Mount Bierstadt hike? (Denver, Evans, Berthoud: camp, yard, car)

[ayoitzrimz]

When is the earliest I can do it? Being my first 14er, I'll be taking a day off midweek to avoid the horde of people that usually fill the trails.
Weather wise, how do I know if I am good to go or if I am snowshoeing my way up?

A little snow is obviously ok, but you know what I mean right? There is a very well defined 14er season I am sure and I am wondering when that will usually start?

[Snikt]

It really depends on the year. This year for example with all the late snows it will be a really late 14er season (snow free anyway).

Some years you can do Bierstadt at the end of May with some snow, but this year there would likely be a lot.

It's advisable to check 14ers.com trip reports for people who have done it recently to see what the conditions are like

[bluescreen73]

14er season is probably gonna start a little later this year due to all the May snow we got - maybe late June or early July.

14ers.com is a great reference. Create an account there - it's free.

They also have a free Android App here.

Last peak condition report for Bierstadt was on 5/30 and there's plenty of snow left up there.

[ayoitzrimz]

Thanks for the 14ers.com recommendation! That's a great resource and I can't believe I never saw it before

[otowi]

Mt. Bierstadt trail has an F rating, if that matters to you - FYI - Report card: Love for trails on Colorado 14ers comes with a cost

[bluescreen73]

Bumping the thread to see if you made it up Bierstadt. A friend and I did Mt. Evans on Labor Day Weekend. It was our first 14er. We started at Summit Lake and went up the West Ridge Route over Mt. Spalding and the back side of Evans. It took forever, but making the summit was totally worth it.

Full disclosure - I cheated on the descent. Hitched a ride back to my car with some nice folks from the Springs.

[ayoitzrimz]

Hey there,

We did make it. I think it took us like 6-7 hours total. I got really sick after 13,000 ft though but pushed through (really stupid I know) - started getting dizzy and had the worst headache in recent memory and threw up twice. I am an athletic guy 30 years old. My wife is more sedentary than I but also fit and she was just fine the whole time. Next year I'll do another one, but will take a few hikes at 10,000-11,000 feet for the few weekends preceding the hike, and might camp overnight so I don't have to wake up at 4 the next morning.

Was it worth it? Totally worth it.

[bluescreen73]

It took us about 6 hours to summit Evans as well, and we're both in our early 40s and not in great shape - but we do hike a lot. No altitude sickness. I simply bonked on the back side of Evans and had to stop every hundred yards or so to catch my breath. Didn't take a lot of pictures because I was more concerned with falling off the side of Evans to Abyss Lake roughly 1000' below, but here are a few from the hike.


Going up Mt. Spalding. Looking down a couloir to Upper Chicago Lake.


Chicago Lakes from the summit ridge of Mt. Spalding. Echo Lake is in the distance.


Mt. Bierstadt from the saddle between Mt. Spalding and Mt. Evans. If you zoom in you might see grainy people on the summit.


Grays and Torreys from the same saddle. Bierstadt is to the left (not visible), and Evans and Spalding are behind me.


Looking toward the James Peak Wilderness. Colorado Mines Peak has a bunch of radio equipment on it and is easily visible from Berthoud Pass. Mt. Flora is a relatively easy 13er hike from the Berthoud Pass parking lot. We did that one a few weeks before Evans.


Looking down at Summit Lake from the top of Mt. Evans.

[ayoitzrimz]

Nice pictures! Love that scenery... Yea from my understanding altitude sickness has nothing to do with fitness levels and it's hard to predict who will get it. I certainly have no trouble hiking at 10,000-12,000 for hours on end and like I said I am active and fit but once I go above 12,000 and certainly above 13,000 I start getting sick. Next year I plan to go do a few hikes at > 12,000 before the next 14er which hopefully will help and camp overnight at that altitude which again hopefully will help... We'll see!

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by ayoitzrimz

Nice pictures! Love that scenery... Yea from my understanding altitude sickness has nothing to do with fitness levels and it's hard to predict who will get it. I certainly have no trouble hiking at 10,000-12,000 for hours on end and like I said I am active and fit but once I go above 12,000 and certainly above 13,000 I start getting sick. Next year I plan to go do a few hikes at > 12,000 before the next 14er which hopefully will help and camp overnight at that altitude which again hopefully will help... We'll see!

Thanks. I'd like to bring the real camera with me sometime, but that makes my better half testy because she's afraid I'll break it.

If you haven't done Mt. Flora it's a good 14er warmup. It's about 6 miles round-trip and roughly 2000' of vertical gain. DenverBound41 recommended it to me after I failed to summit Grays and Torreys last year.

ProTrails | Mt Flora, Berthoud Pass Trailhead, Summit County - Eagle County - Clear Creek County, Colorado