Mt. Oklahoma

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 10/17/2026, By: AggieB
Info: Snow accumulation is still minimal, with mostly dry terrain and just a few winter touches up high. Turns out we were also followed by a large kitty cat based on the foot prints we spotted on our way back through the forest maze and on the logs of the 2nd creek crossing. Big paws!

Brought ice axes and crampons, but unfortunately not needed. Definitely no glissading yet!

Snow conditions along the route:
* Forest past the Oklahoma turnoff: Approximately 1–2 inches of snow.
* High basin: Around 2–3 inches.
* Scree slope: Dry.
* Summit ridge: Snow around the rocks, deeper snow pockets between some and a drift between the summit points. 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 10/10/2026, By: CaptainSuburbia
Info: I climbed this after descending from Mt Massive on the Southwest Slopes route. I left the trail at 11,800 feet and followed that contour line to Oklahomas Southeast Slope and merging with it at 12,200 after climbing a short gully. The contour line went well with only some minor willow bashing. The Southeast Slope of Oklahoma is very steep but easy class 2. There was no snow on the route. Another storm did hit while I was climbing, but it all melted on contact with ground. Luckily, skies cleared as I neared the summit. The steep slopes made for a fast descent. Crazy day with 3 or 4 rounds of snow moving through. 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 9/5/2026, By: madmattd
Info: Relatively straight forward, other than playing hide-and-go-seek with the various use trails through the woods. Water crossings are very easy right now, tons of options. Once at treeline, I found the route to be fairly obvious up to the base of the scree slope. The scree slope has a very established path through it to the ridge, and it's absolute trash to try to use to ascend - one step forward, 3 steps sliding back. I found better footing nearby. It's probably a great line to descend (scree skiing), but I looped over Deer and K49, so this was an ascent line only for me. 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 6/27/2026, By: KarenG
Info: The route is totally clear of snow now. The route finding where you leave the Halfmoon Lakes trail gave us a little trouble. There are a lot of social trails between there and where you break out of the trees. Just past the rocks of the overlook there's a good looking one but it's a mistake to take it. It runs you into large rocks and ravines. Go at least another 150 feet north and then turn due west. If you cross the creeks as close to the GPX track as possible it works out better.

It was a really smoky day so the views weren't great but it was still a fun mountain. 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 6/19/2026, By: W0RTA
Info: Full summer conditions, road to trailhead dry. Stream crossing log bridges a little slippery. And man that last push to the ridgeline is brutal, but worth it! 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 6/8/2026, By: rmcpherson
Info: Full on summer conditions. Some deadfall on the trail through the trees but it can mostly be followed once found. Intermittent cairns through the upper route near and above tree line. 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 6/6/2026, By: Outbounder
Info: The route is completely dry aside from a small amount of snow in the upper basin. You can cross in spaces that are about 10 feet across, and the snow is mushy and thin. I wore trail runners and didn't get them wet. The creek is very low, and both creek crossings are easy on the log bridges. I forgot to take a picture of the second bridge, but it's even easier to cross than the first. 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 5/26/2026, By: PedroCO
Info: Trail was dry (tiny snow bits here and there) up to leaving the trail. Bushwaching through the woods was an adventure. Occasionally may have seen parts of a trail, but was mostly just "heading west". Some larger snow drifts in the woods, some dry land. Very firm at 7 AM. I used hiking crampons to make it easy and kept them on to the summit and back into the trees. Once in the basin above treeline, some dry areas and then lots of snow. I chose one of the steeper snow fields (~40 deg) to move up from the basin onto the summit's SE slopes. Snow was very firm. Honestly, I would have enjoyed a stiffer boot and real crampons. Cool to see the back sides of Elbert and Massive. 

Route: E shoulder to NE slopes
Posted On: 5/22/2026, By: Jcinco
Info: Fun skiing all the way down to the Lower Halfmoon lake at 12.1k. No significant snow below that meaning lots of skis/boots on your back, but on the plus side the trail is super easy to follow. I struggled navigating down this drainage a few years ago after skiing Massive in a much deeper snow year.

As for the other options on the E face, I came considering the Sooner couloir but it wasn’t quite in enough for my liking. The notch couloir, which I was also considering as egress from the north face gulley, is melted out.

The north-facing aspects in the interior and western parts of the Sawatch are looking pretty decent right now considering the season. That is, if you don’t mind completely dry approaches. 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 5/17/2026, By: Pcypher
Info: Lots of snow still present on this route. Microspikes and poles worked fine. Some may prefer crampons. Was postholing on occasion to waist around 10AM. Got get it while the boot pack is in!!! 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 11/23/2025, By: notidealbutfine
Info: Camped at the Mt. Massive TH Saturday evening and got started at 4:30AM on Sunday. See my trailhead status update for N. Halfmoon Creek for more info. Managed to keep the trail runners on until you leave the trail at about tree line. The road and trail have a little snow, but it's all boot packed from folks hiking Massive. From there, I switched out to mountaineering boots and gaiters for the off trail hiking in the trees. Snow was just below the knees in the deepest spots, but never quite enough to warrant busting out the snowshoes. Above 12,600' very little snow remained on route, though I used spikes for the descent. Weather started to turn just as I summited around 10AM. Luckily, I managed to get up and down pretty quick and beat the new snow. Conditions will most likely change drastically tonight with the incoming storm. 13.48 miles / 4,117' gain / 7 hours, 29 minutes 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 11/15/2025, By: happyallyy
Info: 11/15/25: Road to TH is fully dry, no snow on the route other than a few areas of avoidable snow dust in the trees. Felt like summer out there today. Get out there before this next round of snow! 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 9/21/2025, By: MaryinColorado
Info: Route is in good condition, overall. Conditions of the day are what made it extra fun - moisture-loaded vegetation, and exactly zero views starting partway up the ridge. Some graupel, not much. Some slick rocks.

FYI - I do not in any way love the scree you have to climb to get to the ridge. Eww. Haha. 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 7/27/2025, By: sehessler92
Info: The trail is in full summer conditions. There are two creek crossings and you can avoid having to get wet/take off your hiking shoes etc if you pick a good line across. The first crossing has the strongest current but about 100’ feet upstream (to the right), there is a larger fallen tree that can be used to cross more safely.
Once I got to the steep gully, I ascended on the hiker’s left side. Near the top, the terrain became quite loose and unstable. On the descent, I opted for the opposite side of the gully and, while still somewhat loose, it was slightly more manageable.
I used a downloaded GPX file for navigation, but it indicated I was off-route multiple times while hiking through the forested section right off the main trail, which was a bit confusing. However, on the return trip, I followed a faint but consistent trail through most of the forest, which seemed to be a much more reliable path. Some nice views from this summit 

Route: Southeast Slopes
Posted On: 7/7/2025, By: Kcmartinez22
Info: Same report just wanted to add that I committed to wet feet at first stream crossing. It was just easier than trying to balance on a log without hiking poles. The second one is much lower and easier to rock hop across. Trail is fairly easy to follow once branching off from the main Massive trail. I parked at the upper 4WD TH with no issue in my Jeep Rubicon.