Opening Comments

I first apologize for the lack of meaningful photos. Frankly, I was so immersed in climbing the peaks I didn't take photos as much as I would have liked. Still, after reading some of the previous trip reports, all of which I found valuable, I found my perspective after climbing Belford and Oxford was perhaps a bit different, at least in some ways. This is why I'm writing a report here. There are some nuances to this climb that I think are worth noting and knowing.

The Basics

I started my climb about 4:00AM. I obviously started in the dark, but given that it was nearly the summer solstice, it wasn't long before first light began to appear in the east. I gained elevation quickly, and felt strong. Before I knew it, I was past the log creek crossing [which I found much easier than I feared; those logs are sturdier than they look!], the log cabin remains, the Missouri-Belford junction, across the creek tributary, and into the famous Belford switchbacks. As I will note later, the switchbacks are where the proverbial worm turns. I made the summit of Belford at 3.5 hours or 7:30AM, and felt pretty good. At that point, though, the wind was howling, and I saw dark clouds in the West. Still, I decided to proceed to Oxford. Around the saddle between Belford and Oxford, the wind really picked up, making standing straight difficult, and spells of graupel began to hammer me. At the same time, the sky never looked too threatening, the graupel was never that heavy, so I continued. I made the summit of Oxford around 8:45AM, and quickly headed back down to the saddle. For what it's worth, I think starting early on this big of a climb is 100% the way to go, and the lower trail hikes quite well in the dark.

After summiting Oxford, as past trip reports attest, re-gaining Belford is indeed hard. After descending into the saddle and starting up the connecting ridge back up to Belford, I felt the need to pause for breath much more frequently than any other part of the trail. Yet I stayed patient as I've done enough 14ers to know that elevation gain at that kind of elevation is hard. The wind was still howling but the skies appeared to improve, and the the graupel had stopped. I was back on the Belford summit around 10:15, took a break there, and then headed back down. I was back at my car at 8h:25m, or about 12:25PM. By that time, the weather was quite nice, at least then.

This being a Tuesday, there were not many hikers on the trails. On my way back up to regaining Belford, I passed another solo who was going on to Oxford, and a little further up, a party of four, three of whom were continuing on to Oxford, and one who was taking the Elkhead pass back down. Then coming off Belford the second time, I came across another solo hiker trying only Belford, and concerned about the weather. Finally, I eventually caught up with three hikers who had abandoned their climb due to one in their party feeling very ill on the way up. As always, people were helpful and willing to help one another.

Color Commentary

1. Class 1, true enough. First, some comments about the trail, hopefully adding some color to past trip reports. I would agree that this is essentially a Class 1 climb. There really isn't much need to grab anything with your hands and, in general, the consequences of falling would not be expected to be severe [though there is always the possibility of a strange fall]. Near the summit of Belford is the most exposure, and actually quite fun rock, but the moves there are straightforward and not terribly exposed. And yet calling this a "Class 1" climb does not do its difficulty justice. Read on.
2. Steepness. I had read reports about the steepness of the climb. And yet it is hard to do appreciate this until you're in the thick of it. To be sure, there aren't any steep scrambling moves like on Longs, Sunlight, the Bells, or even Wilson Peak. But I don't know that I've ever done a more sustained elevation gain in all my life. I clocked 6,242 elevation gain in 10.23 miles. It is just a reliably steep trail, and you feel that both going up and coming down. In that sense [the sustained steepness of the trail], this would rank as one of the hardest of the 43 14ers I've climbed. There are very few modest grade spots, or even steps for that matter. This brings me to my next point of emphasis.
3. Trail quality. I found the trail quality highly variable [please note I am not criticizing any CFI crews that have worked on the trail--their work is so hard and expert I can only begin to appreciate what is required to build and maintain these trails]. That being said, I found the trail quality, as measured by my ease of travel, quite variable. The trail to the Belford-Elkhead sign [where the Missouri route breaks off] is truly excellent. On the other hand, the switchbacks to Belford, felt quite different. Because the trail is so steep and often loose, I found it a bit treacherous. I was having to choose my feet carefully lest the loose dirt or a loose rock gave out from under me. I did fall once when a loose foothold fell away, and I don't fall a lot [I've hiked over 500 miles the past two months and have fallen only once before]. As one gets close to the Belford summit, the grade lessens, and initially getting off Belford, I felt the trail was secure there too. But once you really start down the steeper part to obtain the Belford-Oxford pass, it was even more insecure and quite steep. There were efforts to put small switchbacks in place, but essentially it felt like a straight line down. Finally, coming back down off Belford the second time, on the switchbacks, was really tedious because I again was choosing each foot carefully. Perhaps I have gotten too used to my time in RMNP, and perhaps I have gotten spoiled by rock climbing. But my point here is not to underestimate the trail. Yes, it's Class 1, but I found it both steep and loose in spots, especially the Belford switchbacks and getting to/from the Bel-Ox saddle.
4. Wind. I read about the wind in previous trip reports, and it's no joke. The day I climbed, it wasn't even supposed to be that windy. But especially higher up, Belford and Oxford are separated by the broad Missouri Gulch on one side, and the wide Pine Creek valley to Harvard on the other. It exposes you to high winds, especially with the amount of time you spend high up on the traverse. I spent a lot of time with gloves and 3 layers on.
5. Taking the Elkhead Pass back down. I see that many trip reports recommend taking the Elkhead pass route back down, in lieu of resummiting Belford. Having only done the latter, I'm not sure I'd do it differently. Yes, it seems the way down Elkhead pass is less steep, and the cutoff was pretty obvious to me. But, at that point, you have very little elevation to regain to get to Belford's summit, and the Elkhead pass route is 1.5 miles longer. Frankly, I'd pick whichever way was faster. With the turbulent weather, I chose what I thought was the quickest way down. The may or may not be the right choice.
6. Beauty. As my pictures attest, I was lucky enough to catch this during prime wildflower season. Missouri Gulch is really quite beautiful. I would say the display of wildflowers was about as wonderful as I've seen, at least in comparison to anything outside of the American Basin the San Juans. Similarly, I thought the summit of Belford itself was quite aesthetic: beautiful rock, wonderful views, quite striking with panoramic views of Oxford, Harvard, Missouri, and the cirques in between. Lower on the mountain, the creek is also beautiful.

Final Words

I hope none of my cautionary notes dissuade folks from climbing Bel-Ox. I thought some of the views were as good as anything you can find on any 14er, and it is a delight to be able to bag two 14ers in one day. But if my commentary has any value, it is to suggest going into it knowing the trail on the Belford switchbacks and descending into the Belford-Oxford saddle can be trying. If you're anything like me, like the Lavender Col on Sneffels and the "2,000 feet of suck" on the Maroon, it helps to know the subtle difficulties in advance. It's all doable, just be patient with yourself and be fueled by the two grand summits that await.

Among us non-Middlebrook/Roach mortals, anyone who has done Bel-Ox has my admiration!