Trail Report - Mount Massive - Southwest Slopes - Colorado
8.4 Miles Round Trip
4010 feet of elevation gain
Summit Elevation - 14,421'
Date Climbed: August 13, 2020
Climbers: Paul
Mount Massive! - The second tallest peak in Colorado, and the 3rd highest in the
lower 48 was a fun day. This mountain is very near the tallest in Colorado, Mt. Elbert, both mountains in the northern part
of the Sawatch Range in central Colorado.
As always, if possible, I like to consider non-standard routes as I feel they are
typically more remote / secluded which is always fun. The Southwest Slopes route up massive seemed fun as it
is shorter but much steeper than the standard route, and there seemed to be some rugged, rocky terrain towards
the top to have fun with.
The trail from the N. Halfmoon Creek trailhead winds through some wooded areas and
meadows. Once the views begin to open up, the first mountain you see is 13er Oklahoma Peak. Once a little further
up the trail, you can look back and see Elbert and 13er French Mountain. There is an intersection where you
turn right (vs staying straight towards Oklahoma Peak) ... and this is where the steepness begins.
Because there is so much vertical distance to cover in such a short time, this trail
is pretty relentless... up, up, up. It so happened I had only been in Colorado a day and a half (from Maryland) so
my acclimatitazion was still in it's infancy. Indeed it was a bit painful continuing up. But as always, the
beautiful Colorado scenery takes your mind away from any pain as you can't believe how lucky you are to be
in such a beautiful place.
After some switchbacks get you high on the mountain, you begin to see some rugged
rocky outcroppings that are really cool. You end up skirting one of these outcroppings to where you meet with
the standard trail up Mount Massive. From there it is just a ridge hop over to the summit!
A look at the Southwest Slopes trail on Mount Massive:
It was windy on the summit this day but with otherwise beautiful weather. I stayed
for a while, traded taking some photos, and chatted with some folks enjoying the summit. The views down into
the valley near Leadville were amazing as were the ones to the west all the way to the Elk Range (where the
Maroon Bells live).
The Summit of Mount Massive:
This is a great hike for folks just getting into 14ers as there are no technical
sections ... just class 1-2 hiking. But for sure the slog up the Southwest Slopes will condition you for
long uphills you will face on these huge mountains. Tough but so rewarding!!
Hope this has been enjoyable and / or helpful to anyone reading it!!
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