Grizzly Peak

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 6/15/2024, By: shapovalovm
Info: Summer conditions, for all practical purposes. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 4/16/2024, By: sarahmariekirk
Info: Climbed Cupid and Grizzly as a repeat on Saturday (4/13) - the trail is in great condition, no snowshoes required - used microspikes throughout. The saddle between Cupid and Griz is loaded in sections and has a massive cornice in place that will likely fall soon with all of the warm temps we have had. No ice axe required but depending on the person, could probably be beneficial. Poles helped with a slick descent, and the upper slopes of Griz had some bulletproof ice but not enough to warrant use of crampons. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 12/19/2023, By: 501to314to303
Info: Extremely windy, especially coming back down off Cupid. Snow coverage is very patchy throughout. We used crampons for training purposes, but microspikes would have been more than sufficient. Really just succeeded in dulling up crampons and rolling ankles scampering around on rocks. The snow is ankle-deep in a couple spots. Some route-finding difficulties, mostly disconnects in the boot tracks, assume from wind scouring. Ascent/descent from Cupid "peak" to the rest of the trail toward Grizzly or back to the trailhead is choose-your-own-adventure. Then going up Grizzy itself; able to follow well-tracked switchbacks part of the way, but they peter out. We ended up taking a fairly scrambly and difficult route up; only from the top were we able to see a better trail that pretty much followed the ridgeline (mind the cornices). I would suggest following the switchbacks until the trail is no longer clear, then cutting direct toward the ridge (E-NE) until you pick back up the nice tracks to the "good" way up & down Grizzly. I hope this gets more snow coverage later in the season -- fully snowed-in this would be very fun. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 11/12/2023, By: sunbleached
Info: Good conditions up until Cupid that's mostly bare and just has a couple crusty parts. Coming down from Cupid to the saddle has much softer snow, though there are bootprints to follow the whole way. Coming up Grizzly D's north ridge requires better routefinding since the use trail is obfuscated. There are snowy bootprints headed up, or you can go up the scree. I chose to follow the bootprints up and scree-ski down. Brought crampons and ice axe, used neither. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 9/14/2023, By: TheBuff66
Info: Summer conditions. The road to the trailhead is asphalt so any car can make it. Trail was easy to follow the whole way, and no ice. It did snow on me lightly all day though, with the intensity picking up around 10am. The snow was sticking on the grass, but there was no need for traction. With sun in the forecast for the next week I'd imagine the summer conditions will continue. The trail up to Grizzly is easy class 2. RT was 6 miles and 3.5 hours, with breaks. P.S. congratulations to the couple that got engaged on the ridge 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 7/3/2023, By: -wren-
Info: Ran the ridge from Loveland pass to arapahoe basin today and its all clear, summer conditions. This includes the standard routes for Sniktau, Grizzly and Cupid. 

Route: Mt. Sniktau, Cupid, and Grizzly from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 7/3/2023, By: mikjik86
Info: Started at Loveland Pass right past 5 AM on Saturday July 1st. All 3 peaks snow free. 10 foot sow crossing on the bypass back from Grizzly/Cupid. Beautiful wildflowers starting to bloom. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 6/24/2023, By: GGScheer
Info: Grizzly was dry trail, except for 3 places of stepping through 5' to 20' of diminishing snowfields. The whole Grizzly to Sniktau ridge is dry, has very little snow -- some as you approach top of Sniktau. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 6/16/2023, By: fdgonzalez
Info: The trail is dry until East Loveland Pass Peak. Minimal snow on the way to Cupid. From Cupid to Grizzly there's more snow and a bit of postholing. Microspikes were helpful on the ascent up Grizzly Peak and the descent. Overcast, cold, snowy conditions with poor visibility most of the time. Dark clouds started rolling in around 11 am. Felt like a winter hike in June. A picture tells a thousands words, so photos of the hike are attached. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 6/11/2023, By: cdgibbons
Info: Most snow is avoidable or easy to manage until the last 200' to the summit. One could piece together rock segments for most of it, but I found it much easier to use spikes and ascend and descend directly, and about 50' is probably unavoidable. Snow was in ideal condition at an 8:20 AM summit. Carried an ice ax, did not use it. I counted 35 folks on this route today. 5 mule deer on the ridge shortly after sunrise. Photos of Grizzly summit ridge and Grays and Torreys from the summit. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 5/5/2023, By: Ryan987
Info: Excellent hiking conditions. Brought microspikes but ended up not using them. Snowpack is finally melting! Around 50-70% snow coverage on trail 

Route: East Face Ski Lines
Posted On: 4/12/2023, By: thurs
Info: Here's how Grizzly D's east facing stuff was looking today, also over to Cupid. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 4/10/2023, By: ssowalskie
Info: Grizzly Peak is no joke, and this route can be difficult, simply because of the constant elevation loss and gain, especially with the snow right now. You immediately start climbing the ridge from Loveland Pass until you reach Point 12,915 (where the trail forks towards Mount Sniktau and Grizzly Peak). That ridge is still pretty snow-covered, and it was hardpacked when I started around 6:30am. The climb up Cupid is a pretty typical class 1 hike, but the climb down Cupid is much more strenuous and has a few steep snow-covered spots. After that, the "bump" the route describes at 12,936 feet has some snow on it, though for most of this route the snow accumulation is on the east side, while the west side of the ridge is free of snow. After the steep descent from that bump, the real "fun" begins, with a steep climb up Grizzly Peak's slope, covered in talus, scree, and (currently) snow. The trail is mostly obvious, though a few spots require a little more thought because of the current snow conditions. The views are spectacular though, once you do get up to the top of Grizzly. From there you can continue on to Torreys (which is what I did) or return to Loveland Pass. Especially after Torreys and resummiting Grizzly, the route back from Grizzly was pretty brutal as you have to go over the three other mountains/highpoints to get back to Loveland Pass, and the snow was pretty soft by mid-afternoon (though I didn't experience any really crazy post-holing). It took me about 8 hours from car to car, including time spent on top of Grizzly and Torreys. I used spikes and trekking poles the whole way (except for the final descent down Point 12,915, when I put them away). Overall, it was a beautiful day and a good, tiring hike. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 3/26/2023, By: sarahmariekirk
Info: Route was mostly mixed; alternating between wind blown and a nice crust. Some sections up Grizzly had bulletproof snow where crampons would have fared better (like some reports have mentioned), but spikes were honestly just fine too. I brought my ice axe which helped a bit on the descent down Grizzlys ridge, but was just extra security and not really necessary. Great day out there today with -33 on the summit. Like usual, no need for snowshoes anywhere on Snik, Cupid or Grizzly. 

Route: Grizzly and Cupid from Loveland Pass
Posted On: 1/22/2023, By: madmattd
Info: Last-minute hike of the Loveland Pass 13ers trio due to the forecast changing to be so nice. See report for Cupid for info getting there (basically: bare boots or spikes are fine). I put microspikes on for the descent of Cupid all the way up to Grizzly. Cornices abound, so I stuck to the rocks on the mostly wind-blown West side of the ridge. Generally a couple inches of snow ranging from wind-packed to powder. The rocky bump between Cupid and PT12,936 posed an interesting challenge with deep snow in and around the rocks, but I made a way down and around it on the East side staying out of the way of the slide-able slopes and cornice, mostly in the rocks. There did appear to be a semi-scramble rocky option around to the West if preferred. From there, just the usual steep terrain over PT12,936 and up Grizzly itself. I was able to roughly follow the summer route on Grizzly as it was a mix of bare ground and 2-6" of snow. Microspikes were marginal for the ascent with the snow conditions, I put on 3/4 crampons for the descent and left them on until back to Cupid, worked great.