Mt. Sherman

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 11/6/2026, By: sumit_utep
Info: Started around 7:00 AM and returned to the trailhead at 1:20 PM.

There were some snow patches on the road during the last 0.5 mile before the trailhead parking area, but it was still drivable.

We caught a window between the weekend snowfall and the upcoming Wednesday storm. The weather was mostly clear, but intermittent storms passed through throughout the hike, bringing freezing winds and occasional whiteout conditions (we were into the whiteout for most of the times before reaching the ridge).

About 0.5 mile into the trail, we started postholing through 2–3 ft deep snow. Route-finding was challenging in some sections, as the trail was completely buried under snow.

Apart from the freezing winds and exhausting postholing, it was a beautiful hike! 

Route: Iowa Gulch - West Slopes
Posted On: 11/1/2026, By: sypesypher
Info: Drive up Iowa Gulch was a little icy, still recommend at least AWD, little bit of snow sticking but wasn't too much.
8-10 inches of snow pretty much the entire way up, I switched to snowshoes at about 12,300ft, tho that may have been a bit overkill, but definitely recommend at minimum micro-spikes (probably crampons or snowshoes personally). Was extremely windy after the saddle and foggy till around noon-ish, then cleared up almost completely by the time I reached the bottom.

(Also I lost a GoPro Hero 13 Black and a Left Hand Columbia Mitten :( if anyone happens to find them I'd REALLY appreciate it thank you) 

Route: Iowa gulch, up southwest ridge.
Posted On: 10/26/2026, By: Jsheffield
Info: Was a favorable drive up to the trailhead in my AWD, with conditions on the road only getting better in the afternoon. Snow had started to build~.2 - .3 miles in, and was pretty heavy starting about 1000 feet below the saddle. From saddle to peak, the snow is definitely less heavy but persists all the way and has some deep pockets with small cornices forming, best to have some poles and/or traction devices. Coming from The other sides conditions look to be similar, but was receiving far more sun than towards Iowa Gulch. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/20/2026, By: BirkinS
Info: Drove up in a stock Honda Civic, zero problems. You do not need a 4wd/AWD vehicle yet. Moderate snow on the ground, and we parked ~1 mile from the trailhead due to ice. (Though we could’ve made it up, just didn’t take the risk) the route has deep snow in some places, but when we started around 8am, most of it was relatively solid and consolidated. Though there are definitely many patches of deep snow that we were post-holing up to maybe ~2 feet. Definitely want waterproof boots/shoes, and gaiters wouldn’t hurt. I also wish I had some micro spikes, they could definitely be useful. Supposed to snow a bunch more in the next couple weeks, so take this all with a grain of salt. 

Route: From 4 mile creek road
Posted On: 10/16/2026, By: pjvdr
Info: I drove up in an AWD Chevy Trailblazer with moderate clearance. I scraped once on a rock in the middle of the road during the last half mile, but made it through all 5 or so miles of snow without any other issues. There were a few tire tracks when I arrived in the mid-afternoon.

The tracks stopped about half a mile from the trailhead, so I parked on the side of the road and walked the rest of the way. The trail was covered in a good amount of snow—perhaps 70%—with postholing above my knees in several spots. I only saw two other sets of footprints when I reached the ridge, so they must have taken a different route. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/10/2026, By: mr_jefferson
Info: The route up the ridge from the saddle had snow and patches of ice. No micro spikes needed but I used trekking poles and it helped with stability 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/3/2026, By: Argysc
Info: Patches of snow immediately before the saddle. Snow and patches of packed snow/ice along much of the ridge, spikes advised but not mandatory. Can skirt a fair amount of the snow and stay on rock. Ramp towards the upper ridge completely snow covered. Upper ridge icy at its narrowest points, 3 points of contact was helpful in a couple spots. Cold wind along most of the ridge, chilly but more pleasant at the summit. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 10/2/2026, By: jumpinjohn
Info: Light snow cover starting at about 13k. The trail from the saddle to the summit has some small drifts of 6”-12”. Very manageable. I did not use micro spikes but I would recommend them. 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 9/27/2026, By: AvidAviator
Info: Patches of snow on the saddle but not on the trail, on the sides. Early morning the rocks are slick. Very difficult to find the trail head 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 9/25/2026, By: rvdolson
Info: Some significant road ruts just before the trailhead lot. Challenging to navigate in the dark. High clearance strongly recommended.

Snow from the saddle to the top. Not a lot of ice but spikes were helpful on the descent back to the saddle. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/30/2026, By: wolfgangstiller
Info: Totally summer conditions. All snow areas are away from the trail. Today we had big winds but Sherman was clear of all the smoke from the nearby wildfires. I did manage to drop my iPhone by the trail (posted the position in the lost and found section of the forum. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 7/17/2026, By: OriLindner
Info: Extremely windy today! Was dry and easy to navigate. Don't forget sunscreen! Upper third was very windy due to recent heating fluctuations so most likely won't stay this way. Hiking poles help scree skiing on the way down! 

Route: West Slopes
Posted On: 6/27/2026, By: w_mcelwee4
Info: Some muddy spots at the start, extremely windy from the saddle up. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/23/2026, By: SloanerBroner
Info: Summer trail conditions. Road was long and a little bumpy, but might as well have a stripe down the middle. Trail was in great condition al the way to the top, with only a few very small snow patches on the way up and at the summit. As soon as the ridge was gained, the notorious winds were so strong my 7yo was nearly blown over multiple times but still managed to push through. Summit was nice and strangely devoid of the strong winds. 

Route: Southwest Ridge
Posted On: 6/13/2026, By: sukumarst
Info: Reached Summer trailhead gate around 5:00am in my Camry Hybrid. Doable by carefully avoiding large rocks and potholes. Started my hike around 5:30am and returned back to the car around 11:00am. This is my 5th 14er and gaining experience and endurance. Looking from the base and during the hike, there are 2 false summits. After gaining the 2nd false summit, it is another easy 100 ft walk to the real summit. There are still 2 to 5 patches of snow depending the path taken. I did not use micro spikes. I had hiking poles. Neither of them are required. The saddle and the final ascending ridge had strong sustained wind. The wind was more during my return. It was that widy at the summit.