Mountaineering · YDS Class 2

West Slopes (via Kite Lake)

Distance RT
3.3 mi
Gain
2,251 ft
High Point
14,170 ft
Trailhead
Kite Lake Trailhead
12,018 ft elevation
Permit Required

Mount Bross's summit has been closed to public access for close to two decades and remains closed: it sits on a patchwork of small private mining claims whose owners have never all been identified or granted permission for hiking, and no waiver system exists for it (unlike Lincoln and Cameron). A marked bypass trail, built and maintained with landowner cooperation, allows hikers doing the wider DeCaLiBron loop to pass near Bross without setting foot on the actual summit. A 2025 conservation-land acquisition added surrounding acreage to public ownership but explicitly did not include the summit itself, which remains in unresolved private hands. There is currently no legal way to stand on Mount Bross's true high point.

Route Description

The historically documented route to Mount Bross's summit, included here for reference — the actual summit has been closed to the public for close to two decades and remains so.

Approach

The Kite Lake Trailhead sits at roughly 12,000 feet above Alma, reached via a rough but generally 2WD-passable road. The historical route follows the right side of the Kite Lake basin, ascending a scree field on Bross's steep slopes. This section has real rockfall and slide risk, especially with other parties above or below on the slope. Above the scree, easier terrain leads to what would be the summit plateau.

Descent

Reverse the route, or continue the ridge toward Mount Lincoln if completing the wider DeCaLiBron loop via the legal bypass trail.

Weather Forecast
7-Day Forecast
Today
❄️
Snow
34° / 28°
49%
❄ 1.6"
💨14
Tomorrow
❄️
Snow
34° / 27°
55%
❄ 0.5"
💨22
Sat, Sep 26
☁️
Overcast
48° / 24°
4%
💨13
Sun, Sep 27
☁️
Overcast
46° / 27°
9%
💨11
Mon, Sep 28
🌧️
Drizzle
44° / 25°
63%
💨14
Tue, Sep 29
❄️
Snow Showers
34° / 18°
67%
❄ 0.1"
💨8
Wed, Sep 30
☀️
Clear
45° / 19°
41%
💨9
Trip Reports
+ File a Report
No reports yet for this route.
Be the first to file a report