Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-05-28, By: astromuni Info: vast majority of the route is still snow-covered. I think this ought to change in the next couple of weeks, at least down low. but we're a ways out from dry conditions. We were blessed with below-freezing temps overnight, so the lower sections were firm on my way up (~7 am). The upper mountain never got slushy (i reached the car again at 11am), but it was also cloudy for much of the morning. I brought snowshoes but only ended up using microspikes on the way down. They made the descent much faster (anyone w/o them was slipping and sliding). had a couple nice glissades too. you'll probably want snowshoes on any warm day for the next couple weeks (which is most days). There is plenty of snowpack up above 13K feet ... more than the past couple years for sure. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-05-19, By: Jay521 Info: Unless there is a solid freeze you will need snowshoes or skis. Its getting pretty soft and postholing was the order of the day. I had snowshoes and one guy had a split board. We were the only ones to summit |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-05-17, By: Discoverado Info: Guanella Pass still closed. ~2 mile hike from parking to trailhead, but road is plowed so easy going. Snow was hard packed. I brought snowshoes but didn't use them - only minimal postholing, more on the way out as the weather warmed up. I'd recommend bringing snowshoes just in case. Some traction devices near the top would've been nice, but it was doable without. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-05-18, By: ajtrezco Info: Gate closed at the campground, but the road was plowed all the way up. I'm guessing it'll open soon. Started at 5:00, snowshoes were nice but not needed in the morning, as there was plenty of bootpack if you stayed near the main trail. Summited around 9:30 and was able to snowboard from the summit all the way down on near perfect snow to the lowest point in the Willows, where the snow became extremely slushy and deep around 10:30. Postholed out of the Willows, even with the snowshoes, so I would recommend starting even earlier than we did. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-05-14, By: akimber95 Info: Mostly agree with below - additional 2 miles to trailhead due to road closure, hiked without flotation, would have certainly been helpful. Multiple areas where people with flotation walked off trail - unfortunately followed those in early morning and postholed a lot. Postholing was not bad after ~1/2 way between trailhead and summit. Spikes weren't really needed due to amount of snow. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-05-14, By: akimber95 Info: Mostly agree with below - additional 2 miles to trailhead due to road closure, hiked without flotation, would have certainly been helpful. Multiple areas where people with flotation walked off trail - unfortunately followed those in early morning and postholed a lot. Postholing was not bad after ~1/2 way between trailhead and summit. Spikes weren't really needed due to amount of snow. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-05-13, By: ellenmseb Info: Skied continuously from the summit except for a very short walk on a rocky trail section ~500ft from top. 11am or a little earlier was a good time to descend. Get it! Hikers without flotation seemed to be having a bad time. Road is 2/3 plowed but 100% closed (from the campground 2mi before guanella pass). So you can neither drive nor ski to guanella pass ... |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-04-16, By: HCLRockyMountainHigh Info: Went up Bierstadt from Guanella Pass Rd winter closure parking lot today. Started around 9:40 a.m. and didn't need spikes up the road and only put on spikes after starting on the Bierstadt standard trail. Brought both snowshoes and microspikes but didn't need snowshoes in the morning. On the way back in the afternoon I put on snowshoes as I approached the willows because I was starting to punch through the snow. Took off snowshoes when I got back to the road. According to my GPS it was 10.6 miles roundtrip and 3,455 ft of total elevation gain from the winter parking lot. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-04-09, By: WildWanderer Info: From winter closure the road was packed down with several feet of snow. The trail was easy to follow, and while not trenched, it was packed down. I wore microspikes the entire time, but I was back early and was already starting to punch through the snow as the temperatures warmed up. If you plan on starting later in the day, or getting back to the trailhead after noon, snowshoes could be helpful. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-04-10, By: ellenmseb Info: bierstadt is NOT in for skiing. skied squaretop instead. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-04-02, By: sdaclimbs Info: Took the winter route from Guanella Pass. Atleast 1 ft of snow on the road from winter parking to summer parking. Snow was softer on the road when I started the hike and packed while I was returning. Used snowshoes from the second switchback on the road to winter parking upto the last cairns near the rocky portion of the summit. I could have ditched snowshoes earlier but didn't do because the trail had good amount of snow to prevent rock damage to snowshoes. Probably became slower because of the snowshoes in the shoulder portion. Wind was pretty bad in the morning with gusts that felt like 50-60 mph. Gusts were frequent and particularly strong in the summer parking lot and the flatter area near the summit which has a visible rock trail with a bunch of cairns. Wind was even stronger at the summit. Although it was not as cold. I wore a wool base, a mid layer and a shell. That kept me warm enough. Wind died down in the afternoon. It was bright and sunny throughout. With snowshoes, I did almost no postholing through out the trail. The snow in willows was crusty and firm on the trail. I also ditched the final switchback while going from winter parking to summer parking. I went off-trail to avoid going to the summer parking. Snow was softer there and required some shin deep postholing till I reached the actual trail. Edge of the trail has softer snow and might need some postholing. After willows, I decided to ditch the trail switchbacks and moved straight up from post to post. The snow off-trail held up really good. Some people did not take snowshoes and I saw post holes in the willows while going back. Snow was deep in the willows if you plan to posthole. 3-4 ft deep at min. Took about 9 hours to complete the hike. This was my second attempt in March. Didn't summing in the first attempt. In the first attempt in early March, I was trail breaking and was tired on the way up. Also much softer snow in my first attempt as compared to last Saturday (1st April). |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-03-27, By: germuth Info: Took the winter route from Guanella pass. There were no existing paths through the willows so we followed the road. Overhead avalanche exposure didn't look too bad, was very dense trees. Right before the last switchback in the road, you can go straight through the trees rather than continue the road and do unnecessary uphill. Even more straight takes you right over an unnamed lake, recommend going around it rather than over it. Then you'll join the standard summer trail up and down. Snow conditions were heavily wind effected, scoured one moment to loaded the next. Floatation recommended. I took skis and was able to skin up to 13600-ish, before it got too rocky and booted up. Skiing down was surprisingly fun, but involved dodging many rocks. On the way back, near the lake, our friends with snowshoes tried to cut the trail and head straight back, which immediately led to waist-deep post-holing even with snowshoes. Skis were fine though. Recommend staying on the hard packed trail. Took us 4 hours up and much longer than normal on the way down due to postholing (another 3.5 hours). |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-03-19, By: Kcook Info: 3 of us ventured out on Saturday. We didnt get started until 10:30 which proved to be a bit of a gamble - we assumed wed be moving much faster than we did. It was a SLOW day. We didnt summit until just before 4, so we had to boogie to get back to the car before dark. Sporadic post holing throughout. Wore snowshoes until the end of the switchbacks where we switched to spikes. Definitely need flotation through the willows and I would strongly recommend spikes on the final ascent. It was icy and slick in many spots. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-03-14, By: headsizeburrito Info: Unproductive winter, so finally got out to Bierstadt to shake off some dust. Road from winter closure is well packed, no need for flotation or traction. From the summer TH lost the trail in heavy blowing snow, did a lot of slow postholing across the willows even in snowshoes. Once across there is consistent snow all the way to the summit, but the trail was generally easy to spot and follow, just used spikes. On the way back with little/no wind was able to find the trail, which was packed enough that there was almost no postholing while wearing snowshoes. You might be able to get away without flotation, but not sure I'd recommend it. Just stash them before the climb and get them on your way back. Also encountered a dude struggling in the willows with no snowshoes, wearing jeans, and had never done a 14er before. Apparently these people do exist. The other guy out there just ahead of me had convinced him to turn around, and I encouraged him to take a hiker safety class. Me and the other guy did the rest of the hike together and had a nice day. Snow on the way, so conditions likely to change soon. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-03-13, By: Speedy26 Info: My buddy and I attempted to climb Bierstadt on 3/11 and made it to 12,900' before we deemed it too cold and windy as conditions looked like they were going to worsen as the day went on. There were about 8 other people we saw that day so I am sure there were a few summits but I wanted to describe the current conditions. We left early to get to the Guanella parking lot right at sunrise. I-70 was under white-out conditions and traffic was at a dead stop just as we exited into Georgetown. We had been looking at the weather forecast for a week and every model showed maybe 2" of snow and beautiful conditions. Our drive clearly indicated it was much worse than expected. We used floatation the entire hike. Guanella was easy to hike in snowshoes but The Willows was mostly postholing. They had also just shut down Loveland Pass and you could hear the avalanche canons out west. It was nothing to worry about but still kind of eerie. The trek to the base of Bierstadt wasn't terrible and then the climb to 12,900' was GORGEOUS. We made our own trail and followed the posts/carins pretty well. The wind picked up and it was bitterly cold which contributed to us turning around. The descent was probably the best part of the hike and we sailed down still wearing our snowshoes. Back in The Willows, any evidence of a trail was gone and we postholed our way to the summer trailhead. We got his by a massive blast of wind about 500' before we arrived back at the road. My buddy was maybe 10' behind me and disappeared in drifting snow for at least 10 seconds. This section was miserable due to wind and blowing snow. We quickly got back under tree line and the hike to the car on Guanella was uneventful. It was definitely a challenging winter day but nothing on Bierstadt seemed unsafe or dangerous. I had my ice axe mostly for my own sanity but the conditions to almost 13K' were great. We saw a few folks without floatation as we were climbing down so it was possible but probably miserable through The Willows. The forecast for this week is a bunch of snow so I imagine conditions will remain similar to our trip for a week or so. Be safe! |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-03-07, By: mjordan Info: We successfully summited on Saturday March 4th. Having to park at the winter road closure added about 2 additional miles each way according to my Garmin. There is a packed trail at the corner of the first switchback on the road which is NOT a shortcut but more of an adventurous way through the woods to get to the summer parking lot if you dont want to walk the road the entire way. Snowshoes through the willows are necessary! Several people in our group didnt have them and we suffered most thoroughly. Even people with snowshoes in front of us were turning around because the snow was so deep. Follow the summer route up - I cant stress this enough!! Two groups in front of us turned around after wrongly following a trail through the valley which they thought was a winter route or something. We ditched snowshoes at one of the benches not long after starting to ascend out of the willows. Around 12,000 feet when you start going up the switchbacks. After the shoulder around 13,000 ft we ditched the summer route and went steep and direct. Straight up to the boulder field and scrambled to the summit from there. The wind was blowing and only 2-3 hours later our tracks through the willows were completely covered with fresh snow plus some, and it was like crossing them for the first time again. Bring snowshoes! |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-02-25, By: gluckhikes Info: Today, in an unexpected change of plans after finding Loveland Pass closed, a dozen of us wallowed in the willows without flotation and suffered most thoroughly. There is now a deep trench through the willows, aiming right toward the peak instead of following the summer switchbacks that cut left. We turned around after taking 2 hours to make 1 mile of forward progress. Hopefully someone can benefit from our foolishness. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-02-18, By: Laxer04 Info: Road is snow packed, we used snowshoes through the willows and ditched them shortly after. I brought micro spikes but didn't use them. Strava came in at 11 miles 3500 ft of vert. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-02-11, By: yaymountain Info: Great day today. Winds were minimal even though forecast said 10-15mph. Garmin clocked 10.4 miles roundtrip from winter closure. I skipped the shortcuts but my partner took the second shortcut and saved half a mile and waited 10 minutes for me to catch up. Route is very straightforward and well trenched. No flotation needed though I saw many people carrying snowshoes. Spikes helpful, especially for descent from summit. On warm days, snowshoes might be helpful over willows for flotation on return trip but wasn't necessary today with temps 20-30 degrees. |
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Route: West Slopes Posted On: 2023-02-05, By: garrettanton Info: We carried snowshoes, but didn't use them. I think until the next storm floatation isn't needed though it could be helpful for the upper switchback shortcut. We also carried but didn't use microspikes. There are a few places where traction could be helpful, and I'd recommend at least taking spikes and using them if desired. Especially as the warmer weather causes refreezing, the steeper sections will start to require traction. The road is well packed and walkable with no floatation or traction. On the way up we took both "shortcuts" around the switchbacks but didn't find that either was particularly effective. The lower shortcut is well-trenched and walkable in just boots -- it may be slightly faster but is also much steeper than staying on the road. The upper shortcut is generally poorly trenched due mostly to wind loading. The snow was supportive in places, but was extremely variable and had many places where wind loading had filled (and will continue to fill) the trench. This section was short so we were lazy and didnt put on snowshoes, but the trench also more or less parallels the road so I'm not sure worth the effort vs. Staying on the road even with snowshoes. We did some postholing here and elected to just take the road on the way down skipping both shortcuts. Snowshoes could be helpful if you wanted to use the upper shortcut, and especially if you wanted to put in a new trench further out into the drainage for a more direct shortcut. This second shortcut is the only place snowshoes could be helpful, but even here they aren't required and I'd just leave the Devil's floatation devices at home and take the road if I did it again. Regardless of how you get there, once on the summer trail the snow is extremely supportive and easy to walk on all the way to the summit. There were a few places where the wind-effected snow was too hard to kick full-depth steps and where traction could be helpful: notably in the steep section between 13200 and 13700 and for the final few hundred feet to the top on the ridge. Today the snow was soft enough to navigate these section without spikes, but traction would certainly make life easier. We observed no significant signs of recent avalanche activity along the route. At this point the snow that remains is extremely wind effected and relatively thin, and most areas steep enough to slide aren't holding enough snow to cover surrounding plants and rocks. I suppose something could break at the ground, but I wouldn't bet on it. We saw one skier and two splitboarders, I think they all came back down the trail. I think with careful route finding one could (mostly on the trail with some deviations) ski from near the summit (maybe as high as 14k). It wouldn't be what anyone would call good skiing and I'd definitely bring rock skis unless you want to do lots of side slipping around rocks. |