1/6/2024 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 1/6/2024, By: supranihilest Info: We were able to drive to Winfield in a stock 4Runner trail edition (thanks Heather!) The road to the 4WD trailhead is packed down, and the trench to treeline is absolutely beaten in. Above that there's some areas of postholing but nothing terrible. We followed the trench as best we could but it was mostly filled in with yesterday's new snow. The upper third of the mountain is notably drier, lots of exposed tundra, scree, and rock. Nothing hard, just a steep slog. We carried snowshoes but didn't use them. Spikes from car-to-car! No need for flotation (unless you insist), axe, crampons, or helmet. Spikes were super useful but honestly you probably don't need those either. |
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1/5/2024 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 1/5/2024, By: Will_E Info: The trench that Nick, Tony and Ryan put in is in fantastic shape, those guys are my heroes. I started at Missouri Gulch TH, but probably could have driven to Winfield if I weren't a complete pansy. I put snowshoes on a mile or so up from the start of the Huron TH, the trench fades out after treeline, I still needed snowshoes until maybe 13,500' or so when the rocks finally pop out. Nice day, it was pretty cold (but keep in mind I'm a pansy), but wind was light. |
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12/29/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 12/30/2023, By: dementedavocado Info: Good hike right now but long day if you don't have 4WD or good AWD. We went up the road to Sheep Gulch trailhead, tried to park there but almost got stuck in the snow in our Subaru Crosstrek so we drove down about a mile and parked in a pull out. We saw two jeeps and a truck make it all the way to Winfield, probably possible with AWD as long as you're careful. Hiked up the road to Winfield and camped outside of town the night before. Started the next morning around 3am, got to the summit around 10am, about 5.5 miles to the top from where we camped. Trail was super easy to follow and well packed all through treeline, it faded after that so we broke trail to the top. Didn't end up following the official route once it got steep, hard to tell exactly where it was so we went where was easiest in snowshoes. Never felt unsafe avalanche wise. The two of us broke a good trail, and there were two other people on the mountain behind us that followed, so I would imagine the trail will be easy to follow/hike for the next week or so. Snowshoes stayed on the entire hike to the ridgeline, from there crampons were very helpful. From where we parked it was 17 miles total, over 4k elevation gain. |
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12/22/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 12/23/2023, By: RyGuy Info: We were able to drive to the Sheep Gulch trailhead and parked there. We tried to drive further in a stock Jeep Wrangler, but the road becomes impassible just around the bend with powdery snow on a packed ice sheet. A SUV with chains and lockers would probably be fine to Winfield, but not further. So we started at Sheep gulch, and then booted until the Lulu Gulch turn-off, put on snowshoes and walked the road to the Summer TH, and then up into the trees. Snowshoes were needed the entire way to treeline. Above that, we opted to leave our snowshoes at a large group of rocks not far above treeline thinking the basin above would be hardpacked snow. Poor choice. We spent a lot of time postholing out and back across the snowfield, often sinking into mid thighs. Above that snowfield at around 12,800, and to the summit, we just used boots. Then coming down we put micro spikes on back to the snowshoes, and then snowshoes all the way back to the car. The road was bootable, but we were too tired to mess with the snowshoes and just kept going. Long day, our GAIA stats showed 15 miles and 4,100 feet in just shy of 14 hours. |
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11/14/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 11/14/2023, By: Ebruntil+ Info: Started at 5am from just below 2WD trailhead. If youre planning on doing Huron from any route I would park no farther than Winfield unless you have 4WD. with 1-2 more storms I could see the road becoming not driveable. Snow started at 4WD TH up the switchbacks, with a few clear patches until the start of the slopes. The trail is nonexistent, so we switchbacked up the rocky/grassy sections with safer snow. I really think this week was the last safe time to do this route- anymore and the slope would be overloaded. Above 13500 was shallow snow/talus, no wind on summit. Plunge stepped on the way down and tried to avoid big slabs- there were definitely some weak layers that will be covered with snow after after the next storm, which I could definitely see triggering some slides. 9 hours round trip, took substantially more time due to conditions. Great & fun day though :) |
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10/22/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes & North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 10/22/2023, By: jetlagged91 Info: On the Northwest Slopes trail, minimal snow/ice until about 12,700 feet. After that, there is fairly consistent, hard-packed snow all the way to the summit. Doable without microspikes, but definitely helps to have them. On the North Ridge from Lulu Gulch trail (via Browns Peak), hardly any snow on the 4WD road until the split to Middle Mountain. Heading from that point to Browns Peak, there are significant snow drifts (a few inches to a few feet deep). From Browns Peak over to the saddle right before connecting with the Northwest Slopes trail, there is some easily avoidable snow in random patches. |
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10/22/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/23/2023, By: edwardmgmt Info: Almost-summer conditions. Just a little snow on the last 500 vertical feet. Went up without putting microspikes. Put them on when descending. |
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10/8/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/8/2023, By: Dignus Info: Snow in basin is gone, still lingering on the summit cone. Frozen and textured enough to not require traction in the morning, soft enough later on that microspikes might help but still optional. Gulleys on Ice/Apostle look like they cpuld be filled in for the season. https://youtu.be/_SF5UzNBRkg?si=W3zh3RgjStbc_OWG |
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10/2/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 10/2/2023, By: MBosch27 Info: Mostly dry trail until just about treeline. Crossing the bowl is where the first snow was found, getting deeper towards the summit but never more than a couple inches. Dry, not slippery snow, might change in a few days with some wind/sun/freeze on it. |
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9/30/2023 Route: Southwest Slopes Posted On: 10/1/2023, By: CaptainSuburbia Info: Did this as a loop with 13517A and 13472B. The ridge looks rugged from the 13472 saddle but it's mostly class 2. There were a couple short scramble sections near the summit but I think you could probably avoid these to the left. Surprisingly, we had the summit to ourselves after a late arrival. Only saw a few others on descent of standard route. |
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9/24/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 9/25/2023, By: JacobW Info: Huron seems to have less snow on it than the surrounding peaks. There wasn't any snow on the NW Slopes... got a pretty good view of it too. |
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9/23/2023 Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 9/23/2023, By: scvaughn Info: The Lulu Gulch route is as dry as can be until it joins the standard route, and then, the icy patches are completely avoidable. I followed the ridge all the way from Middle Mountain to Huron. The leaves are doing their thing. |
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9/23/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 9/23/2023, By: Ryan987 Info: Dry and leaves right now are POPPING. Beautiful hike and a perfect fall one! |
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9/18/2023 Route: Northwest Slopes Posted On: 9/18/2023, By: JasonCrane Info: Reached the summit of Huron on Monday via the standard NW Slopes route. Huron is dry & free of snow. Trail is easy-to-follow up through tree-line into the high basin & up the switchbacks of the NW slopes. After the ridge crest, it's a bit of a herd path, but still wasn't difficult to follow. Weather was favorable in the morning, then in the afternoon snow squalls preceded thunderstorms, rain & lightning starting around 2pm. Ended-up parking at the start of the AWD Road close to Winfield. |
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9/16/2023 Route: North Ridge from Lulu Gulch Posted On: 9/16/2023, By: minnesotanclimber Info: Climbed Huron Peak via North Ridge from Lulu Gulch, the Browns Peak direct version. I descended via the normal route. I started up from the 2WD TH at 6:30AM. The gate for this route is closed but you just pass around it. There was a thin layer of ice on the ground but no snow; I slipped on it once or twice. After ascending farther into the gulch there was a pack of coyotes howling, which was a little eerie. I left the road/trail at the hairpin turn and made my way up the gulch per the route instructions. I followed the only cairn I saw, and then had to navigate solo. This is where things started to get tough. There is definitely no trail, only cross-country tundra and gravel travel. The ascent up the ridge was the worst; there is virtually no purchase/grip to be found. It reminded me of my descent of Bross. Just terrible. I gained the ridge, and there is patchy snow on top. No spikes needed.Once I made it past Browns Peak and onto the ridge towards the main route things lightened up and the talus was easy to move over. Then I linked up with the main trail to the summit. Overall, I wouldn't repeat this route up Huron, though it did have benefit of solitude. I was the only person on this route all day. It's not winter but it feels like it in the alpine zone. I was glad to have layers and a puffy with me. |
