Mt. Democrat

Route: Decalibron
Posted On: 11/22/2012, By: illusion7il
Info: Microspikes were needed on Democrat. All other peaks had just a few patches of snow but not deep enough for gaiters. Road is in good condition. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 10/20/2012, By: MountainHiker
Info: Some ice and snow on the trail. Above the saddle it was nice having MicroSpikes and a pole on the way down. The mountains are really blown off, so there’s no depth to the snow. The trails hold the snow more than the rest of the mountain. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 6/2/2012, By: Jeremya
Info: Trail is snow-free and in great shape all the way to the top. The main summit still has a fairly large snowfield that is great for the descent. 

Route: Decalibron
Posted On: 6/4/2012, By: seth0687
Info: Went up the Decalibron on 6/1. Took my wife‘s Subi Legacy all the way to the trailhead. Low clearance 2wd cars are no problem so long as you take it slow and navigate the rocks and pot holes. There is virtually no snow aside from the last ridge at 13,900 on Democrat. Cameron was snow free aside from patches on the Dem-Cam ridge. Lincoln had some snow on the last 100 yds of the summit ridge but nothing to bad and Bross was just about 100% snow free. We did not bring any traction and in my opinion none is needed. Winds were horrible at >80mph but aside from that the weather was stable. 

Route: Standard
Posted On: 5/30/2012, By: MTGOAT72
Info: Went up Democrat today with about 25 other strangers. Windy day, most people thought it was 80-100mph. My windmeter clocked the avg from the saddle to the summit at 40-55mph. At the saddle on my way down I got it up to just under 70mph. I called it a day after that. A lot of people continued on to climb the circuit. TReport on my blog if interested: http://coloradoascents.blogspot.com/2012/05/mount-democrat.html 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 5/28/2012, By: jeffco970
Info: Hiked the "standard" East Slope approach today in regular hiking boots with no problems. A few short snow patches are still present on the first section of trail, then again just as you get to the saddle, and then one larger snowfield on final summit approach to Democrat. (pic) The snow is hard-packed, very icy (solid ice from melt / refreeze) / slick in early mornings then slushy / muddy with afternoon sun exposure. The Summit Log for Mt Democrat was missing this date. The summit log container looks as it if has been vandalized / crushed and no semblance of log book, just the tie-down cable and partial container remnants. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 5/27/2012, By: krishcane
Info: Mostly snow free on the way up the steeper pitches, but the top is all snow. Snow is hardpacked, no postholing now, but slick in places. Microspikes not needed (we were the only ones who had them it seemed) but they sure made it more comfortable. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 5/27/2012, By: arianna2
Info: Some icy snowpack on democrat trail. Microspikes nice but not necessary on that peak only. The rest of the peaks pretty dry. Very windy but not too cold. Road to kite lake in good shape even for 2wd. Lots of camping areas. Don‘t forget $3 for parking unless you want to park 100 yards down or so. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 5/22/2012, By: scrambling
Info: The road is clear and dry. A bit rough but there were several passenger cars at the Kite Lake parking lot today. There is a fair bit of snow along the route of the four-peak circuit. No traction required, but putting the micro spikes in the pack is probably not a bad idea, just in case. No postholing experienced on a clockwise circuit, starting at 7 a.m. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 5/12/2012, By: abchak1
Info: Climbed Democrat this morning after getting 4-5 ish inches of snow cover last night. No snowshoes needed, though. Only a few post-holing moments. Microspikes served us well. The snow was getting mushier by 10 am, and might melt off soon. The road to Kite Lake was clear of snow by 10 am, but VERY muddy. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 5/6/2012, By: MtJunkie
Info: Snow below the saddle is hard packed may cause postholing if you descend later in the day. Any snow above the saddle was avoidable. I had microspikes but never took them out of my pack. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 4/20/2012, By: Benji the Hunted
Info: Still some deep snow up there. I recommend some snow shoes as post holing all day was tough. Hellacious winds today. NOAA said up to 32 MPH, but we had sustained winds that could pick my loaded Gregory Palisade 80 off of the ground and the gusts easily knocked two adult males over. It was wacky up there kids. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 4/19/2012, By: ffstepan
Info: Road to Kite Lake was mostly clear. There were a couple patches of snow that a 2WD with clearance could take. The majority of the trail was covered in snow, luckily we left some nice trenches for you. Microspikes were helpful on the decent. 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 4/8/2012, By: Medic-5150
Info: Hey guys! My wife and I just got back from Mt Democrat. It was a near perfect day. It was windy, but wuite nice between gusts. My wife had microspikes, she only used them on the descent. I managed without anything (no poles, axes, or spikes). The snow is quite packed and mostly ice in a lot of spots. We did some glissading, though not much. The dogs had a blast and were best friends with everyone they saw! The road in is dry all the way. I made it fine in a Subaru Impreza. A 2wd car with decent clearance should be able to make it, just pick your line wisely. Happy Hiking! Andrew 

Route: East Slope
Posted On: 3/31/2012, By: ChrisinAZ
Info: Road to Kite Lake is still clear, albeit muddy in the afternoon--high clearance strongly recommended. Route up to the Dem-Cam saddle entails a bit of snowfield crossing, an ascent up a short, mildly steep snow slope (trekking poles should be sufficient to surmount this), and mostly following the trail all the way to the summit. There are a few areas where slick, hard-packed snow covers the trail, or the trail crosses a short bit of snowfield, but they can be surmounted with minimal traction (e.g., spikes) or probably avoided altogether. Even milder conditions exist over to Cameron, up Lincoln (the last bit to the summit is snow-free) and over by Bross and South Bross. The screefest descent back to Kite Lake was about 99% snow-free until the slopes lessened, with one portion back low in the basin offering a modest glissade. A bit of post-holing went down on the way back to the parking area. In short: minor traction (spikes or ice axe) are a good idea, but you can get by without them if need be. Snowshoes aren‘t worth the very short stretch or two they might help out on--leave them. Lots of dry rock up there!