Humboldt Peak

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/20/2025, By: marcusmartin
Info: My stock Toyota 4Runner had no problem making it the approximately 3 miles from 2WD TH to the 4WD TH. The road is rough (similar to Nellie Creek or to Wetterhorn), but doable in a 4Runner. I did not scrape or bottom out. Go slow, and it should be no problem.

Plenty of nice camp sites at the South Colony TH. Mosquitoes were not a problem for us the night before the hike. The afternoon after the hike they were more prevalent, though.

The hike to the summit of Humboldt Peak was 6.1 miles from the 4WD TH, according to my GPS. It was straightforward. There is a some route-finding from the saddle up the west ridge to the false summit, but if you pay attention to the cairns, you will be fine.

Enjoy the view of the Crestones. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/13/2025, By: The_Ramp
Info: Hiked Humboldt with an out-of-state friend and had a great day. Route is completely dry and clean to the top. No wind and clear skies on the summit.

We packed in from the Upper TH (no significant issues getting there in my stock Xterra) and camped near the lower S Colony Lake the day previously (7/10). Lots of good sites and tons of wildlife including bighorn sheep, deer, and marmots. Oh and mosquitoes... so many mosquitos. Even with liberal use of spray, my buddy and I have probably over 30 bites each, including through our socks and clothes. Other than fully submerging our bodies in a Deet bath, I'm not sure how to avoid that this time of year. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/11/2025, By: kritifer15
Info: Backpacked in on Tuesday 7/8. Great campsite .4 mi past the junction with creek (water source) not too far away! Summitted Humboldt on Wed. Great day on Humboldt with incredible views and lots of wildlife present (marmots, pikas, bighorn sheep) despite one of our party having both of the soles of his boots fail... Failed on Crestone Peak next day (7/10) due to sleet and backpacked out the following day (7/11). The afternoons get warm so make sure you bring plenty of water and snacks! 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/25/2025, By: clando
Info: Awesome day in the Sangres. Did Humboldt and the ridge over to Challenger point with all the peaks along the way. There’s snow in a couple places, but it is all avoidable. I didn’t touch snow the whole day, so spikes/axe went along for the ride.

The road up to the South Colony Lakes 4wd TH was rough. I read that it has gotten worse over time. Plenty of trucks and somehow a Chevy trailblazer, I’m impressed. The only wet part the entire day was walking the closed road section, small puddles and streams, but avoidable/hoppable. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/23/2025, By: RRanger1996
Info: Full summer conditions. Perfect sunny day, but 50+ MPH sustained winds made summitting too dangerous to even truly consider. Turned around at 13.5k with other hikers turning around between 13k-14k. Gorgeous trail, so I'm looking forward to my next attempt. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/15/2025, By: swesleyc7
Info: Perfect conditions. A little cool at the top, but no snow to be seen anywhere on the hike from the lower trailhead to the peak. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/16/2025, By: bajayo
Info: Perfect conditions. The road to the 4WS TH is rough. You need good clearance and go real slow to watch out for your tires.
No snow at all, and a few lightly-muddy very short stretches that were no trouble at all 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/8/2025, By: mjsherman
Info: West ridge of Humboldt today was perfect! Low wind no snow until after the saddle that was avoidable. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 5/31/2025, By: AurumSun13
Info: There's practically no snow left except for ridge itself. I brought spikes, but I never put them on. Coming back down was tricky trying not to slip on the melting ice and postholes. I'd wager in ~2weeks with good weather all the remaining snow will be gone. Do note that all the melt is creating lots of streams which means MUD!! Nevertheless, the views from the top especially of the lakes and the Crestones were amazing! 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 5/27/2025, By: chelsluckb2
Info: Great day on the mountain! As others have said, the trail is basically snow-free until the upper lake. Some light snow did fall on the night of 5/26 leading to a dusting in the forest when I was heading up, but all was melted by the time I headed down. The only significant snow below treeline is a big patch of 3-4 foot snow blocking about 20 feet of trail around a mile after the Humboldt cutoff. There is a way around to the hiker's left going up. Although there isn't snow, be prepared to deal with a decent amount of mud, especially coming down.

There is light snow on the switchbacks up to the saddle but nothing major and nowhere with any exposure. The ridgeline is fully snow covered but not very deep in many spots. I did the whole day in trail runners. I brought spikes but didn't think they were worth putting on for the few short sections where they would have helped. Clouds started to roll in around 11 which kept things cooler and mitigated post-holing on the way down. I doubt it would have been too bad anyway since as I said, the snow is not very deep on much of the ridgeline. The views of the Crestones and lakes are unreal right now! 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 5/21/2025, By: bschiff
Info: Road was doable in my Subaru but WOULD NOT RECOMMEND. It is in very rocky shape and the water did not help. Whole ridge line got about 6-12 inches of snow so crampons or snow boots are very helpful. Below ridge is in good shape, with snow melting from 5/18 rapidly. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 5/18/2025, By: eastcoasthiker
Info: Very few humans, no bugs, not very cold. Almost totally dry up until the lakes before mixed snow and rock to the summit. A little slushy on the ridge after 11 am and banged my shins in some rocky postholes. I have a modified Land Cruiser that managed the 4x4 road fine. Definitely a very bad road but a high clearance vehicle with big tires can manage it without scrapes if you are careful. Saw a huge bald eagle on a telephone pole in the valley not far from the 2wd trailhead. Thank you to people who post updates during the shoulder seasons. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 5/4/2025, By: brian4328937
Info: This route is pretty much done for the year. There is no snow at all until after treeline. Lots of bushwhacking and climbing over downed trees. There's a faint trail at times but it's very easy to lose. After treeline, the snow is still very minimal. Never needed any extra gear, felt like mid June out there. 

Route: Southeast Gully
Posted On: 4/28/2025, By: Stormline24
Info: 4WD trail is 95% free of snow and driveable up to Colony Lakes TH as of Saturday 4/26/25. South Colony Lakes Road had new snow in the morning that melted by afternoon. Hard snow and ice remain on much of the road but it’s walkable with/without spikes. SE Gully is about 50% filled with snow but melting quickly. Lots of exposed rock and tundra at this point too. Snow is soft and required a lot of postholing to ascend. This route is closing out for the season - Tons of bushwhacking on approach is required and soft snow in the gully at present. May be skiable for another week or so, but I’d recommend ascending via one of the ridges. 

Route: East Ridge
Posted On: 4/25/2025, By: jbartoletti
Info: Snow is melting out quick. Brought snowshoes with me, and used them right after coming out of the trees/bushes at treeline, but only used them for maybe 4-500 ft of ascent, then removed them and left them. There are scattered drifts of snow in all of the trees around treeline, but you should be able to manage without snowshoes.