Missouri Mountain

Mount Belford is part of the 14er group Belford/Oxford/Missouri in the Collegiate Peak wilderness. Of the three, Belford is considered the easiest, although they are often done together.

The well maintained trail begins from the Missouri Gulch Trailhead and shortly after you begin you’ll ascend a series of steep switchbacks. At ~1.2 miles from the trailhead you’ll encounter a log bridge crossing the creek, be careful early in the season when the creek is high.

At 2 miles there is a junction with the Missouri Mountain/Elkhead pass trail. Continue to the right and soon Missouri Mountain dominates the view to the south. At ~3.6 miles there is another junction, turn right on the Missouri Mountain trail as it begins to climb steeply up the eastern slope. Shortly after this section it gets much rockier and class 2. Be alert to make sure you stay on the trail through this area.

There is another junction after the rocky section, stay to the left and continue up Missouri Mountain. From here the distance to the summit is short but it gets more rugged/rocky. You will mostly be on the ridge crest through this section but there is a section about 0.4 miles from the last junction where the trail goes down and to the right of the ridge crest due to very large rocky section. Once past this section its a straightforward walk to the summit.

Class: 2. Mount Belford is considered class 2, due to a few rocky areas near the summit but much of it is on a very well maintained trail.

Trailhead/Parking: The trailhead is open seasonally (conditions dependent) so contact the forest service for current conditions. It is also on a maintained dirt road suitable for any standard vehicle.