Best online way to find out if a peak is snow covered?

[opampman]

Hi all,

I'm taking my kids up to Democrat on Friday, if it's not snow-covered at the top. This isn't my first 14er, but it will be for some of the kids. I've never done one this late in the year. Any suggestions on where online I might find out if there is any snow cover? I use Open Summit, but I'm not sure if it's the best resource to identify current snow cover (it's otherwise great though).

Thanks!

[123tqb]

https://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/interactive/html/map.html
I'm sure it's not the most accurate thing ever, but it should give a good indication of significant snowfall. It won't, however, account for trace amounts or ice of any kind, so typically this time of year I bring microspikes just in case.

[JtheChemE]

https://apps.sentinel-hub.com/sentinel-playground

[opampman]

Super helpful, thank you!

[jfm3]

I often use ski area webcams. Here are a few:

https://www.breckenridge.com/the-mounta ... -cams.aspx
https://aspen.roundshot.com/power-of-four/#/
https://www.coppercolorado.com/the-moun ... s/mountain
https://www.keystoneresort.com/the-moun ... -cams.aspx

The website below has links to cameras all around the state. In some cases, the feed is just the DOT highway webcam, but for other places (Crestone, for example), there are panoramic cameras that point toward a lot of the high peaks.
http://www.keno.org/colorado_web_cams/colorado_cams.htm

[dwoodward13]

The FAA also operates a number of webcams on top of various passes and other locations in the state. There are usually multiple angles of each locations. Conveniently, they also overlay peak names on a reference figure so you can get your bearings on where the camera is looking.

https://weathercams.faa.gov/

Webcams, Conditions Reports here, Posts on the various 14er Facebook groups, and the AllTrails reviews (the only thing AllTrails is good for IMO) are good places to start. But sometimes, you just have to find out for yourself as well!

[jrbren_vt]

But you don't have to cancel if it looks white. I did Torreys & Grays Saturday (along with hundreds of others) where the north facing slopes were white. But it was only a few inches or less. The trails was well packed down. Even if it wasn't the snow would not have been a deterrent. I agree that it is good to carry micro-spikes for all in your party from now until next summer. I had them but did not need them on Grays. The snow was not slick. So if you don't have them, just hike as high as you feel comfortable and turn around. I assume you are monitoring the forecasts and see there is some weather moving in between now and Friday which could change things. Have fun!

[opampman]

But you don't have to cancel if it looks white. I did Torreys & Grays Saturday (along with hundreds of others) where the north facing slopes were white. But it was only a few inches or less. The trails was well packed down. Even if it wasn't the snow would not have been a deterrent. I agree that it is good to carry micro-spikes for all in your party from now until next summer. I had them but did not need them on Grays. The snow was not slick. So if you don't have them, just hike as high as you feel comfortable and turn around. I assume you are monitoring the forecasts and see there is some weather moving in between now and Friday which could change things. Have fun!

Yes, I'm monitoring the forecasts, but this sounds like a good plan. It's a good reminder that we don't necessarily need to summit to have fun. Since I'm bringing the kids, I'm not going to get microspikes for all of them just for this trip (although if I thought they'd go more often, I would).

[qswinson]

Based on the OpenSummit forecast expect snow/ice on the ground and wind chill in the low teens for a Friday morning start. 7am summit temp 27F with wind at 35mph gusting to 60mph. https://opensummit.com/points/mount-democrat

[HikerGuy]

https://apps.sentinel-hub.com/sentinel-playground

This is what I use to monitor Spring/early Summer snowmelt on routes.

[acorredor60]

Reviews on alltrails and on this site as well are great