Deadhorse Creek — Monday, Apr. 6, 2026

It was surprisingly quiet on the mountain the day after Easter. With spring conditions in full force and a blue bird day, we were after views today. We started from the main lot up the first part of Alta Vista, then once we cleared a group of evergreens, we took a left to get away from the steepest parts of Alta Vista. We eventually made our way onto Deadhorse Creek and eventually Skyline. We stayed left so we could hit a series of plateaus because we weren't after the Panorama Point snowshoe trail. We only traveled one mile up (little over 600ft elevation gain). I'm still getting my legs under me after a tough winter. I was wearing snowshoes for better grip and balance and my teenager was wearing spikes. I think the snow has been leveled on large sections because the ever-present post holes were absent on the way up and down. The ranger at the gate said the snow is not freezing overnight right now so expect slushy conditions from the start and that's what we found. A lot of sneaker-clad folks sliding all over the place. What a neat neat day.