Mt. Bierstadt

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 11/9/2026, By: nibbler
Info: Snow and ice at 12k feet all the way up to the top. I would say spikes are now mandatory. We saw a few groups trying to do it without spikes and they were all falling a lot on the descent. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 11/7/2026, By: dwoodward13
Info: Plenty of parking in the main lot around 730. I was the only one parked in the upper lot when I arrived. Route is in really nice shape. Almost no mud. Creek crossing rocks were completely clear of any ice. Snow starts near 12,400. Well tracked out and perfect for spikes. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 11/5/2026, By: defran
Info: Snow above 12,000 feet. Packed down pretty well and I didn't post hole at all which was nice. Some ice on the trail in patches so spikes coulds be useful. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 11/3/2026, By: Alpine_Exchange_36
Info: A few inches of fresh snow above ~12,000ft that I'm sure will quickly get boot packed. Otherwise there is some black ice building up on the trail and spikes are helpful. 

Route: South Ridge
Posted On: 10/21/2026, By: aaronmbrody
Info: Moderate amount of snow on the ground as long as you stayed on the boot pack trail you were OK with hiking poles I did not have spikes but I probably should have. Weather was nice although it did get overcast and windy later in the afternoon. Summary doable but challenging. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 10/17/2026, By: Smscott025
Info: Snow covers the trail the last 1300ft or so but nothing too bad- there is a trail to follow and it's hard packed.. a few inches on the trail, but the sun has probably done a number on it since summiting this morning though. Bring spikes! 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 10/5/2026, By: agane
Info: As predicted by previous updates, the snow has largely melted off. One ~50ft section of ice that is easy enough to dodge and one ~15ft section of packed snow that can't be avoided without going off trail but that was not treacherous. Biggest risk was early morning frost on the rocks at the river crossing. Bottom lot was full by 6am. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 10/11/2026, By: Tegerton1
Info: Parked at the upper trailhead at 8:00 AM on a Saturday, still some spots remaining. Few small patches of ice, but no need for microspikes or anything. Scramble was dry even a week ago. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 10/3/2026, By: SuperMario
Info: Very patchy snow above 13k, no traction needed. The snow should be gone within the next few days given that the sun is gonna be shining. Hit the summit at 5:30am and traversed the Sawtooth over to Blue Sky, similar conditions existed on both. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 10/1/2026, By: Alpine_Exchange_36
Info: Some packed snow is starting to develop from around 12kft on up. I imagine it'll melt off this week. Spikes were helpful but not necessary. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 9/18/2026, By: Peebs3
Info: Seriously some of the prettiest fall colors I’ve ever seen. Some muddy and puddle spots from the rain, but can easily be walked around. Start early around 5AM so the sunrise starts when you are at the good vantage points. Bring layers as it gets chilly at the top with the wind, however make sure you can stow them in a backpack for the way down. It heats up when the sun comes out. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 9/18/2026, By: mrschaible
Info: Fall colors are almost at peak. Should be 2-3 days till peak. Arrived at the trailhead around 5:30am and it was nearly empty. No snow or other hazards. Besides the rain and really bad visibility, it would have been a perfect day! 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 7/21/2026, By: TylerBerndtMyToast
Info: Very very busy! Conditions are great but avoiding crowds on weekends is only possible by starting before 4am, even then be ready for a lot of avoiding people on the way down. Parking tickets are also on every single vehicle touching the road, saw at least 50. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 7/20/2026, By: coleboss 21
Info: Definitely one of the easier 14ers I’ve done. I hiked with a large group and we got a late start, hitting the trail around 9:15 AM. Surprisingly, there was still a good amount of parking available at that time.We kept a pretty casual, steady pace and summited around 12:00 PM. The descent took us about an 1:30. It was a beautiful, sunny day with completely clear trails and no snow. Fortunately, we managed to miss the usual afternoon thunderstorms. Overall, this was a fantastic hike! 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 7/17/2026, By: alex3yoyo
Info: Plenty of upper parking lot space at 7am. Sunny day, no scary clouds until about 2pm. Lots of people. Nothing crazy in terms of scrambling. There are lots of braided trails on the way up, so make sure to walk on the most traveled/eroded. There's still a cornice off the east ridge, don't walk on top of it it's currently cracking.