Sunshine Peak

Route: Via Redcloud Peak
Posted On: 5/29/2018, By: MntMiranda
Info: Overall great hike, windy, but worth it. Although, when we got there to set up camp, the park ranger immateriality came up to us and told us that the ticks were real bad in the area. According to the ranger, hikers were coming back with 20 to 30 ticks on them. My boyfriend, dog and I didn't come out with any ticks thankfully but I still want to pass the word on so everyone may come prepared, including hiker's dogs, for such events. 

Route: Via Redcloud Peak
Posted On: 5/27/2018, By: tcphoto87
Info: Trail was dry from the summit of Redcloud down the ridge to the base of Sunshine. There was one patch of deep snow to cross, but it's avoidable going higher around it, but theres also a steep cliff to watch out for. After that it was dry all the way to the top! Only thing that sucked about this hike was having to go back up over Redcloud on the way back 

Route: Northwest Face
Posted On: 5/26/2018, By: RobLowe
Info: No snow (or avoidable snow drifts) until the couloirs by the gendarme. Traction would have been nice but was not necessary at 7pm (after a long day of sun-baking the snow). 

Route: Via Redcloud Peak
Posted On: 5/26/2018, By: Patrickk
Info: Redcloud is in nearly summer conditions except for a few avoidable snowfields. Sunshine still has some snow but it can be avoided by staying higher on the ridge. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 5/22/2018, By: Danger_D
Info: Man, this route is steep, and with Redcloud added in its around 5.5k of vertical, so be prepared. The route up to Sunshine only had about 3 steps on the snow, and the ridge to Redcloud was almost fully melted out. To be honest, this wasn't my favorite route. I would recommend doing the standard route since the snow is almost gone. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 5/14/2018, By: Kcmartinez22
Info: Beautiful day on the mountain! There is no snow until about 13600', and even then it is avoidable to the right of the ridge. We took micro spikes but they weren't necessary. I'd love to add a little emphasis to the 'steep and rough terrain' described in the route description....that is not an exaggeration. a lot of vertical gain in a short distance. I loved this route, though. The hike up the ridge is full of dramatic drops and views. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 5/11/2018, By: greenonion
Info: STEEP. ...and somewhat loose in places. Maybe the steepest overall hike i've done. Editorial: Beware ticks in the (at least) TH area. Saw a conditions or TR recently about ticks there - true. otherwise... conditions on the mountain are good. Snow not bad at all. On final ridge leading towards summit: stay in center of ridge - don't go towards the right. Road clear to TH from Lake City and supposedly open over Cinnamon pass. Glad I got this one in before they say it's a 13er next year. :o) 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 5/6/2018, By: greenonion
Info: Not a report here, but a conditions question. Can anyone give a snow report on the east ridge route to Sunshine and then over to Redcloud? Am considering doing this week as an out and back - east ridge to Sunshine, to Redcloud, then return same. Anyone feel free to let me know if it's ok to post conditions questions in the Conditions section or if I should have in the Forum. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 4/30/2018, By: amaccallum
Info: What an enjoyable climb! The route was free from snow until about tree line. Be prepared to route find below tree line as the trail is not always well-defined and you may find yourself off-trail much of the time. We did not start climbing on snow until about 13,200.' Ice axe and microspikes were helpful, although the snow was soft enough to kick in good steps, and the spikes weren't entirely necessary. This was a great climb to see wildlife- we saw deer, elk, mountain goats, and grouse. Also check for ticks, we found several on us! On the descent below tree line beware of following trails that lead too far to the East; we followed a nice, cairned trail down that took us too far East and dumped us in a vast amount of very loose, very steep talus. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 4/13/2018, By: bmcqueen
Info: Went up Sunshine and Redcloud from Mill Creek today. The 6-10” snowforecast did not materialize. The peaks got an inch or two tops. I never put my snowshoes on. Wore my spikes from the top of SS over to RC and all the way back down to the moraine where the trail was again dry by the time I got back there. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 4/2/2018, By: shizupple
Info: Hiked in from Mill Creek Campground. Dry most of the way until close to tree line. We put snowshoes on at tree line and wore them for a short while. Switched to microspikes after 12.5k' or so for the rest of the way. There was new soft powder that we had to contend with for most of the route from there. Probably not enough to ski in most places but you could maybe get a couple lines in here and there. Final push up the ridge had quite a bit of snow that was fairly solid. The traverse over to Redcloud looked like there was quite a bit of new snow too. We were too wiped after dealing with all the snow to make it over there and decided to just head back. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 3/11/2018, By: bmcqueen
Info: Started from Mill Creek campground. The first 1,500 vertical is dry, but we carried snowshoes just in case. There is some deeper snow in the trees between 11k and 12k where we punched through the existing trench a few times. We talked about putting on our snowshoes, but since it was isolated post -holing, we opted to just push on. We stashed snowshoes at tree line and wore spikes the rest of the ridge to the summit. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 1/1/2018, By: amycroudip
Info: Fall is still in the San Juans! Very warm day. Lots of vertical gain. Some snow drifts below treeline but very little snow in general, out of our group of four I was the only one that used micro spikes on the descent for slippage. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 12/27/2017, By: 14erAddict
Info: There isn't much snow on the East ridge. The first mile is free of snow. After that, there's just enough to be tedious. We didn't use snowshoes or any traction. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 12/12/2017, By: petersengraph
Info: 2WD road to "trailhead" (a green utility box by Mill Creek campground) totally clear. On the trail, some small snowdrifts here and there (mostly on grass), nothing deeper than a very collapsible 6 inches the whole way. No need whatsoever for spikes or flotation. I wouldn't recommend this one after leg day! Lots of vert in a short distance. Was about 8 degrees (F) when I started at 8am, but by noon it was almost 50. Except for being so cold at the start, this was essentially a summer route. Get it before the next snow!