climber46 - Oct 24, 2016 7:34 am Date Climbed: Aug 6, 2009
NM Highpoint
Climbed Wheeler Peak with a friend in 2009. Went up via the steep slope near the lake and then descended via the trail along the ridge since my friend and I had separate cars. It was a great loop hike.
secander - Aug 30, 2016 11:14 am Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2016
Williams Lake
Started from the Hikers parking lot at 8:30 and summited with my sister at 11:00. Easy hiking but a bit harder due to the sleet and rain. No views from the summit due to heavy cloud cover. The descent was mellow and we were back before 1pm.
Rachael and I started from Bull-of-the-Woods trailhead, summited Walter, Wheeler, Simpson, Old Mike, "Fairchild", Lake Fork and Kachina and then descended the ski area back to the car. Some fun scrambly sections between Simpson and "Fairchild" and again to get up Lake Fork. Long loop, not sure the mileage of vert but we took about 9 hours to complete it.
patascent - Jun 22, 2016 11:10 pm Date Climbed: Jun 20, 2016
Early start for perfect temp
Fun hike. Started early and made it to the summit before the crowd and the heat. Started walking at 6:20 a.m. Cool to start but perfect temperature the rest of the way. Also summited Mt. Walter (about a 10 min walk from the summit) along with about 20 girl Scouts from Texas coming from the other direction. My 15th state high point, Chris's #5. Temperature reached mid 90's in Taos when we got back to town.
TimmyC - Sep 23, 2015 11:14 am Date Climbed: Sep 22, 2015
Fun day
Strava says 8.3mi RT from the lot with just over 3K of gain. Aside from the altitude and my lungs being uncooperative from my recent bout with pneumonia, it was a really nice day out.
BobEnein - Sep 11, 2015 11:54 am Date Climbed: May 27, 2013
My Solo hike
Pretty enjoyable but challenging due to still too much snow on the ground that made it hard to find the trail few times.
fallonclimbs - Aug 30, 2015 1:29 pm Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2012
Cool highpoint
Lots of bighorn sheep, gorgeous improved trail, Taos is super cool
DarrenKnezek - Jul 13, 2015 11:04 am Date Climbed: Aug 25, 1983
1st State Highpoint
Climbed this with a friend from my high school days before I started my first year of college.
BLong - Jun 11, 2015 5:16 pm Date Climbed: Jun 9, 2015
Great early season trip
I enjoyed an early morning cruise across frozen snow to Williams Lake and then hiked up the chute just west of the snowline that covered the new Forest Service trail. We had a great view of snow-covered peaks throughout the range. I couldn't believe how ravenous the marmots, chipmunks, and pikas were up there. Can we blame Texans for this?
funnyfarm - May 30, 2015 11:01 am Date Climbed: Jul 19, 2014
Loved the Bighorn Sheep
Loved this hike. It was a popular route on a Saturday and it looked almost like a train going up the switchbacks. Lots of bighorn sheep. This was the third of 4 in a row, OK, Arizona, NM, and Colorado. Elbert left to do on the 21st.
I'm looking to do a solo hike up Wheeler Peak on June 16th, any comments/suggestions about the trail or conditions? Would Bull of The Woods be a better option, or is Williams Lake route OK, even with the current snow conditions? Mark Landis
MaverickMerk - May 12, 2015 1:01 pm Date Climbed: May 9, 2015
Spring Climb via William's Lake
conditions on the mountain were perfect for crampons, although I was definitely wishing I had brought snowshoes for the lower portion of the trail up to the lake as there were sections where i was breaking through. trail is extremely well marked and so there were no issues there. once on the flank it is basically a straight shot to the top. Was feeling a bit out of shape, took me 4 hours to the summit, 1.5 back to the car. plenty of opportunities for glissading... approx 3000' and 7 miles.
Srtaylor1317 - Mar 9, 2015 11:15 am Date Climbed: Mar 8, 2015
Great winter hike!
We had a great time hiking up via bull of the woods. A few comments and cautions for those considering a winter hike. Yes, it's definitely doable. You need snowshoes, but leave the crampons at home. You definitely need solid route finding skills and a good topo map.
There are quite a few trails in the area, and sticking to the right one was a challenge because most of the signposts were buried in 4 ft of snow. If you get to the meadow, just know you went a little too far! We camped in the trees about a mile after crossing the groomed ski trail, in the last heavily forested section of trail before attaining the ridge. If winter camping, don't try to make it all the way to La Cal Basin. Several sites recommend it for camping, but it's pretty exposed. We liked the protection from the wind the trees offered.
Even though we were mostly following tracks from 2 hikers who summitted the day before, the wind had completely obliterated all traces for long stretches. Once we hit the ridgeline we were frequently traveling over tundra because all the snow had blown away. No avalanche danger, and it seems unlikely any cornices would build up enough along the trail to be a danger. When we got to La Cal, we took the west ridge (off trail). That would be quite the scramble in summer but was easy in the snow. The return trip was straight forward enough, or should have been, but we didn't check the map enough and did briefly get confused about where the trail was supposed to be. Visibility started to deteriorate with an afternoon flurry, but we figured out our mistake soon enough and made it down without a hitch.
Hiker4life - Feb 28, 2015 10:23 pm Date Climbed: Jul 2, 2007
Wheeler Willies
Great hike dodging thunderstorms most of the day.
MountainHikerCO - Sep 1, 2014 10:15 pm Date Climbed: Aug 30, 2014
with Walter
Started from the ski area. Nice day, a bit windy on top. Added the short side trip to Walter.
technicolorNH - Aug 28, 2014 9:00 am Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2014
From Williams Lake
Two hours and forty five minutes to the summit from the trailhead. Only another thirty minutes to Old Mike. The last hour of the trip back I hiked with Virgil Popescu from California (Romania previously) who was a blast to talk and trade info with.
jdzaharia - Jun 9, 2014 9:38 am Date Climbed: Jun 7, 2014
Up Bull of the Woods, Down Williams Lake
Snow in several places, but hiking shoes and gaiters were sufficient. I feel bad that two of our group had to turn back before Frazer Mountain. Saw bighorn sheep on Frazer and on the ridge east of La Cal Basin. Summited just as the weather was getting pretty bad. I'm guessing we were the last ones to summit that day, leaving the summit at 2:00 pm. Down Williams Lake Trail, got to treeline about the time the lightning, rain, sleet, graupel started. Enjoyed a beer at the Bavarian, a soak in the hot tub at Alpine Village Suites, a great meal at Sabroso, just west of Arroyo Seco, and a peaceful sleep next to the Rio Hondo at Cuchilla campground.
punchline - May 30, 2014 9:14 pm Date Climbed: May 27, 2014
From Bull of the Woods
Camped at the Bull of the Woods/Twining trailhead. Up the Bull of the Woods/Wheeler Peak Summit Trail and down the Williams Lake Trail. Weather turned sort of questionable as we were approaching Mt. Walter but held off and ended up being a decent day. Used snowshoes starting at about mile 6 on the Bull of the Woods trail but met a guy that came up in trail runners from the Williams Lake trail. Just figured there would be too much postholing w/o the snowshoes! State Highpoint #14.
Bluebell08 - Mar 17, 2014 10:42 am Date Climbed: Mar 12, 2014
Winter climb
Williams Lake trail to the new Wheeler Peak Summit trail, which was covered in snow and difficult to follow on the way up. Some post-holing but not too bad; used crampons although some rocky sections. Tagged Walter as well on the ridge and then descended the switchbacks that were visible and went down the same way to the Lake trail. NO wind at all, temps in the 30's but absolutely beautiful and warm with the sun! Big horn sheep near the summit. Highpoint #21.
climber46 - Oct 24, 2016 7:34 am Date Climbed: Aug 6, 2009
NM HighpointClimbed Wheeler Peak with a friend in 2009. Went up via the steep slope near the lake and then descended via the trail along the ridge since my friend and I had separate cars. It was a great loop hike.
secander - Aug 30, 2016 11:14 am Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2016
Williams LakeStarted from the Hikers parking lot at 8:30 and summited with my sister at 11:00. Easy hiking but a bit harder due to the sleet and rain. No views from the summit due to heavy cloud cover. The descent was mellow and we were back before 1pm.
hgrapid - Jul 7, 2016 7:44 pm Date Climbed: Jul 5, 2016
Highpoint #35Definitely harder than Humphreys. Took Bull of the Woods up and Williams Lake down. Combined with Fraser and Bull of the Woods. Total of 14 miles
chicagotransplant - Jul 7, 2016 6:52 pm Date Climbed: Jul 5, 2016
Wheeler Grand TraverseRachael and I started from Bull-of-the-Woods trailhead, summited Walter, Wheeler, Simpson, Old Mike, "Fairchild", Lake Fork and Kachina and then descended the ski area back to the car. Some fun scrambly sections between Simpson and "Fairchild" and again to get up Lake Fork. Long loop, not sure the mileage of vert but we took about 9 hours to complete it.
patascent - Jun 22, 2016 11:10 pm Date Climbed: Jun 20, 2016
Early start for perfect tempFun hike. Started early and made it to the summit before the crowd and the heat. Started walking at 6:20 a.m. Cool to start but perfect temperature the rest of the way. Also summited Mt. Walter (about a 10 min walk from the summit) along with about 20 girl Scouts from Texas coming from the other direction. My 15th state high point, Chris's #5. Temperature reached mid 90's in Taos when we got back to town.
TimmyC - Sep 23, 2015 11:14 am Date Climbed: Sep 22, 2015
Fun dayStrava says 8.3mi RT from the lot with just over 3K of gain. Aside from the altitude and my lungs being uncooperative from my recent bout with pneumonia, it was a really nice day out.
BobEnein - Sep 11, 2015 11:54 am Date Climbed: May 27, 2013
My Solo hikePretty enjoyable but challenging due to still too much snow on the ground that made it hard to find the trail few times.
fallonclimbs - Aug 30, 2015 1:29 pm Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2012
Cool highpointLots of bighorn sheep, gorgeous improved trail, Taos is super cool
Trip report https://summitsofthestates.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/new-mexico/
DarrenKnezek - Jul 13, 2015 11:04 am Date Climbed: Aug 25, 1983
1st State HighpointClimbed this with a friend from my high school days before I started my first year of college.
BLong - Jun 11, 2015 5:16 pm Date Climbed: Jun 9, 2015
Great early season tripI enjoyed an early morning cruise across frozen snow to Williams Lake and then hiked up the chute just west of the snowline that covered the new Forest Service trail. We had a great view of snow-covered peaks throughout the range. I couldn't believe how ravenous the marmots, chipmunks, and pikas were up there. Can we blame Texans for this?
funnyfarm - May 30, 2015 11:01 am Date Climbed: Jul 19, 2014
Loved the Bighorn SheepLoved this hike. It was a popular route on a Saturday and it looked almost like a train going up the switchbacks. Lots of bighorn sheep. This was the third of 4 in a row, OK, Arizona, NM, and Colorado. Elbert left to do on the 21st.
historyinca - May 31, 2015 9:54 pm
Re: Loved the Bighorn SheepI'm looking to do a solo hike up Wheeler Peak on June 16th, any comments/suggestions about the trail or conditions? Would Bull of The Woods be a better option, or is Williams Lake route OK, even with the current snow conditions? Mark Landis
MaverickMerk - May 12, 2015 1:01 pm Date Climbed: May 9, 2015
Spring Climb via William's Lakeconditions on the mountain were perfect for crampons, although I was definitely wishing I had brought snowshoes for the lower portion of the trail up to the lake as there were sections where i was breaking through. trail is extremely well marked and so there were no issues there. once on the flank it is basically a straight shot to the top. Was feeling a bit out of shape, took me 4 hours to the summit, 1.5 back to the car. plenty of opportunities for glissading... approx 3000' and 7 miles.
Srtaylor1317 - Mar 9, 2015 11:15 am Date Climbed: Mar 8, 2015
Great winter hike!We had a great time hiking up via bull of the woods. A few comments and cautions for those considering a winter hike. Yes, it's definitely doable. You need snowshoes, but leave the crampons at home. You definitely need solid route finding skills and a good topo map.
There are quite a few trails in the area, and sticking to the right one was a challenge because most of the signposts were buried in 4 ft of snow. If you get to the meadow, just know you went a little too far! We camped in the trees about a mile after crossing the groomed ski trail, in the last heavily forested section of trail before attaining the ridge. If winter camping, don't try to make it all the way to La Cal Basin. Several sites recommend it for camping, but it's pretty exposed. We liked the protection from the wind the trees offered.
Even though we were mostly following tracks from 2 hikers who summitted the day before, the wind had completely obliterated all traces for long stretches. Once we hit the ridgeline we were frequently traveling over tundra because all the snow had blown away. No avalanche danger, and it seems unlikely any cornices would build up enough along the trail to be a danger. When we got to La Cal, we took the west ridge (off trail). That would be quite the scramble in summer but was easy in the snow. The return trip was straight forward enough, or should have been, but we didn't check the map enough and did briefly get confused about where the trail was supposed to be. Visibility started to deteriorate with an afternoon flurry, but we figured out our mistake soon enough and made it down without a hitch.
Hiker4life - Feb 28, 2015 10:23 pm Date Climbed: Jul 2, 2007
Wheeler WilliesGreat hike dodging thunderstorms most of the day.
MountainHikerCO - Sep 1, 2014 10:15 pm Date Climbed: Aug 30, 2014
with WalterStarted from the ski area. Nice day, a bit windy on top. Added the short side trip to Walter.
technicolorNH - Aug 28, 2014 9:00 am Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2014
From Williams LakeTwo hours and forty five minutes to the summit from the trailhead. Only another thirty minutes to Old Mike. The last hour of the trip back I hiked with Virgil Popescu from California (Romania previously) who was a blast to talk and trade info with.
jdzaharia - Jun 9, 2014 9:38 am Date Climbed: Jun 7, 2014
Up Bull of the Woods, Down Williams LakeSnow in several places, but hiking shoes and gaiters were sufficient. I feel bad that two of our group had to turn back before Frazer Mountain. Saw bighorn sheep on Frazer and on the ridge east of La Cal Basin. Summited just as the weather was getting pretty bad. I'm guessing we were the last ones to summit that day, leaving the summit at 2:00 pm. Down Williams Lake Trail, got to treeline about the time the lightning, rain, sleet, graupel started. Enjoyed a beer at the Bavarian, a soak in the hot tub at Alpine Village Suites, a great meal at Sabroso, just west of Arroyo Seco, and a peaceful sleep next to the Rio Hondo at Cuchilla campground.
punchline - May 30, 2014 9:14 pm Date Climbed: May 27, 2014
From Bull of the WoodsCamped at the Bull of the Woods/Twining trailhead. Up the Bull of the Woods/Wheeler Peak Summit Trail and down the Williams Lake Trail. Weather turned sort of questionable as we were approaching Mt. Walter but held off and ended up being a decent day. Used snowshoes starting at about mile 6 on the Bull of the Woods trail but met a guy that came up in trail runners from the Williams Lake trail. Just figured there would be too much postholing w/o the snowshoes! State Highpoint #14.
Bluebell08 - Mar 17, 2014 10:42 am Date Climbed: Mar 12, 2014
Winter climbWilliams Lake trail to the new Wheeler Peak Summit trail, which was covered in snow and difficult to follow on the way up. Some post-holing but not too bad; used crampons although some rocky sections. Tagged Walter as well on the ridge and then descended the switchbacks that were visible and went down the same way to the Lake trail. NO wind at all, temps in the 30's but absolutely beautiful and warm with the sun! Big horn sheep near the summit. Highpoint #21.