7/27/2023 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! |
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7/23/2023 Route: Bierstadt, Sawtooth, Blue Sky Posted On: 7/24/2023, By: jpriske Info: Overall great but long day. Still some snow on the descent from bierstadt. It can be easily avoidable if stayed more ridge proper. The crossover portion of the sawtooth ridge is completely clear of snow. The trek to Evans is quite a slog if I say so myself. The willows weren't horrible but still definitely pretty muddy. Roundtrip time was 11 hours including lots of breaks and time on summits. Have fun out there! |
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7/23/2023 Route: West Ridge from Guanella Pass Posted On: 7/23/2023, By: catward77 Info: No one else on the route (on a Saturday). Route was tough to find; started on Bierstadt trail for a mile-ish, then very faint trail leading off to the left into the willows, and followed the muddy trail it to the gully. Rock scramble to the top of the gully (class 2), then mostly no trail until connecting with the main Evans routes close to the summit. Climbed the ridge-line of the Evans false summits instead of following the faint cairn trail along the right side. Came back the same way; hit the bog in the dark after sunset (unwise; do it in the light) |
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7/22/2023 Route: Tour de Abyss Loop Posted On: 7/23/2023, By: Squashmarks Info: Hit the trail at 7:15, got to the top of Bierstad just before 10, passed through Sawtooth by Noon, and finally summitted Evans at 1:30. The conditions were great - not too hot or windy. Only one patch of snow you had to cross was early in the Sawtooth descent, and wasn't tricky at all. Some moves on the ascent of Bierstad and the Sawtooth made me shudder a little bit, as this was my 1st class 3. Lots of exposure on each part of the route, but nothing too technical except for one move. Some loose dirt and scree on Sawtooth was a bit hair-raising. |
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7/22/2023 Route: Tour de Abyss Loop Posted On: 7/24/2023, By: jamie09302 Info: Summer conditions on both peaks (Evans and Bierstadt). There was one snowfield we had to cross going to Sawtooth. Micro spikes were not needed, hiking poles were helpful for balance. A lot of route-finding is required for this loop, make sure you have the maps downloaded and 14er.com photos saved! We encountered a group that descended the incorrect gully (it was much steeper) and they did not have a good time doing that. The class 3 scrambling was very fun. There were two spots I found a bit spicy - one was on Bierstadt East Ridge, the other was the Gendarme on Sawtooth (Photo 24, we took left route). The loose scree going down Evans (photo 4/5) was pretty annoying. After summiting Bierstadt we followed some other hikers into another gully full of scree but looking at the photos again we probably should have stayed higher on the ridge (Photo 21 / 22). When you approach the ledge on the west side of Sawtooth (Photo 28/29) take the higher route / ledge, so much easier! The lower route is a lot of loose screen. I found this route to be particularly draining physically compared to other class 3s (this was my 3rd), probably because you spend a majority of the route above 13,000 ft (felt altitude sickness which I normally do not) and you end the loop going uphill to summit Evans VS going downhill. Please note at the top of Evans there are bathrooms but there are NO water stations. |
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7/14/2023 Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake Posted On: 7/14/2023, By: co_missinglink Info: No snow on route - unless you go out of your way to find it. Cairns at the saddle where you gain the west ridge may be missing (we certainly missed them). Everyone was incorrectly climbing above the route and then dropping down after they realized their error. |
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7/11/2023 Route: Bierstadt, Sawtooth, Blue Sky Posted On: 7/11/2023, By: cuconnor Info: One nice snow patch for glissading down the first part of sawtooth. Other than that the route has a few but they are entirely avoidable. After a long sunny day we endured only about 100ft of likely avoidable bog. Such a beautiful day. |
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7/8/2023 Route: Bierstadt, Sawtooth, Blue Sky Posted On: 7/12/2023, By: chadahooche_ Info: Guys..... we found a WAY better way to get back to the Bierstadt trail INSTEAD of going through the bog. The route requires a small amount of off-trail travel and maybe 200 ft of extra vert and is totally worth it. Not sure how to get the GPX track on here...just follow me on IG @chadahooche_ and I'll DM it to you or get me on Strava (scroll down to July 8). You can view a visual of the route we took here: https://youtu.be/x6HTWI5FQI4 |
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7/3/2023 Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake Posted On: 7/6/2023, By: Bdemz Info: Fairly good conditions. A patch or two of snow up to Spalding and then another good patch to get off that summit on the way to Evans/Blue Sky Summit (but fun to glissade). There were a few places I put spikes on after the sawtooth split, but not sure they were needed if you're fairly surefooted. Overall a great hike in ~4 hours. 55 and Sunny. Barely needed my pullover and definitely no jacket. |
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6/22/2023 Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake Posted On: 6/22/2023, By: Rsmitty796 Info: Tough drive in to trailhead due to hail storm from night before. Micro spikes from parking lot until summit. Windy and tough visibility. |
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6/20/2023 Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake Posted On: 6/20/2023, By: RHeeney Info: Just adding photos.... I didn't hike it today. I was at Summit Lake looking at the conditions of the Chicago Lakes trail up. Park ranger said it was 50 degrees at the summit this morning. Still tons of snow.... but in a couple weeks.... if the weather stays this warm. |
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6/20/2023 Route: West Ridge from Echo Lake Posted On: 6/21/2023, By: PearsonJohnP Info: Early season conditions are still present. I took the standard route up, summited, but took the road back. The trail is difficult to find below Mt. Spalding, where it crosses from below the summit back up over. I had to double back a few times, mostly looking for footprints in the snow. Once you summit Spalding, the ridgeline descending is in good shape. When you start going up again, and after you go through the notch, the trail again peters out in the snow. I saw a couple behind me take the high line, up close to the edge. I stayed down lower, and although I kicked a few holes, I made it across. The final ascent is fine. Traction would have been helpful, snowshoes not needed. Beautiful day, only saw 10-12 folks on the trail until the summit area. |
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6/19/2023 Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake Posted On: 6/20/2023, By: aladarius Info: West ridge path still had a significant amount of snow when I hiked it starting around 3am. I chose to follow others who hiked closer to the top of the ridge coming up from Mt. Spaulding, since it seemed easier when using spikes. The moment the light hit the snow, it quickly started softening, so even though it was only just after sunrise I opted to come down using the road rather than the trail. |
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6/11/2023 Route: North Face Steep Posted On: 6/12/2023, By: BillMiddlebrook Info: The north face still has a decent amount of snow. Nick and I climbed and skied the steep couloir, just below the summit. There were other skiers, most doing car laps. We were able to make a continuous ski from the summit back to Summit Lake. |
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6/9/2023 Route: West Ridge from Summit Lake Posted On: 6/13/2023, By: vangraces Info: the snow on the ridge was sketchy even before the sun was out out, so much so that my friend and i opted to scramble half of the way on the top then take the road for descent |
