Missouri Mountain

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/22/2022, By: scvaughn
Info: The stream crossings in the gulch were about half-frozen, but there was minimal snow on the upper route.That is likely to change overnight. I summited early to beat the worst of the wind. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/17/2022, By: syrupgravy
Info: Spotty bits of snow after reaching the saddle, mostly avoidable except for the one traverse below point 13,930'. No snow on the Class 2+ scramble section or on the summit. Didn't use microspikes (just some poles through the bootpacked snow) but depending what time of day and temp, they could be useful. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/1/2022, By: silverton24
Info: A couple inches of snow is covering all three peaks now. It was snowing more as I was descending off Belford. I felt fine with micro spikes and my trail runners, but the little class 2+ down climb at the top of Missouri is a bit sketchy now with a thicker drift of snow covering it. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/26/2022, By: NativeTransplant
Info: All clear, summer conditions no snow. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/24/2022, By: CraigE
Info: Missouri Mountain was in great late-season condition today. A little snow on the north-facing slopes above 13,700 feet, but nothing on the trail. The creek crossings were a little icy in the morning. It was similar conditions as far as I could see up and down the Sawatch Range, and over on Castle and Conundrum too. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/28/2022, By: Mitsugi
Info: Summer conditions. A little wet in the gulch from the excessive rain. Some mud. Missouri Mountain is pretty much a C tier 14er. The hike itself is fairly uninteresting save for the gulch which is beautiful but the summit ridge is really nothing special as it doesn't offer any real interesting maneuvering. The summit is wide and comfortable so there that was nice. The views are average for a 14er. Getting a little jaded now as I reach the halfway point on the checklist. Really the issue here is this trail is crowded. Very crowded. Probably 100 cars in the parking lot. If you bring dogs it kinda sucks cause you're constantly worrying about people. Also the people really suck the enjoyment out of the hike because I'm sure we don't hike 14ers to feel like we're at Disney. Lastly, get to the trailhead the night before. It'll be a zoo by 6am. 

Route: Bel, Ox, Elkhead Pass, Missouri East Ridge
Posted On: 8/28/2022, By: TheHikingDoctor
Info: Ah yes, the infamous east ridge of Missouri. I was able to tackle it using beta from Monster5's forum post detailing the "medium" route. It took a little less than 2 hours from the Bel/Ox split to the summit of Missouri. This essentially involves sticking to the south side of the ridge to avoid the higher class moves. I kept it to class 3 as I was solo but did notice the yellow gully as a class 4 option that looked fun. If you want to do this route, don't. Seriously, it's not worth the hassle. You need to cross many gullies as you ascend up in an arcing path to eventually hit the ridge proper. The gullies are LOOSE. One step on the rocks and they all let go. I had to almost run across to avoid being carried away. Maybe this would have been alleviated by climbing higher earlier but with the lack of route data I wasn't sure and didn't want to cliff out. On the sections that involved class 3 moves, the same issue was there - loose. Even the larger rocks that appeared to be good holds would have large sections break away. I took my time to test everything. I lost count of how many large rocks I sent into the field far below. I only saw two cairns on the entire route. It's definitely choose your own adventure. Attached are a few pics showing the line I took across; didn't get anything higher up as the weather came in and I was hustling to get off the summit. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 8/20/2022, By: taylorharris50
Info: Trail in great shape except for some flooded areas in the willows. 

Route: Approached from the trail leading from Belford
Posted On: 8/6/2022, By: Syde0004
Info: Did this last of the three and holy hannah was it challenging. I can see why people say to start with Missouri. It took me just over two hours to make it from the resummit of Belford to the peak of Missouri Mountain. I found the switchbacks up that mountain very challenging after summiting the other two. There's one difficult spot right before the summit, too, where you're climbing down some loose rock. I'm not really sure what else to say about it other than be aware that there's one obstacle there that'll take some extra attention. Also, the group on the top of Missouri was awesome. Thanks for making me feel wonderful about myself. This community is so great! 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/20/2022, By: meg8709
Info: Made it through the water crossings in a lifted GX470. Had a bit of trouble climbing out of the second water crossing but ended up making it. It's a legit 4x4 road and I wouldn't attempt unless you're in a very capable vehicle. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/10/2022, By: headsizeburrito
Info: Summer conditions, about 10ft of easily avoided snow near the summit. Clear Creek flowing strong, mid-calf or a little higher at the deepest point. Saw a Jeep Cherokee at the 4WD TH, ran into the guys and they said it was a little sketchy, other vehicles that made it were all more capable/higher clearance. I started from Willis Gulch to get a long day in, short report with a handful of pics posted on reddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/coloradohikers/comments/vvjtar/marmots_and_mountains_from_hope_pass/ 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/5/2022, By: ms_halverson_hikes
Info: Bring extra socks! Wear shoes with good traction! Crossing over streams multiple times. After the first trail split (Belford left, Missouri Gulch/Elkhead Pass right), there are two streams to cross over. There is a kern at the second creek indicating where you turn left to follow the trail. The trail follows the second/larger creek but it is not visible as much of it is covered under water right now. My group didn't find it and ascended up the boulder field by mistake and had to backtrack to the trail below. We still made it up and down in 6.5 hours. Thunderstorm started around 12:30pm. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/5/2022, By: iamninjor
Info: A section of the trail is still fully underwater (just after the split from Oxford). You can bypass the water by hiking off to the side which is starting to severely damage the tundra there. Probably best to avoid this route for the sake of the tundra until the water comes down a bit, or at least disperse your walking off-trail for that section. A few stream crossings are still guaranteed to get your feet wet. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/28/2022, By: padams42
Info: 99% summer conditions. Before the split for Elkhead pass, there's a long section where the trail has turned into a creek. Be ready to hop on rocks and navigate around the water. As previously mentioned, there's still a patch of snow just before the ridge. Snow was solidified and grippy (trail shoes were fine for me), but traction might be needed depending on your comfort level. Once on the ridge, there are a few spots of snow, but they are flat (not on a slope) and short. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/26/2022, By: padams42
Info: 99% summer conditions. Before the split for Elkhead pass, there's a long section where the trail has turned into a creek. Be ready to hop on rocks and navigate around the water. As previously mentioned, there's still a patch of snow just before the ridge. Snow was solidified and grippy (trail shoes were fine for me), but traction might be needed depending on your comfort level. Once on the ridge, there are a few spots of snow, but they are flat (not on a slope) and short.