Mt. Blue Sky

Route: West Ridge from Guanella Pass
Posted On: 11/5/2023, By: __brandonwhite__
Info: Snow from the trailhead to the summit. Depth at lower elevations: ~1ft. Depth up high: ~2ft with drifts to ~3ft. Top of the gully up along the Sawtooth had a 4in melt-freeze crust on top of a further 4in of loose facets. Plenty of shooting cracks walking on low-angle terrain, and was kicking off decent slabs with my boots that would slide further down. Not enough snow coverage in the gully to be an avalanche concern just yet, but after the next snowstorm it will absolutely be a dangerous place to be. 

Route: Bierstadt, Sawtooth, Blue Sky
Posted On: 10/22/2023, By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: Bierstadt>Sawtooth>Evans route and returned via the gully and willows. Very dry with just a few spots of snow when descending off Bierstadt. The rest of the route was mostly dry with the exception of a few snowy/icy spots when zig zagging through the willows on the return to the Bierstadt trail. The trail through the willows was relatively easy to follow, with only a few wet areas 

Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake
Posted On: 10/4/2023, By: Logan5280
Info: Ran up the west ridge and down the road this afternoon. There are a few snowy spots on the trail, but they're often avoidable, or easily crossable (running shoes with no traction). I tagged "West Evans" after misidentifying it on a previous hike, then stayed on the ridge all the way to the top. I ran down the road, which is still 99% dry (and bike-able). Overall, great time and still pretty tame for shoulder season conditions. 

Route: West Ridge from Echo Lake
Posted On: 9/24/2023, By: headsizeburrito
Info: Hadn't done the peak from Echo Lake before so the name change and nice weather made for a good excuse. Some fall color on the drive up to Echo Lake. Trail from there to Chicago Lakes is clear and in good shape. A couple patches of snow on the way up to Summit Lake near the top, but easily avoided. Dry from there to Spalding with the exception of a patch or two that can be avoided. Spalding to Saddle is dry, but the saddle back up is where most snow is. Generally firm with some ice in spots, I put my spikes on for this short section because I had them. Route is totally dry once you round the edge onto the west ridge route. The summit is actually pretty peaceful when the road is closed down at Summit Lake. Blue Sky lived up to it's name today! 

Route: Tour de Abyss Loop
Posted On: 9/24/2023, By: Ryan987
Info: Awesome trail! Had a blast. Very minimal snow but it is worth stating that a very small 20 ft section of the sawtooth ramp is currently covered in snow/ice and a slip may be fatal. Will be attaching a photo of this area. I did not feel concerned when I walked over this though. Brought spikes but did not use them. No snow on bierstadt class 3 ridge though. Just to reiterate- https://maps.app.goo.gl/Njoz1DsQNmMx5PH67 this parking lot is free and no reservations are required. Get through the entrance by 8 AM With mt blue sky closed, you will have to start from the summit lake area and it took me 7 hours to do the 9-10 miles 

Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake
Posted On: 9/20/2023, By: Javfa1958
Info: Some areas of snow at the sawtooth ridge. Not a show stopper. 

Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake
Posted On: 9/18/2023, By: DestinV
Info: Road to summit lake is in decent enough shape. the trail has some snow and ice near the summit, will most likely get worse with the coming weather. Overall great hike! 

Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake
Posted On: 9/18/2023, By: JasonCrane
Info: Bought the $12 Timed Entry Permit & summited Mt. Blue Sky (formerly Mt. Evans) from the Summit Lake Park TH. Mt. Blue Sky has about 4 inches of snow, but the trail is tracked-out & easy to follow up & over Mt. Spalding. Once you gain the West Ridge on Evans, the terrain is rocky, slow moving & route-finding can be a little tricky. However, there are cairns to follow & didn't have any issues with footing or ice. It was chilly up on the mountain, est. 40-45 degrees & much less with occasional wind gusts & wind chill. Note -- Past Summit Lake Park, Mt. Evans Road is closed to vehicular traffic. 

Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake
Posted On: 9/13/2023, By: donovanrice
Info: Very little snow/frost. 

Route: Bierstadt, Sawtooth, Blue Sky
Posted On: 9/4/2023, By: sean23
Info: Routefinding on the Sawtooth was a little hairy. We followed cairns from the notch and may have deviated from the standard route. That said, the cairns didn't lead us anywhere sketchy. Altogether a fun and not too intense scramble. 

Route: West Ridge from Guanella Pass
Posted On: 8/22/2023, By: greenonion
Info: Very large bull moose in area right after the Evans trail heads away from Buerstadt trail and toward Scott Gomer creek area. In the afternoon this guy was right next to the trail and did not see me, but I saw his huge antlers above the willows before he saw me. Gave me a chance to quietly back down trail and figure out a wide berth. He was right at the trail and probably would have been spooked big time had I not seen the antlers first. 15-20 feet away. For once the willows were my friend that day. Keep an eye out for moose in that willowy/marshy area. 

Route: Tour de Abyss Loop
Posted On: 8/17/2023, By: MountainMark
Info: Perfect summer conditions, no snow except for one small patch on the traverse to Sawtooth, which is easily dodgeable. Beautiful, unique, but very challenging route. Lots of people on the summit as always, but the trails themselves (especially the Tour de Abyss loop) had nearly no people. 

Route: Tour de Abyss Loop
Posted On: 8/5/2023, By: durkan
Info: Snowfield mentioned before still lingering below Bierstadt before Sawtooth. Stayed higher on the ridge the dropped below snowfield. Summer conditions otherwise. 

Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake
Posted On: 7/31/2023, By: bajayo
Info: Snow free all the way. when you climb up Mt Spalding there is a part where there are not enough cranes and it's hard to tell the way. Generally stick to the right whenever you are not sure. There is a part of scrambling you might think is not the route - it is. If you go left you will find yourself climbing a short gully with loose rock - it is doable. Similarly, after the saddle between Spalding and Evans, follow the cranes, mostly to the right side. We found ourselves summiting a false peak along the way to the left. Although it is beautiful, we had to go down to the main route 

Route: Bierstadt, Sawtooth, Blue Sky
Posted On: 7/28/2023, By: Benito_Esposti
Info: Hike up Bierstadt was nice and clear of any snow. The start of the Sawtooth ridge, coming down from Bierstadt, had some snow on it but it can be avoided by going right (southeast). The Sawtooth itself was very pleasant and in good condition. The last little section coming around/out of the sawtooth had some loose dirt, but was manageable and not terribly exposed. Hike to West Evans was clear, just make sure you don't go up the false summit cause it looked like it had some 'cliff-out' potential. West Evans to Evans was good. Evans back down to the field was good. The field leading down to the gully didn't have a super obvious trail and there weren't many cairns, but it was obvious which direction you needed to head towards. The skree gully was slow and loose, but not in horrible condition. The start of the marsh area was wet and deep, but not too bad if you don't mind getting your feet wet. The middle section of the marsh was much drier, but you will be rubbing up against many willows as you hike. The last section of the marsh just before you rejoin the standard Bierstadt trail got pretty wet again. Definitely have a pair of dry socks and shoes waiting in your car. Enjoy!