry gulch is very photogenic the fences are much bigger than they look from the freeway anyone missing a mallet? the trip down this slope is just as intimidating as the trip up another look at dry gulch My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload): Login required to view this map... Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Bethel

I don't have a ton of narrative for this so I'm not sure if this counts as a "full" trip report in the traditional sense but 48 pics seemed a bit heavy for a "mini." With that, welcome to Mt. Bethel's SW face:

23211_01 — 95% of the route is in this shot

The service road doesn't last long - maybe 500 ft past this bend it turns back towards the mountain and ends in a laydown area for Loveland. Gaining the slope above the cut for this area is challenge 1 for the day - it's loose and crappy everywhere but a small, shallow gully to the left is much better than the open face.

23211_50 — laydown area for the ski hill

23211_02 — it's way looser and crappier than it looks

23211_03 — the footing on the "good" section

Past the man-made slope the footing improves considerably and route finding becomes the primary challenge. There are a lot of old/game/logging/etc. trails criss-crossing the mountain and many of them look legit until they fade out after half a mile.

23211_04 — typical "trail" (more like signs of past use)

23211_05 — there are some surprises hidden in the woods up here

There are occasional route-finding aids but this is not a good mountain for the easily lost.

23211_06 — either a cairn or a very unlikely situation

Nor is it a good mountain for anyone who skips leg day.

23211_07 — the route can be very direct at times

23211_09 — one of the more obvious sections

23211_11 — it's hard to tell from pictures but this route is pretty steep

After following a faint, intermittent trail(ish) up to 11550', it was pretty surprising to find an established trail halfway up the mountain.

23211_15 — trail gets faint at times but it continues past the saddle

At the top of the trail there was an old campsite and a couple well-established trails leaving it. There's also a rock outcrop where you get the first good look at the upper slope and Bethel's giant avalanche gully.

23211_16 — people used to haul camping gear up here I guess?

23211_17 — pleasant trail continues down into/across(?) the avalanche gully

23211_18 — looks like I'm not in any rush

23211_19 — halfway up and it looks bigger than when I started

The route continues beyond the old campsite on the most eagerly uphill trail.

23211_20 — another solid trail continues up past the campsite

23211_21 — the trails fade in and out in the grassy parts but there are a number of large, helpful cairns in this area

23211_22 — still more of a route than a trail

23211_52 — even the smaller cairns are obvious enough to be helpful

At this point I saw a random batch of equipment stashed high up on Bethel's SE slopes. Anyone know what it's for?

23211_24 — some curious items left in a curious place

The route continues uphill to a ledge that wraps back around to the main grassy face.

23211_25 — not much of a trail through here but the route isn't exactly hard to find

23211_26 — especially with cairns like this

23211_28 — and even a blaze for good measure

23211_29 — first good look at citadel (I think?) and the snow fences

Once the route fully turns the corner onto the slope your work is cut out for you.

23211_30 — there's a trail through here still but it's pretty easy to lose and not all that helpful

There was another batch of equipment high up on this slope too, just across the rocks a little bit into the avalanche gully.

23211_35 — anyone missing their workbench?

Pretty impressive view down the gully from where it's set up though:

23211_40 — looks like people hike the gully - the willows at the bottom look miserable

Not much left to climb past this point.

23211_38 — finally actually almost to the top

This TR is already at 50 pictures so I'll spare you the pictures from Bethel's long, unremarkable ridgeline, but there are great views down both adjacent gulches the entire way. Fast forward to the summit:

23211_42 — a fence anchor stuck in the summit like excalibur

Same goes for the way down but I descended by retracing my ascent route so I didn't take many pics anyway. I did get a couple from a detour over to the snow fences though:

23211_45 — the fences are much bigger than they look from the freeway

23211_47 — the trip down this slope is just as intimidating as the trip up

My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

ltlFish99

THANKS FOR
8/17/2025 3:00pm

THE MEMORIES.

THIS WAS MY VERY FIRST HIKE WITH THE CMC, BACK IN MAY OF 1987.

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