The MOB Mission: Missouri-Oxford-Belford

The route begins and ends at Missouri Gulch Trailhead (9,680'), traversing Missouri Mountain (14,067'), Elkhead Pass, Mount Belford (14,202'), and Mount Oxford (14,153') before returning. From the trailhead, follow Missouri Gulch to treeline, then bear toward Missouri Mountain's northwest ridge and climb it to the summit — most parties climb Missouri first to avoid backtracking over Belford twice. Note: on Missouri Mountain's northwest ridge there is a short, exposed stretch near the summit ridge with some hands-on scrambling and real consequence if a fall occurs. From Missouri's summit, descend south to Elkhead Pass (about 13,200'). Route finding here is a challenge, particularly with poor visibility. From this point, climb Mount Belford's southwest slopes to its summit. Continue across the saddle to Mount Oxford (14,153'), an out-and-back spur of about 1.3 miles from Belford. Return over Belford's summit a second time, then descend its west slopes back to the Missouri Gulch fork and the trailhead. Total distance runs about 14 miles round trip, with roughly 7,200 vertical feet of cumulative gain — a long day; start early. Afternoon thunderstorms build fast over this stretch of the Sawatch, and there's no cover above treeline on any of the three summits — start well before dawn for the MOB traverse specifically, since the exposed time above treeline runs many hours.