I started at 4:45am from the winter closure parking lot. The first mile is just hiking up the road and there are three switchbacks. On the third switchback you'll want to keep going straight/north. After you leave the road there is usually a trench for the next half mile because people use this as a shortcut to hike Mt Bierstadt. After this you'll pass to the left of a large pond which opens into a basin of flat terrain with patches of willows. I choose to navigate this by staying off the hills and mostly stuck to the flat ground. This might add mileage but you avoid lots of bushwacking through willows. Continue directionally toward the West Gully which is in picture 2.

Once you get near the base of the South Gully the willows become very thick and there are several small ponds. Navigate through this using the south side of the basin. The best option is to avoid this area and go south up onto the hillside. Two reasons: 1. Less bushwacking 2. This is highly active moose area and if you get on the hillside you'll avoid running into a moose in the willows. The high ground also gives you increased visibility to any moose in the area. I saw six moose on this trip, including a cow and calf.

There is a camp at the waypoint marked #1 in the picture below. I found this to be a good spot to rest, eat, and hydrate. From the camp you'll want to avoid going directly up the gully from here. The snow collects and is deep, there are also a lot of willows. As you can see from the picture below I took the gully directly on a previous attempt and it was miserable/time consuming. I found the easiest way up and down is to aim for the pond from the camp. You'll have to bushwack a little while making your way up a hill from the camp through the trees and willows. You end gaining a hill and can see the terrain in front of you.

The next picture was taken near the middle of point #1 and #2. The cliffs ahead look intimidating but there is a safe passage through the willows where the line is drawn on the picture. Once at the top of the cliffs you can head west and meet up with the gully.

I stayed to the left/east part of the gully on easy ground. Further up the gully there are easy ways to cross. You shouldn't have to work hard to pass over the gully.

At this point you can see Gray Wolf Mtn on your left and the summit ridge to Spalding on your right. Find an easy gully crossing and pick an easy line up the hillside to the ridge to Spalding. From the top of the ridge, you could summit Spalding and continue over to Mt Blue Sky. I had already climbed Spalding and choose to continue west toward the West Ridge of Mt Blue Sky. Aim for the point in the picture below. Any of the Mt Blue Sky West Ridge route descriptions will work once you get to the point.

At this point you are only about .75 away from the summit. For me, this took about 1.5 hours due to route finding.

Full disclosure this trip took me three tries to reach the summit of Mt Blue Sky. I learned a lot along the way and wanted to share some tips to help my fellow hikers to be successful in less attempts.

Distance = 15 miles rt from Guanella Pass Campground /Winter Closure ; Elevation gain = 4,500 ft

The gpx is my successful attempt one way. I planned to camp on the Mt Spalding ridge so I was carrying a fully loaded backpacking pack that weighed 45lbs. I camped because I tried a day trip prior, hiked for 12 hours, and only made it to the Spalding ridge. I figured I could hike for about 6 hours to the Spalding ridge which is about 5 miles and set up a camp there. The elevation for my camp spot was about 13,000 feet.

Hope this helps! Happy Trails!!