Pyramid Peak

Route: Passing through the area
Posted On: 9/26/2015, By: WillRobnett
Info: Fall colors from the South Elbert Trailhead are peak and some what coming to an end. Independence Pass is holding fall colors better than Elbert. La Plata has good colors at lower elevations. Most of Independence Pass is holding good fall colors. Maroon Bells (Maroon Peak/N. Maroon Peak) and Pyramid are the best fall colors Leadville to Aspen right now. The Bells and Pyramid have a thin layer of snow 13,500 and above. North Maroon looked like it had unavoidable snow above 13,5. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/27/2015, By: jschooch
Info: Trail is in good condition. A little bit of fresh snow above 13k but it is all avoidable. Fall colors should be great for another week. On a side note, according to another hiker, North Maroon peak has more snow on its route and is slippery in sections. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/24/2015, By: Sunshineof1985
Info: Pyramid takes my final count to 48 for the number of fourteeners I‘ve climbed this summer! You can read more about this hike and others by visiting sunshineof1985.com! Enjoy! Time started: 10am End time: 7:40pm Time to Summit: 5 hours and 10 minutes Time to Descent: 4 hours Overall Pace: 1.1 miles per hour GEAR (to bring): Bear spray, helmet, GPS, extra socks, phone, SPOT Satellite Tracker, Map, Topo Map from 14ers.com, hiking boots with 2 pairs of socks on, long-sleeve, wind-guard/raincoat, light weight puffy coat, warm hat, lightweight gloves, day pack with water sack (64 oz), snacks. Road Condition: Black top Trail Condition: The trail around Maroon Lake is slick and smooth. The turn off for Pyramid Peak is the first marked trail by a very large cairn. Once on that trail, it is marked on and off with a very rocky trail that could twist your ankle. Once your in the amphitheater, it only gets worse. My ankles were absolutely shot after this hike having to balance so much on jagged, rarely flat rocks. Don‘t pay attention to the cairns, as much as just make your way to the steep gully. YOU CAN GO UP EITHER TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT! The trail is more defined on the left in my opinion. The gully is very steep with lots of dirt to make you slip. Once at the top of the saddle, follow the trail and once you get to 13,150-13,200, go to the LEFT around the backside of the mountain. The trail is more defined, easier, and you‘ll avoid climbing in the dangerous snow (you should be able to avoid it by 99%). Keep your eyes out for the cairns and make sure you‘re wrapping towards the backside of the mountain as you summit. The rock is solid, but there is a lot of free smaller rocks sitting on them that could cause you to slip. Minor detail, but expect to pay for entrance into the park. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/21/2015, By: lkk8815
Info: Very light dusting of snow on the upper part of the peak past the 13,000‘ saddle. Most melted when the sun came out leaving the trail a little muddy in parts. Anything concerning is totally avoidable and it‘s still safe to climb for now. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/22/2015, By: izzy
Info: Lovely day for Pyramid. There is a ribbon of snow just shy of 14,000. Most of the ledges were damp but not dangerous on the ascent. There were a few avoidable patches of snow. Roped up for the descent given the mud, but never felt in danger. Another few days without precip and it will be bone dry up there. We were the only two on the peak today; we saw two attempting North Maroon, which looked substantially snowier. No word if they made the summit. Perfect time of year to climb. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 8/20/2015, By: mdavenport2
Info: Excellent conditions, peak was completely dry. Small snowfield in amphitheater could be walked on or bypassed on talus. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 8/3/2015, By: jladderud
Info: Started at 3:20 AM to avoid inclement weather. Route finding across the amphitheater and especially up to the saddle was a bit tricky in the dark. We didn't go far enough left before starting the climb out of the amphitheater. If you are scrambling up tallus rather than dirt when hiking up to the saddle, you're probably off route. Lots of goats at the saddle. Route finding up to the summit was easier thanks to light and cairns. Summitted at 7:30. Back to the parking lot at 11:30. We found a white Marmot climbing helmet and turned it in to the ranger station by Maroon Lake. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/18/2015, By: Fr3ako
Info: As previous comments, trail dry @ 99%, amphitheatre still has few snowfields that can be crossed easily with summer gear. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/14/2015, By: Cool Hand Luke
Info: There is a little bit of snow in the amphitheater, easy to cross. There is one small snowfield that must be crossed right after the leap; it is steep, but only four steps across. Felt comfortable without an axe. Other than the snow crossing Pyramid is in great summer condition, did not see anybody else all day after turning off the Crater Lake trail. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/11/2015, By: yingyangsoup89
Info: Great day on pyramid peak. Snow-free route expect one 15 foot traverse, which had steps in it already. No need for crampons or spikes. Didn‘t even use the ice axe once. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/3/2015, By: Hoot
Info: Climbed Pyramid today with no problems. There was one fairly low-threat snow crossing just before the green rock wall. The remaining snow in the Amphitheater was soft and aided climbing and descending. 

Route: Northwest Ridge
Posted On: 1/23/2015, By: Furthermore
Info: Conditions for the NW ridge are undesirable and unsafe as southerly winds have loaded the upper section of the ridge. We even triggered a small wind slab. Be careful. Pic 1: Final traverse. Heavily Loaded. Pic 2: Crown of our avalanche. Pic 3: Avalanche 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 10/9/2014, By: alexithymia6
Info: The Crater Lake/Maroon Creek Trail was snow free until the Pyramid turnoff. As you ascend the trail up to the amphitheater there was about 3-4in of snow throughout the hike. In the amphitheater the snow gets to about 7-9in in spots, but I tried to stay as dry as possible by jumping to rocks. However, the route description says to stay to the right of the rock glacier (which was pretty labor intensive as there was quite a bit of trudging in some spots), but on the way down it was much easier to stay atop the rock glacier and hike down/scramble (or up) the rocks to the main trail. Once to the back of the amphitheater, the slope up to the saddle has splotchy amounts of snow and mud, but isn‘t too bad. From the saddle to the summit, the narrow ledge was snow free, but route finding is critical to avoid waste deep snow and patches of ice. A majority of the route has some amount of snow on it, but it varies as to how much sunlight it gets. Used micro spikes but not sure how effective they actually were. Weather was incredible, no wind. Summer/fall season is at its close. 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/20/2014, By: adamjm
Info: Pyramid was incredible today. No snow/ice whatsoever in the amphitheater that you need to deal with, winds below 5 all day, no rain until 3:30 or so. Aspens are changing, get it while the gettin‘s good! 

Route: Northeast Ridge
Posted On: 9/12/2014, By: scootmanjones
Info: Shad and I climbed Pyramid Peak on 9/11. The conditions were perfect. There is significant snow on the north face, which looks sketchy as you enter the amphitheater, but you hike up the left side of the amphitheater and around the south side, both of which are 98% dry. We carried traction but didn‘t need it at all. It was sunny and warm in Aspen. The first picture is face you climb out of the amphitheater. The second picture is the most snow you will encounter just past the saddle. The third picture is on the green gully which is dry.