Electric Peak

Route: Peerless Mine
Posted On: 6/25/2025, By: 9patrickmurphy
Info: No snow, trails are in great shape. I'm not sure why this route isn't more popular - the trailhead is easily accessible by any AWD car with clearance (Subaru or equivalent), the trail is very nice, and the lakes are just plain gorgeous. Would recommend. The trail above the lakes is overgrown and clearly no longer maintained, but it did not make for difficult travel. Uploaded a GPX to the library, as there aren't many maps that show the trailhead or Peerless connector trail. 

Route: Standard from Major Creek
Posted On: 6/14/2025, By: eskermo
Info: ~20 steps on snow each way high on the ridgeline, otherwise all clear. When the trail peters out there are plenty of cairns to direct. Only person out there today on a Sat with perfect forecast. Easily drove a Civic to the Major Ck TH, anything can make it. 2 good campsites at TH. This was a lovely route with great trail taking you to nearly 13,000'. Summit register in good condition (bc it is glass and not a dumb CMC worthless I-Hate-LNT tube). When is CMC going to be more sustainable with their summit registers? 16.6 miles, 5,660', 8 hour 14 minutes RT. 

Route: Major Creek
Posted On: 6/14/2025, By: SimplePole
Info: No mosquitoes. A small snow crossing on top of Point 13,200. Snow on the last 500 ft completely avoidable on hikers left. Some deadfall, 4 or 5 really small creek crossing and couple minor muddy spots. Otherwise the trail to the saddle is great. The steepest hiking was on the ridge to Point 13,200. Long but easy day, 16.5 miles and some 5,500 ft elevation gain. 

Route: From Major TH
Posted On: 3/2/2025, By: Will_E
Info: Great day up on Electric and Lakes, warm temps and light wind. I didn't need snowshoes until 4.5 miles in, the trail breaking was easier than average. I broke off the trail before getting out of the trees, bushwhacked up through the trees, wasn't a bad bushwhack at all. Left snowshoes at treeline, no traction needed today. Coming down I used the snow gully between the peaks, snow was great. Snow softened up on the way back, but wasn't bad. Lots of mud the last 4 miles after getting back out of snowshoes. 

Route: Major Creek (ascent) and Hot Springs (descent)
Posted On: 6/17/2024, By: rleclair
Info: This conditions report is for the 5-peak 13er traverse (Electric-Lakes-Thirsty-UN 13128-Cottonwood). From the Major Creek TH, the trail is snow free with easy creek crossings. There are many deer parts scattered along the trail likely due to predation. From the saddle between Electric/Lakes, easy Class 2/Class 2+ (maybe) hike to the Electric Peak summit. Any snow is easy avoidable. Descent back to the saddle and ascent to Lakes is snow free or easily avoidable. Traverse to Thirsty Peak is relatively snowfree with some minor snowfields to cross but nothing of concern. Hike over to UN 13128' is a non-issue once again as is the ascent to Cottonwood. Any snow is easily avoidable. Descent to the Hot Springs "trail" again in summer conditions. The top half of the Hot Springs "trail" feels more like a game trail with some boot pack. Then it's a tedious exercise of downfall calisthenics of up and over downfall trees. The last half of the Hot Springs trail is truly a trail and well maintained leading to the Hot Springs TH. Final stats - ~ 18.5 miles with ~8K elevation gain/loss. All in all, a great day! 

Route: From Major Creek TH
Posted On: 11/11/2023, By: Will_E
Info: Nearly summer conditions, even less snow than on Cottonwood yesterday. Fantastic day. 

Route: Major Creek
Posted On: 10/8/2023, By: Shooter
Info: Leave the spikes at home. Summer conditions 

Route: Major Creek
Posted On: 8/4/2023, By: blazintoes
Info: This is the best Sangres trail Ive ever been on and it goes all the way to the Lakes Saddle. We quickly climbed then out and backed Electric and continued to Cottonwood. We got lucky with the weather. The northern Sangres are the gentle giants. 

Route: Major Creek
Posted On: 12/12/2021, By: angry
Info: Negligible snow. Did not bring traction/flotation and was not needed. No summit register. 

Route: Major Creek
Posted On: 11/14/2021, By: SionaRW35
Info: Basically summer conditions on both Electric & Lakes minus warmth and wildflowers. Left gaiters in car, glad I did. Brought spikes & never even encountered enough snow or ice to have it cross my mind. 

Route: Major Creek
Posted On: 11/20/2020, By: VeraUndertow
Info: Climbed Electric, Lakes, Thirsty, 13123B and Cottonwood. From the trailhead to 10k was mostly dry except for from the first to second creek crossing was sheer ice. After 10k the snow was reasonably supportive at 8:00 am and there was a few footprints going thru it already. Where the trail heads south to start gaining the ridge between Electric and Lakes was covered in snow and north facing so I avoided that part by going up what is probably normally a slide path but was almost entirely dry of snow today. Once I gained the ridge I headed south over the false summit of Electric and up to the true summit. All the snow was avoidable or inconsequential on the whole route from Electric to Cottonwood. Just a lot of mostly stable talus on the west side of the ridge and snow on the east. 

Route: Major Creek
Posted On: 5/9/2020, By: supranihilest
Info: The Major Creek trail is in great shape and mostly dry. What little snow remains near treeline is rock hard. The route from the Electric/Lakes saddle is steep and a bit loose but not bad. Again, it's all dry. We also did 12er Mount Niehardt, which has a bit of snow and otherwise is easy and dry. Some scrambling on Niehardt but all easy. 

Route: From Ducket Creek
Posted On: 11/19/2017, By: koeffling
Info: 4WD made it up the snowy 337 and 333 road from Ducket Creek TH to a cabin to cut off a little mileage. A few inches of fresh snow in the northern Sangres Friday night. Was glad for gaiters, didn't use traction or floatation. A lot of tree fall from a brutal windstorm on the approach. Past Brush lakes and ridges were mostly windblown with 2-3 inches of snow remaining. We took the summer trail back to the lakes, but a couple more snows and I wouldn't like to be on that slope. 

Route: North West Ridge
Posted On: 10/19/2017, By: desertdog
Info: No snow on the entire route. Once at the saddle, I would gain the ridge rather than traversing the West slope. The ridge is a little narrow at first, but opens up as you get closer to the summit. The approach is a loooonnnngggg way, but the trail is easy to follow. We climbed Lakes Peak too, which added about 45 minutes to the day. 

Route: Major Creek
Posted On: 6/28/2017, By: TravelingMatt
Info: Dry to summit. Someone is selectively cutting the deadfall on this trail. Some of the sawing looks fresh but for some reason they're not cutting everything. Hardest place to follow the trail is through a meadow at the head of the basin around 11,100'. Head for the center/right side of the trees some 500' ahead of you and at about your elevation; the trail hooks around these trees to the right and then slowly ascends the headwall. You can also go up a relatively clear area to the left -- steeper but runs into the trail eventually too. The headwall is grassy but steep, so you want to use the trail. This is a long day; 16+ miles and 5600+ feet just to do Electric. No water or crapper at trailhead.