See
1 for an overview of the route. The winter (and usually spring) closure for the road to the Mineral Park trailhead is 3 miles below the trailhead at the Paris Mill location. Walk, ski or drive to the Mineral Park trailhead parking area. Continue northwest up the road, pass the mining area. After a short distance, reach a road junction that may not be visible due to snow. The main road goes off to the right and climbs to the Bristlecone Pine Scenic Area and is the road used Bross' East Slopes route. Continue straight to enter the "Dolly Varden Gully" (
2) which is really the upper portions of Dolly Varden Gulch and is a major drainage for Mt. Bross and "South Bross."
If the gully is not fully covered with snow, the climb may not be worth it or very much fun. Also, water can flow under the snow, so it's important make a safety decision if water can be seen or heard. Begin your ascent! The route is obvious -
3; Just follow the gully towards Bross. Ascend a few hundred feet and the gully turns slightly left near 12,000' -
4. Continue straight up the gully to see a right turn in the gully near 12,800' -
5. Once you reach the turn, most of the remaining route comes into view -
6. The gully continues up to about 13,600' and usually does not hold snow to the ridge between "South Bross" (left) and Mt. Bross (right).
Taken from just above the turn and south of the gully,
7 is a good look at the remaining route. Near 13,400', there's a road that crosses the gully. Above here, the gully gets a bit steeper and the snow may not last much longer. You can either leave the right side of the gully and climb directly up the slope below the summit or continue to the top of the gully before angling towards the summit. The best way to the summit is usually to pick the most continuous snow you can see and keep climbing north-northwest towards the top.
8 and
9 provide another look at the options. Generally, the direct route up the slope has snow higher up.
10,
11 and
12 were taken on the slope just below the summit. After finally topping out near 14,100', the summit comes into view -
13. Walk north across the broad summit area.
Since 2007, the summit of Bross has officially been closed because the multitude of landowners have not given formal permission to allow hikers. 14ers.com doesn't condone trespassing but if you have permission or intend to gain the summit regardless, please be respectful. The true summit pile isn't much higher than the center of the large summit area and the center is on public land so, in the grand scheme of things, hiking just to the center is good enough.