Friday evening I made my way down through the Breckenridge area towards the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness.
I could see the snow from earlier in the day covering the higher peaks but I was excited and optimistic for a sunny forecast for the weekend.
I parked near the trailhead and set up camp in the 4Runner. I got a solid night of sleep, was up by 3am for a banana and coffee, and I left the car for Mount Belford just after 3:30am (9/16/23). After about 4 miles and 4,400 feet I reached the summit of Belford at 7am. It was pretty chilly and windy up top so I was thrilled to see the sunrise over the horizon to warm up the fingers and toes.
ABOVE: The view from the summit of Mount Belford looking to the west.
The traverse to Mount Oxford is a pretty easy walk (you only lose about 700 feet) and I arrived by 8:30am. The first light on the surrounding peaks was stunning.
I felt great as I made my way back around the Mount Belford summit. Everything I read advised me to take the steep route up Belford and descend via the long, steady route around the back of the mountain. This was much easier on the knees, the views of Mount Harvard and Emerald Peak are fantastic, and this route also allows for the option to add on Missouri Mountain. It was sound advice and a good choice.
ABOVE: A view of a glowing Emerald Peak at sunrise, the summit of Mount Oxford, views of Mount Harvard from the traverse to Mount Oxford, and first sunlight looking north from the summit of Mount Belford.
The intersection up to Missouri Mountain is clearly marked and sits in a beautiful valley in between the surrounding peaks. I was making great time and decided on the descent from Oxford that I would add this summit onto the day.
I started up Missouri Mountain around 10:30am. This would tack on an additional 1.7 miles/1,500 feet and between my tired legs, the heat, and a rocky scramble of a trail, these were by far the most challenging moments of the day. After weaving through the switchbacks there’s about a half mile on the ridgeline over to the summit. By 12:20pm I was enjoying my second PB&J on the summit and admiring the views of nearby Huron Peak. This ridgeline was much more exposed than anything on Belford/Oxford and the microspikes were pretty helpful on the way down from the summit.
The last few miles were quick and easy on the knees. I reached the car at 3:30pm, took a quick “cowboy shower”, and headed to Buena Vista to get some lunch at Eddyline Brewery. Overall a solid day with beautiful weather and lots of great people/conversations on the hike.
This is the AllTrails map I used for the standard Belford/Oxford route and this is the AllTrails map I used for the extra climb up Missouri Mountain (it is very clearly marked). My totals for the day were 15 miles, 7,000 feet, and 11 hours 50 minutes. Mount Belford (14,203), Mount Oxford (14,160), Missouri Mountain (14,074)
ABOVE: The ridge-line hike to the summit of Missouri Mountain and views from the hike around Mount Belford. BELOW: The valley in between Belford and Missouri
Mount Massive stands at 14,429 feet and is the third tallest mountain in the lower 48, behind Mount Whitney (California) and Mount Elbert (Colorado).
With its five summits Mount Massive has the most area above 14,000 feet in the lower 48. It sits in the Sawatch Range, along with Belford, Oxford, and Missouri from my hike the day prior.
ABOVE: A snow capped Mount Elbert viewed from the hike up the switchbacks on Mount Massive.
Mount Massive stands opposite its slightly taller neighbor Mount Elbert and both trail heads can be accessed by Forest Road 110 towards the Halfmoon campsite. There are plenty of beautiful dispersed campsites along this entire stretch of road and several toilets.
I opted for the shorter but steeper Southwest Slopes Trail instead of the longer but steadier Southeast Trail. After driving down Forest Road 110 you pass the Elbert and Massive trailheads and proceed up a rough road (it’s clearly marked). The first couple miles aren’t too bad but about a half mile before the trailhead there is some pretty sketchy “road”. I arrived late and opted to park and set up camp on the side of the road just before this section. It added about .3 miles each way. There were several trucks/jeeps that had passed this point and parked at the actual trailhead.
I got some extra sleep and started up the trail around 7:40am (9/17/23). The first two miles are a walk in the woods before reaching a steady, steep climb up some pretty rocky switchbacks. Route finding is obvious. As you approach what appears to be a summit, be warned there are several false summits along Mount Massive’s large rocky ridgeline. The ridgeline itself is pretty flat with the only steep exposed sections of the day. I reached the summit at 11:30am and enjoyed a quick lunch before heading down. Some of the surrounding peaks still held some snow but there wasn’t any snow to worry about on the sunbaked summit of Mount Massive.
In total the climb was just under 8 miles, 4,000 feet, and took about 6 hours 45 minutes with the extra walk to and from the trailhead.
