"Mascot Peak"

Route: From Yale Then E/SE Ridge
Posted On: 5/25/2025, By: mikemalick
Info: Didn't use spikes after dropping off Yale's East Ridge towards Mascot for remainder of hike. There were some snow fields that I needed to cross on descent to the low point but those went just fine with heel kicks/plunge steps. Descent off Mascot back to Avalanche TH did have some snow but was never an issue needing spikes. Most could easily be avoided. 

Route: E/SE Ridge
Posted On: 6/8/2024, By: Da Legit Master
Info: Descended to the saddle from Yale summit. Climbed the short climb to the top then descended Mascot via the E/SE Ridge. Didn't touch snow the entire way. The descent was surprisingly good. I thought it was going to be a scree nightmare, but the ground was solid and not too steep. Easy 2nd class. 

Route: From Yale, descent via “Mascot Ridge”
Posted On: 1/3/2024, By: madmattd
Info: Descent off Yale was straight forward with minimal snow - we didnt even use spikes once off the initial snowfield. Mix of shallow snow and bare rock to the summit. A few snowfields coming off Mascot on the SE ridge were slippery, spikes recommended. In the woods is a mix of shallow, slippery snowfields, bare dirt, and a little ice. One of us used spikes most of the way, the other booted the whole thing. The descent is STEEP but gets the job done. Thanks to the prior CR (for Yale) informing that this route is largely dry - you dont need anything more than spikes. 

Route: E/SE Ridge
Posted On: 12/12/2023, By: Chipmunk
Info: Climbed Mascot today via the E/SE ridge from Avalanche TH. The trailhead bathroom is unlocked and fully stocked. Avy danger in the Sawatch finally dropped back down to moderate today. That, coupled with the fact this hike is mostly on a ridge and I could see south facing slopes in the Sawatch looking dry on satellite imagery, made me decide to try this one for some pre-calendar winter conditioning. The route never exceeded class 2, even with the snow. There was some postholing above 11k to treeline but it was never enough to make me regret leaving snowshoes in the car. Above treeline the route is windblown, and you can rock hop to the summit. The route is about 5 miles and 4,000 vertical feet round trip and my knees did not thank me on the way down. A few flurries started around 10:30am when I summited but (unfortunately) there is nothing in the forecast that should change these conditions significantly. Gaiters and snow boots were useful. Carried but did not use spikes. Left snowshoes and axe in the car. 

Route: Southeast Ridge
Posted On: 7/4/2023, By: cloudkicker
Info: Thanks to HikerGuy for the beta on this route. You can see 90% of the route from the Avalanche Trailhead parking lot. I meant to take a picture of the route from the parking lot at the end of the day but the lot was crowded with OHV trailer dudes which put me in a hurry to leave. The route is steep and not fun but great conditioning I guess. The stats on this are kind of mind boggling at roughly 2000ft of elevation gain per mile to the top (4100ft in 2.3mi) Just to reach treeline you have to climb 2500ft in 1.25mi. No real crux on the route. Just up. Lots of up. 0 people on the mountain on the 4th of July which was the best thing about today for me. 

Route: Avalanche TH
Posted On: 6/29/2023, By: angry
Info: Thanks to HikerGuy for sharing this alternate route as I had zero interest in going up via denny creek. Still dry and wildflowers are blooming. 

Route: East/Southeast Ridge from Avalanche TH
Posted On: 6/6/2023, By: HikerGuy
Info: Dry from parking lot to summit. Surprisingly easy (good footing, no recent deadfall, zero bushwhack) except for the incredible steepness. 4.79 miles, 4,037 feet and 4h 29m roundtrip. Slept in car in parking lot with no issues. 

Route: From Yale
Posted On: 2/11/2023, By: yaktoleft13
Info: Yale east ridge -> Mascot --> Mascot east ridge descent. Snowshoes necessary from 10.6 on trail until treeline. Wore spikes from there. Majority rock hopping, but a number of unavoidable snow sections. Descent off Yale toward mascot had some snow, but was surprisingly dry. Ascent up Mascot was talus with snow filled in and a cornice on the east side of the ridge. To descend, rather than reascend 1200 feet up Yale and along its east ridge, I followed Mascot's class 2 ridge to 12.2. at that point, I turned left and descended one of a number of exposed rock/scree ribs down to Hughes Creek drainage, then followed that back to the main trail. Rock ribs were loose, but embrace the slip and you'll be down in no time. Mild bushwhack back to the trail, but the trail breaking was tiring. Saved at least an hour's worth of time rather than reascending Yale. 

Route: From Yale East Ridge
Posted On: 3/20/2021, By: daway8
Info: Came over from Yale East Ridge route - see update from HikesInGeologicTime for details (I would only add that the East Ridge should be considered class 3 in winter - there were multiple sections of class 3 - how avoidable they all were I'm honestly not sure since I intentionally aim for that type of terrain when I see it - I for one enjoyed the route because of that). Myself and one other dropped packs for 2hr detour to Mascot. Ugly cornices on left (east) side but largely dry on right (west) side. Reclimb to Yale's ridge is a real bear. Attaching photos for Mascot. 

Route: From Yale
Posted On: 11/29/2020, By: CaptainSuburbia
Info: Started at Denny Creek and took the standard Southwest Slopes to Yale's summit. There was a superb trench to treeline and another up the headwall to the ridge. Not much snow in between. Lots of snow on the ridge so it was best to boulder hop. The ridge to Mascot saddle was mostly dry. Plenty of snow going up mascot along ridge and in between talus. I decided to pass on the bushwack down Mascots SW ridge for descent, and instead, went back to Yale-Mascot saddle and sidehilled under Yale back to standard route to Denny Creek. It was mostly dry with occasional postholing through snowy gullies. 

Route: East-Southeast Rib
Posted On: 11/22/2020, By: supranihilest
Info: Mascot from the south is almost completely dry. We took the rib between Harris Gulch to the east and the unnamed gulch to the west. The route is unrelentingly steep. The bottom part is a steep, desert-y slope of dirt, cactus, and scrub brush. It briefly flattens about 800 feet up and goes northwest onto the increasingly narrow rib. The entire thing until treeline is a mix of kitty litter scree, pine needles, and some granitic boulders directly on the ridge crest. The route is painfully obvious since the rib is pretty narrow - just go up it. The flanks drop away at an astonishing rate. There's a small amount of snow as you get higher, then near treeline it dries out. Above treeline the route crosses open slopes under some rocky bumps. There are several false summits as you eventually gain the ridge and traverse on black rock to the summit. There's some snow here, still mostly avoidable. The views of Yale are incredible. We descended the way we came. Overall the route is approximately Class 2+. Equipment: we wore trail runners, carried an axe and spikes and did not use either. The snow storm this week will probably change conditions significantly. In future dry conditions microspikes would be prudent for those who don't like super steep kitty litter. 

Route: From Mt Yale
Posted On: 11/1/2020, By: WildWanderer
Info: Snow at the top of Yale in the gully was tricky to downclimb. I kicked in steps, and wished I'd had my ice axe. After the initial gully snow was avoidable or not enough accumulation to matter. I didn't use traction. Snow below treeline back to the trailhead was minimal. 

Route: Denny Creek
Posted On: 5/30/2020, By: tjf242424
Info: Took the Mt Yale trail from Denny Creek TH to around 12,600 ft, then started traversing towards the saddle between Yale and Mascot. There were several steep and wide gullies that were still full of snow, which forced me to ascend up the slopes of Yale to around 13,450 ft, where I continued traversing. I then descended to the saddle and continued up the north ridge of Mascot with no further snow issues. I then returned to the saddle, ascended back to the 13,450 ft level on Yale, and traversed back towards the Mt Yale trail, rejoining it higher than where I left it on the ascent. This involved some loose slopes and one short snow crossing just before rejoining the trail. Doable without any special gear, but requires some circuitous travel to avoid the snow and about + 500 ft of vertical in both directions. I considered going to the East Ridge Route on Yale from Mascot, but it looked pretty snowy with some cornices to deal with and I elected to not take any chances with it. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 6/27/2017, By: TravelingMatt
Info: From Avalanche Trailhead near Rainbow Lake, ascend Colorado Trail for some 1.4 miles to around 10,500 feet. At this elevation the Avalanche Gulch to the west (left) flattens out and you can head for Mascot's east ridge. Terrain starts flat but eventually gets quite steep and I zigzagged up until treeline. Some blowdowns in the flatter area but I've gone through much worse. Above treeline just stay on the ridge to summit. Dry except for a couple short, firm snowfields around treeline. No pen in makeshift summit register. On descent, after leaving ridge, make sure to stay north so you hook back up with the trail where the gulch is flat. Some 7 miles round trip and 4200' gain, Class 2. Up in just under 3½ hours, down in 2½. 

Route: Denny Creek Trailhead
Posted On: 9/10/2016, By: JasonKline
Info: Summer conditions. Parked at Denny Creek trailhead, took standard route up Yale, then rode ridge to Mascot. Rode Mascot ridge down to treeline, then descended west to Denny Gulch and followed the creek back to 306. Descent to Denny Gulch had some steep, loose dirt areas, but the bushwhacking around the creek was much easier than expected. As long as you didn't mind crossing the creek repeatedly, you could usually find a path without very dense vegetation.