Four Reasons Why Winter Hiking in Colorado is Difficult

When you ask someone, when is hiking season? Most people will say spring, summer and fall. In Colorado where high elevation snow starts early, the amount of people hiking in the winter months decreases significantly. Winter hiking brings less crowds, more direct routes and sometimes more beautiful summit views than summer hikes do. However, the colder weather also presents its unique set of challenges and requires additional gear and knowledge. Let’s cover the four reasons why winter hiking in Colorado is difficult.

Reason Number 1: Trailheads

Let’s start with the very basics, getting to the hike itself. Unlike the summer where driving to the trailhead only involves higher clearance cars and maybe some additional mileage, winter hikes can add miles to your hike because of road closures, impassable snow or downed trees. Many county and forest roads throughout the state are not maintained during winter months and can have limited access from November – May or even June. Before you head out for a hike, make sure you know the road situation and what that additional mileage might mean for your hike. Sites like 14ers.com are a great resource to check road conditions in early or late season months when the road is still accessible by car, but might require a certain vehicle. Another tip, find a recent photo of your hike on social media using hashtags or locations and message the poster to see what their experience was like. Both methods are not perfect, but at least you can have some kind of intel before hitting the trail. 

Reason Number 2: Gear – Softgoods

Probably the biggest (and most expensive) part about winter hiking is the change of gear required. In the summer, you could literally hit the trail with shorts, t-shirt and maybe a jacket and be good to go in most situations. Winter hiking is a completely different animal. Since there is a ton of different gear involved, let’s start with soft goods first. While I always recommend layering for summer hikes, having warm, waterproof and wind resistant gear in the winter is so key. I remember one of my first winter hikes in Colorado up Mt Bierstadt. I added the additional mileage no problem and thought that I had PLENTY of layers to deal with the cold temps. By the time I was near the summit, I had wrapped my extra pair of socks around my hands as a way to keep them warm from the harsh winter elements. Lesson learned – I needed better gloves for future hikes. For winter, an ideal layering system would look like this (and keep in mind NOTHING should be cotton): base layer, long sleeve/long underwear, lighter jacket, heavier jacket, base gloves, base hat – thicker hat, thicker gloves, extra socks. Obviously, you can tailor this to your personal body temperature and experiences, but its a solid place to start. Before you go out to REI and spend 2 grand on new shit, know that expensive does not equal better. Look at things like R-value (how insulated something is), what materials items are made out of, and most importantly, how you plan on using the item. If you want to tackle rugged mountains, having your outer layer made of a soft down jacket is probably a terrible idea. Check out sites like Steep and Cheap and Wilderness Exchange for discounted goods and be sure to hit up REI’s local garage sales – there is gold to be found in those hills.

Reason Number 2: Gear – Hardgoods

“Is it true that if you don’t use it, you lose it?” Let’s start here, just because you see other people with certain gear, does not mean you need it. I have hiked A TON of winter ascents with nothing but extra clothing and microspikes. I recently hiked Quandary Peak’s west ridge in the winter and felt that I absolutely needed crampons and a mountain axe. One of my hiking partners used nothing but mountaineering boots. At the end of the day, everyone’s experience and comfort level is different, so knowing what that is for you is very key. Having said that, if you are hiking during the winter months, it’s important to invest in a couple of things: traction for your feet (microspikes/crampons), a mountain ax, and gaiters. I would highly recommend you read this more detailed video/post about yak-traks, microspikes, crampons and snowshoes. Mountain axes come in a variety of sizes but are great in situations where you need: A. something to help you with traction B. a security blanket on steep slopes. Finally, gaiters. Gaiters are something that I didn’t think I needed for the longest time, but once I bought them everything became clear. Not only do they prevent your pants from being ripped against your crampons/microspikes, they also keep you warmer and prevent snow from getting into your boot. In addition to these basic things, some people like goggles to help with cold temps and winds, hiking poles and snowshoes. Most importantly, once you do get all your shiny new gear – know how to use all of it. It could save your life. 

Reason Number 2: Gear – Camera Gear

If you like to document your adventures like I do, keep in mind that batteries+cold weather=shit. I can’t tell you the number of times my DSLR or GoPro have died on me due to cold weather. If you want to remember the trip in photos/videos – bring extra batteries and keep all of your batteries warm (I like placing mine in my hand – inside my gloves) to maximize the amount of footage you will be able to bring home. 

Reason Number 3: Avalanches

Let me preface this entire section with: I AM NOT AN EXPERT WITH AVYS. I am not certified in them and my opinion should not be taken as the end all be all. My knowledge is simply from experience, basic classes and my own research. As you can tell by that intro, Avalanches are a fickle beast and very complicated. Two resources you absolutely need to be familiar with: Colorado Avalanche Information Center and CalTopo. CAIC gives you the most up to date conditions, observed avalanches/slides and danger zones across the state. CalTopo is a tremendous resource for all year round, but especially in winter when the gradient of a mountain becomes so much more important. Without getting into specifics about avalanches (since I am not an expert), I will say this: understanding the danger zones for what angle avalanches typically occur, knowing what the conditions are on that mountain and understanding basic types of avalanches is very important. If you plan on getting into winter hiking, I highly recommend taking at least a free course at REI or for those of you who really want to hike throughout the winter, a course at Colorado Mountain School. Even if you get certified in AIARE Class 2, avalanches are mother nature’s most dangerous and unpredictable weapons that should always be treated with the utmost respect. For all you spring hikers out there, just because it’s spring does not mean avy danger goes away – wet slides are just as dangerous as the slab slides that typically occur in the winter. Check out my video here with tips about spring hiking.

Reason Number 4: Routes & Route Finding

Winter hiking in Colorado is difficult because following the standard dry trail is next to impossible in many cases. In the summer you can not pay attention to the trail and usually get to your destination without any issues. In the winter however, route finding becomes extremely important. It can be so easy to get lost and get off the trail and have a hard time finding it again even with a GPS device.

Now that I have lectured everyone to death, let’s talk about some cool aspects of winter hiking: the change of routes. In many cases, sections of the mountain that are impassable in dry months become a freeway right up the mountain in the winter ones. Colouir hiking generally opens up shorter and more direct routes up most peaks that would be impossible to hike during dry months. If you are into skiing/boarding these same routes also present a fun way to get down the peak instead of hiking your ass all the way back down. In addition to more direct routes, winter routes also give you a different way to hike a mountain you might otherwise be bored with. Although the mountains offer new routes in the winter, there are also dangers to be hard with standard routes: avalanche risk, cornices, route finding etc.

Summary

Winter hiking allows you to have the mountain to yourself, conquer new routes and use different skill sets to summit mountains. Even though you might need a lot more knowledge and gear, there is nothing more beautiful than reaching the top of a trail and seeing nothing but snow capped peaks in all directions. Keep in mind that winter months mean shorter hours of sunlight to get your hike in, so those 8PM summit sunsets are not possible. Finally, if you are not from Colorado you might be confused as to when “winter” starts and ends. A great resource to check the snow-pack across the state can be found here. This is a good resource to get an idea of what the snow level will be on your hike.Winter hiking in Colorado is difficult, but also opens up an entire new season of adventures if you are able to deal with the new challenges. Check out the winter hikes section of the website to find one near you!