The standard, most direct of three 14ers reached from the Missouri Gulch trailhead, and the one most often paired with Mount Oxford.
From Leadville, drive about 20 miles south on US-24 and turn onto Chaffee County Road 390; continue roughly 7.5 miles to the signed Missouri Gulch Trailhead and parking area. From the trailhead at about 9,600–9,660 feet, the trail climbs a series of steep switchbacks, crossing a log bridge over the creek around 1.2 miles in. At roughly 10,400 feet the trail leaves the switchbacks and continues up the gulch; at about 11,600 feet it splits, with the Elkhead Pass trail continuing right and the Belford trail bearing left. Follow the Belford trail up the northwest ridge, on a well-maintained, CFI-built trail, to the summit at 14,202 feet.
Reverse the route back down Missouri Gulch. Climbers combining Belford with Mount Oxford descend partway toward the connecting saddle instead, dropping about 600 feet before climbing back up to Oxford and returning the same way over Belford.