Here is the 411 on my outing up Mt. Ellinor yesterday. Keep in mind though that we had a perfect weather window with stable snow. Because we're still in the middle of winter, these conditions will continue to change and you need to be aware of avy risk, and be able to read snow and weather conditions.
My husband and I started at 6:45am from Big Creek campgrounds. Didn't even want to attempt FS Rd 24 so I can't comment on how bad it was. Additionally, starting there really didn't add that much mileage- about 10.5 miles round trip. The trails up were so well compacted that we only needed traction. However, once we turned off towards the winter route on the upper trail, the snow began to have a nice hoar surface and was like that all the way up to the top. No footprints up the chute except one pair, most likely from the day before. You really didn't even need traction going up the chute because the snow was still slightly just soft enough to kick steps because of the sun beating down on us. If you go, definitely have traction just in case, and also bring your ice axe! Since we were the first ones up we got to enjoy the summit by ourselves before other parties started showing up. Hung out for about a half an hour and then began our trek down, that included a fun glissade. Two and a half hours later we were back at our car. Hope this helps! Happy hiking!
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