North Arapaho Peak

Route: Caribou pass. West side
Posted On: 6/23/2021, By: Uncle beanhead
Info: Was going to do the traverse over to N.Arapaho from columbine lake a but caribou is still a snow field and probably will be for sometime. It is possible to go up and over the snowfield on Mt.Neva's northern slope. Once up on Neva I was able to see that the last crux gully on N.Arapaho was still holding snow but the rest of the route looked clear. So I decided to do the north ridge on Mt. Neva instead. The route is snow free the entire way, and this route is a blast as well. I've been looking at doing this ridge for a year or so and finally did it. The class 4 wall wasn't all that difficult and the rest of the ridge was just a really fun scramble. I will try and post a few pics to go along. 

Route: North Star couloir
Posted On: 6/6/2021, By: SnowAlien
Info: After seeing a giant party on Skywalker (and more skiers on the way), we rerouted to North Arapahoe over the pass. We had good freeze all the way to the base of the couloir, but as soon as we started up the apron, the feeze got very marginal. We persevered 2k ft and summitted @11am. Only the top part of the line skied well, the rest was kinda rough. Once out of the couloir the snow became supportable again! We ran into a lot of skiers and hikers in the basin. Bottom line: need a good solid freeze to enjoy this SW line. We hiked in trailrunners to about 11,200 ft - standard SE trail turnoff and approximate start of continuous snow. Waterfalls are spectacular! Neva looked snowy 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 9/13/2020, By: bryanpeck3
Info: Last week's snow storm made the traverse from South Arapaho Peak interesting at points. We saw one other set of footprints but not for long. The class 4 section was not impacted but shortly afterwards there was snow on the western slopes of the ridge. This added an exposed Class 3 move to maneuver around rocks without going on steep snow. Also, the last downclimb before summitting was covered in ice and snow (see attached pictures). The easiest way to avoid this exposed, steep downclimb would be a 10-ft vertical downclimb (we saw one foothold but it was too inclined to see further). Rather than doing the dangerous but doable blind downclimb on this rock or the steep slope, we turned back. The final ascent was clearly dry. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 7/27/2020, By: jasongraves99
Info: clear of all snow on route 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 7/21/2020, By: pcsongei
Info: I lost my wallet somewhere up on the mountain today. Hiked from 4th of July TH up to South Arapahoe and then across the traverse to North Arapahoe. Have not idea where I lost it, but it's probably up there somewhere. If you see it, please reach out to me - I would be forever grateful! It's a light blue stitched wallet with red donut circles stitched onto it. Otherwise, conditions were great and there were very few people high up on the mountain. More crowds down on the lower parts of the trail as I was coming down. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 7/3/2020, By: bigredmachine
Info: Full on summer conditions! No extra gear needed. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 6/21/2020, By: Andunn
Info: With the snow Thursday / Friday conditions were rough. Lots of icy and snow on the traverse. We did NOT use traction but had it with us and probably a good idea just depending on what is most comfortable. The wind and cold made it a very tough climb, but epic views and absolutely amazing hike so just be smart and gear up. Waterproof footwear is a game changer for the many water crossings. Stating the obvious but this hike is not for beginners. We only saw two others make the traverse. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 6/21/2020, By: Andunn
Info: With the snow Thursday / Friday conditions were rough. Lots of icy and snow on the traverse. We did NOT use traction but had it with us and probably a good idea just depending on what is most comfortable. The wind and cold made it a very tough climb, but epic views and absolutely amazing hike so just be smart and gear up. Waterproof footwear is a game changer for the many water crossings. Stating the obvious but this hike is not for beginners. We only saw two others make the traverse. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 6/13/2020, By: Jonathan Deffenbaugh
Info: Snow free on the Class 4 Crux section. Followed the arrows 👍 Two ways up to the summit plateau. Took the direct south facing gully, had some snow, but no big deal with microspikes. West gully's snow free. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 7/26/2019, By: LetsGoMets
Info: Dry and summer conditions on the traverse. One tiny patch of snow you can step around after the last climb just before you stroll up to the summit. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 7/21/2019, By: salmanalsaif
Info: Traverse is dry and snow free. Took us about 2 hours round-trip to get to N Arapaho from S Arapaho and back. Wasn't windy when we attempted it, but it usually is so don't leave your wind jacket at home. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 7/21/2019, By: supranihilest
Info: The approach to just above treeline is rather wet. There are lots of stream crossings and near treeline there's some standing water. It's all avoidable with proper footwork. The rest of the trail is dry, as is the full traverse between the Arapahos. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 7/14/2019, By: ianthebean
Info: almost summer conditions. LOTS of runoff, waterproof shoes were nice to have. a few snowfields around treeline but the southwest slope & the traverse are completely dry 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 7/15/2019, By: jchapell
Info: Just adding some photos to prior reports. We made it up past the lower trail with just barely wet toes after some careful rock hopping and trekking pole balancing acts, but there is a ton of water. Upper mountain and the S-N Traverse is essentially summer conditions. On the descent our feet got soaked since we didn't care, bring extra socks. 

Route: Via Fourth of July TH and South Arapaho Peak
Posted On: 7/6/2019, By: LivingOnTheEdge
Info: Went up South then North Arapaho today and finished on Old Baldy. Previous report noted that you could do the whole traverse without touching snow and I can confirm that. We brought axes and spikes and never took them out. If you stay on route after the top of S. Arapaho, you could almost call it summer conditions. Below South Arapaho, there are a number of snowfields and the trail is basically a stream by midday. You're in for a long day without waterproof boots. We did not do Skywalker, but I talked to a group that did. Although it's melted out a bit at the top, they had solid snow conditions for the majority of the couloir. Seems like it's still in, though at the rate things are melting - who knows how long that will last.