Winter Mount Lindsey

With Mt Lindsey finally opening this past summer to the public I had it high on my list to climb this winter. I had not climbed Lindsey since way back in June of 2019 and I was excited for the chance to get back up there. That climb in June was tough, with it basically still being in winter conditions from the "snowmegaddon" spring storms that year.

I was expecting this trip to have similar spring like conditions, and we planned on taking the popular class 3 ridge route. This itinerary is generally avy friendly with the ridge typically not holding much snow.

I drove down with Alec that night leaving Denver after midnight. We met our buddy Max in Gardner and took both vehicles up County Road 550. The road was mostly dry until just after the Singing River Ranch and then any plowing seemed to have stopped at the Aspen River Ranch 16.7 miles from the beginning of 550. Max left his sedan there and jumped in with us. Alec then expertly drove the 3 of us another few miles through the snow in his 4x4. We parked 2.2 miles from the trailhead in a large clearing at the landslide area. A steep snow covered hill kept us from driving any further.

Day of Climb: Tuesday, December 30th, 2025

Peak: Mount Lindsey

Trailhead: Huerfano/Lily Lake

Mileage and Elevation Gain: 12.65 miles and 4100 feet of elevation gain.

We started booting the snow covered road around 6 and quickly made it to the trailhead. A 4th climber had caught us and we climbed with him on and off throughout the day. We all put our snowshoes on at the trailhead and continued on through the deepening snow.

There were tracks to follow though so good progress was made to the river. Fortunately, the river crossing was easy on a snow bridge. My last trip up Lindsey I had to wade across nearly waist deep water. I was thankful not to have to repeat that.

After the river we lost the tracks that we were following and started breaking trail as it twisted through the forest. We followed the standard trail as much as possible. The trail got much steeper after passing the boulder field and this was probably the hardest section of the approach with the deepest snow we encountered all day. At about 11,500 feet we left the forest and started following a line up a frozen creek. The trenching got easier and we took this all the way to the basin just below the Iron Nipple/Lindsey saddle.

We dropped our snowshoes here and began climbing the headwall to the Iron Nipple/Lindsey saddle following the standard trail again. At just past 13k we gained the crest of the saddle and had our first good look at Mt Lindsey and the upper section of our route.

Both the Northwest Gully and Northwest Ridge appeared to be mostly snow free. We took a quick break at the saddle to snack and adjust our layers before departing towards the ridge route following the standard trail.

It was easy 2+ scrambling until near the notch. My two buddies had stayed on the ridge crest and went over the sharp points for a more challenging approach to the crux. I'm not as daring though and remained lower on the ridge. I put microspikes on just before the notch to traverse across a steep slope that had some snow and gingerly crossed it.

At the crux I took the class 3 variation to the left without much difficulty. It was 100% dry. Both my buddies took slightly different lines that were probably each class 4. The rock quality is excellent at the crux, so I don't think it really matters which line you take to be honest.

We were happy to get by the crux area which was easier than anticipated with very little snow or ice. Above the crux there was easier scrambling and we quickly topped out on the false summit which is known as Northwest Lindsey. This was an unranked 14er on my first ascent of these peaks in 2019. It has since been refigured and is now an unranked 13er standing 13,988 feet tall.

It was then smooth sailing along the upper ridge from Northwest Lindsey to Lindsey's true summit. There was some snow on this section but not enough to hinder us along what is mostly a class 2 section. Overall, it was a fantastic climb and we were thrilled to get another winter 14er❄️. The 4th climber we had hooked up with earlier was already there, having separated earlier from us and taken the gully route. The weather was absolutely perfect and we all enjoyed the views with a longer than normal summit stay.

Inevitably, our summit stay had to come to an end and we started our descent. It had been a rewarding day, but it was only half complete. We cruised back across the upper ridge and headed down towards the crux. I had briefly entertained the idea of descending the gully, but had decided it was best to stick to what I knew. Plus, easy access to the gully was blocked by a steep snow slope I didn't want to mess with.

The crux downclimb went without a hitch. I was able to do it facing out without a problem. The 3 of us then quickly made it back to the saddle and then down the headwall to retrieve our snowshoes. The 4th climber we had met was long gone having left the summit well before us.

The rest of the descent was unremarkable and we made our vehicle before dark. It had been a long day and we didn't waste time getting back on the road for the almost as long drive home. Mt Lindsey was definitely one of my more enjoyable winter 14er trips. The Northwest Ridge is a fun route and challenging, with just enough spice. I still haven't done the gully, but the ridge seems like the best way to go.