12/30/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 12/30/2023, By: derb66 Info: Did the Crags route today. Started at the Menonite Camp at 5:00 am with 9 degree temperature. Trail was clearly visible and well packed up until tree line. From the tree line to the ridge there was no trail and quite a bit of post holing. From the ridge to the summit trail was obvious and it was 50 degrees. |
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12/22/2023 Route: East Slopes Posted On: 12/22/2023, By: Ronsammons Info: Tough hike as noted by @Jabonm. I did manage to solo the entire hike, but took the train back down. Yak Trax or better, plus an ice axe are very important. It was a long day but I enjoyed it. Maybe 10 other hikers and one runner. Snow storm coming tomorrow so might be a bit before I can do this again. |
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12/20/2023 Route: East Slopes Posted On: 12/20/2023, By: Jabonm Info: Made it to 12,700 feet marker about 2 miles from summit from Barr parking lot. Started 5am little wind and pretty ideal weather all day. Lots of ice on first part of trail so put on traction right away. Ice gives way to packed powder after mile marker (MM) 3 and stays that way until you hit MM 8.5 just above the A-Frame. From there youre following footsteps or post holeing if you miss the mark. After MM 9 drifts start to hide the trail and youll have to scramble or dig trenches and use GPS to find the actual trail. I turned back at the 12,700 marker somewhere close-ish to Mm 10 but another hiker was doing his second summit in two days and made it to the top with lots of scrambling shortcuts. Definitely recommend poles, traction and calorie surplus to deal with the snow challenges above timberline but should stay more or less this way for awhile unless a ton of snow comes this weekend. Happy trails! https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Pikes-Peak/forecasts/4300 |
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12/17/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 12/18/2023, By: Michigander Info: Great day with mild weather conditions. Plan for a long day, even longer if doing a round trip. Also look at the wind forecasts, as the 12,750 foot saddle can be super exposed to the elements. Took 7.5 hours to summit as none of the trail above 11,800 was in and there's some big drifts with post hole potential. Recommend an ice axe for a couple spots where self arrest might be necessary and as early a start as possible as the snow got softer later in the day. |
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12/10/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 12/12/2023, By: swilson753 Info: The gate past the Mennonite camp is closed for the season.The last storm dumped 6-12" of new snow. We carried snowshoes but didn't use them since all of the snow was so unconsolidated that we would have sunk just as deeply with them. We put in a trench up to 11.7k before turning around due to time constraints. There were a couple of single hikers behind us that may have extended the trench further. Go get it while it's in! |
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11/27/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 11/27/2023, By: rachel Info: Started from Crags trailhead. 1 degree this morning! It stayed pretty cold all day but not terribly windy until it picked up this afternoon. The trail is mostly snow packed. No other hikers all day. The new summit visitor center is really nice. I enjoyed warming up inside and eating $8 chicken noodle soup. Lots of visitors from the cog railway and drivers. |
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11/12/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 11/14/2023, By: sdicenso Info: Just went to treeline for an afternoon hike. More snow than the previous weekend, but there was a trench. The new powder was really sugary though and not very consolidated. Some bare areas though. I did wear my spikes in case. Came across a few hikers who summited. One said he postholed a few times. A couple took the trail above Devils Playground, but all took the PPH down as the highway was closed to traffic. |
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11/3/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 11/4/2023, By: 181jen Info: We were looking to do a 14er close by with less traffic, so we did Pikes yesterday. Wind was forecasted to be 20-30 mph, but it was off. It was a beautiful day with a slight breeze, perhaps 10 mph wind. We arrived to the Crags TH at 7:30 am, and there was only one other car there. The trail is mostly packed down or wind blown, so never needed spikes. I didn't know the road is open year round, so expect road noise. If you can ignore it, this peak is beautiful. This is my 3rd summit. Super fun to do this in winter and probably less than half the traffic. In total we saw 2 other people hiking the trail. |
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10/27/2023 Route: East Slopes Posted On: 10/31/2023, By: lilfinjen1568 Info: Craggs trail all clear through the forest but once in the open the wind chill was down to minus 10 little snow on the route until you reached the last boulders which were slippy with ice, 40 mph gusts makes hard going. |
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10/16/2023 Route: East Slopes Posted On: 10/16/2023, By: natemacfarlane Info: Beautiful day! None to little snow the whole route. Walked through a couple very avoidable patches of ice but never put on spikes. |
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10/14/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/14/2023, By: wanderlust073 Info: Nuisance snow after Devils Playground. Spikes prudent descending the boulders - very slick in the morning shade. Overall very easy hiking still. |
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10/9/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/10/2023, By: Curleyjo67 Info: Absolutely beautiful!!! The trail was quiet. Snow and ice made for great photos!! Didn't use microspikes at all, but had them just in case. Definitely took longer than I had thought, but beautiful! 4260 ft climb, 14+miles. |
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10/7/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/8/2023, By: SwissHam Info: Patches of snow just past devils playground. Microspikes were not needed for us. Just had to be cautious in the last mile near the summit but 95% of the snow can be avoided or is a non-issue. |
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10/6/2023 Route: East Slopes Posted On: 10/7/2023, By: Summit Assassin Info: Snow and ice encountered on the standard route starting around 12,500'. I definitely wish I had spikes, but was able to hike around the conditions. |
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9/28/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 9/29/2023, By: Molasses Info: Summer conditions until about 13,500', then small patches of snow start showing up... all avoidable. Currently, no need for micro-spikes. Amazing weather... sunny, unseasonably warm, and barely a breeze. |
