| Peak: | Pikes Peak |
| Route: | Northwest Slopes |
| Range: | Front |
| Posted By: | ChrisinAZ |
| Date of Info: | 2/20/2016 |
| Date Posted: | 2/20/2016 |
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Approach: road fine for most any vehicle up to 0.4 mi past Mennonite Camp where I parked. Nice plowed parking area that was mostly full when I arrived. DO NOT attempt driving farther if you don't have a burly high-clearance 4WD! I believe at least two vehicles got stuck a short distance past the parking area. Route: Crags TH is signed and obvious. I barebooted the entire way up, though microspikes would make life easier up to around 12k--parts of the trail are hard packed and/or icy. From around 11k-12k, the bootpacked trail becomes steep and uneven, and does not follow the summer trail route; there's ~3' of snow on either side of the route. Above 12k, mostly bare ground can be followed most of the way to the summit. There is one slightly tricky crossing on hard-packed snow while traversing the slopes of Little Pikes--some might prefer microspikes for this, I just kicked small steps and used trekking poles. Gear: microspikes are very useful but not absolutely essential. Snowshoes aren't needed at this time and may actually be more of a hindrance on some parts of the route; some post-holing is inevitable, but infrequent. I found trekking poles helpful. Did not bring an axe or crampons, and did not need either. Also: if anyone spots a GPS somewhere around 12k, please PM me! I set it down on/near a good sitting rock along a decently snow-free line of descent, and was unable to find it again... |
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