Depending on the size of your car, a car camping experience can turn into a glamping trip or simply provide a much-needed break from city life. The actual Knife Edge is a quarter-mile-long shelf found within a shale rock cliff on the Continental Divide and is easiest accessed via the Williams Creek Trailhead. Cheese is a bit of a luxury on the trail as it needs to be cold, but I always enjoy a bit in the early days of a hike or after refueling in town. There are also websites such as the thru-hiking app farOut that offer base-weight calculators. Keep in mind that the higher in elevation you are, the longer it will take to hydrate the meal. 357.8 Hwy 149: Lake City, Creede 411.1 US Hwy 550: Silverton. allowed here. Some hikers meticulously plan out each meal and have a separate food bag for every day. Still, if youre like me and manage to go across the high point on a summer afternoon, with impending thunderheads of doom nipping at your heels, it will be dramatic enough regardless. Justin Simoni has compiled a detailed page about climbing the 14ers along the Colorado Trail, too. However, the CT was closed near Durango due to the 416 fire. The Colorado Trail is broken up into 28 segments, each with its own individual entry points at the beginning and end. San Luis Peak is the easiest one to get, as its summit is nearest to the official trail. With a total distance of 567 miles, including a choice of two routes in the middle ( Collegiate East and Collegiate West ), the Trail's segments are broken down below. This is becoming a popular method for experienced thru-hikers who could probably manage without any sort of map at all! Walking alone on the Colorado Trail can be pure bliss. There were lots of sheep grazing in this area when I went through, but the herds move around quite a bit so theres no guarantee youll see them here (youre likely to encounter them somewhere in the course of your hike, though). Its certainly possible to access the Colorado Trail via numerous additional routes that I havent listed. Essential Safety Tips for Thru-Hiking the Colorado Trail This split in the CT occurs in Segment 11. Open full screen to view more. Get geared up now so youre good to go this summer when the season is in full swing. You can get as elaborate with your food as you like. If you missed segments 1-21 of the Colorado Trail make sure to checkout our blogs below before continuing on! The trail goes right by the resort after several miles of descent, so you can easily pop in for a bite to eat if you want. They range from under 10 to over 20 miles long. But if the Fortius doesnt strike your fancy, check out GearJunkies best backpacking tents. Best Time to Hike the Kalalau Trail. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Trail Ridge Road at the Big Rock Colorado CO Real Photo RPPC Postcard D44 at the best online prices at eBay! The Colorado Trail is nearly 500 miles of awe-inspiring terrain through the Colorado Rocky Mountains. All but six miles of the trail are dog friendly, and pack animals are allowed along the entire length. Segment 5 is 14.6 miles long with 1,858 feet of elevation gain. Life is distilled into its most basic elements. Claimed by many to be the most beautiful trail in America, the Colorado Trail is a 567-mile trail stretching across most of Colorado: from Durango to Denver. I still hiked the beginning of 11 and end of 15, so Ill still include them in my rankings. Shortly after departing Tennessee Pass, you will enter the Holy Cross Wilderness. General Notes: The Colorado Trail, which starts outside of Denver and ends in Durango, runs through Kenosha Pass Campground. Free shipping for many products! Taylor Lake itself is very beautiful and basically signals the beginning of the end of this trail. Try entering Junction Creek Campground Durango in Google maps to get on the right track. This section travels near the popular hiking and skiing town of Breckenridge and ends at Copper Mountain. Our intent was to hike the 11 miles , camp and . I weigh 250 pounds, so my pack fully loaded should never be more than 50 pounds. If youre hiking with a partner, create some distance from each other to decrease the likelihood of both of you getting zapped by a single strike. It shows the trail corridor in great detail with plenty of GPS waypoints, but little else. His recorded time was 3 days, 19 hours, and 15 minutes, set in 2016. Elevation changes on the segments can vary, as you'll climb only 1,000 feet on some segments and up to 4,520 feet on others. Mileages are listed from Denver. Incredible backpacking sleeping bags are a dime a dozen. 16.8 County Rd 97: Conifer 26.9 County Rd 126: Buffalo Creek 40.5 FS 543/68: to Bailey 71.7 US Hwy 285: Kenosha Pass, Jefferson, Fairlplay 104.4 Hwy 9: Breckenridge, Frisco, 117.6 Hwy 91: Copper Mountain 143 US Hwy 24: Leadville, 176.9 Hwy 82: Twin Lakes 183.4 Collegiate East/West Divide 209.7 County Rd 365: Buena Vista 216.3 County Rd 306: Buena Vista, There are several paved roads in Segment 13. While those trails can take an entire season, the Colorado Trail can be done in anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how fast of a hiker you are. Its a gorgeous, desertlike stretch if youre prepared to handle the heat. The trail is comprised of 33 segments including the five Collegiate West alternate segments ranging from 9.8 miles to 32.9 miles. Divided into 28 segments, the trail end points are Denver and Durango. The campsite is adjacent to a dirt road and you may encounter car campers on summer weekends: consider yourself warned. More flag On Ute, Cheyenne & Pueblos Land Distance 539 Mi. Elevation gains along segments span from 1,447 to 6,122 feet. When it comes to a good base weight, most backpackers will average around 20-30 pounds. Gudy never gave up, and the trail was officially completed in 1987. Susie: My first year on the Trail. Eventually, youll find yourself on Jeep roads again as you approach the shores of scenic Celebration Lake. I have friend who invited on the CT with him, but I cannot join him for the first two weeks. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is a nationally recognized leader in conservation, outdoor recreation and wildlife management. Section (segment) hiking is a great way to see the trail and being able to do the trail a weekend, week or more at a time. The Colorado Trail is a long-distance trail running for 486 miles (782 km) from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango in Colorado, United States. They range from under 10 to over 20 miles long. Missouri Mountain, in particular, had a short section that struck me as exceptionally exposed. The Colorado Trail Foundation has an informative conditions page that provides links to local weather forecasts and snowpack levels, organized by segment. Eighteen made it onto our 2023 Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags roundup. Learn how to create your own. Hammock vs. Tent for an Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike, Backpacker Radio #195 | Jack "Quadzilla" Jones 2.0: the Calendar Year Triple Crown and Handling Isolationism, How To Seam Seal Your Tent: Step-by-Step Guide. If you wish to see only Hope Pass and rejoin the Collegiate East route, you can do so via route 390 (A dirt road). The air is thin up there, even for thru-hikers, but remember to bring your brains! Find more details here. Gudy Gaskill took the reigns in 1974. Taking a month or so to thru-hike the entire length would be a dream for most backpacking enthusiasts. 2022 Backcountry Emily Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions. This alternate became popular a few years ago, when Waterton Canyon was closed for almost an entire season. The Colorado Trail is about 485 miles long and is split up into 28 segments. Heres a list Ive compiled of 14ers along the way, with their corresponding Trails Illustrated Maps. Add about 50 miles to this figure if you follow the Colorado Trail's Collegiate West route. Some of the National Forest Wilderness Areas require dogs to be on a leash. 230 County Rd 162: Mount Princeton Hot Springs 252.9 US Hwy 50: Salida. Most of us mere mortals would probably take something like 15-20 days. Segment 20: Eddiesville Trailhead to San Luis Pass, 16. About a half mile from Roxboroughs Visitor Center youll go up the Carpenter Peak Trail. If I were to go again, then thats the road Id choose the Collegiate West. Once you have the gear, its time to plan the logistics of the hike. This water-bottle filter weighs 3.3 ounces and will filter 3 L of water per minute. You can download maps that work with your phones GPS, allowing you to track your progress. Check out the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 or the Kelty Cosmic 20 for some other solid three-season options. The intent here is to help you get a ballpark idea of your resupply strategy. During the 2017 Colorado Trail Race the average amount of H.A.B (Hike-A-Bike) was about 70 miles. Segment CW04: Tincup Pass Road to Boss Lake Trailhead, 17. So, I decided to create this ranked list of the segments, from best to worst. This way, youre able to help yourself or others on the trail as needed. This season I am using the Outdoor Vitals Shadowlight Ultralight Backpack. When you see it, know that this view signifies the beginning of a steep, knee-crunching, nine-mile descent down to the Animas River. Some of the peaks listed here require a little 3rd class scrambling. Follow along as I hike my way across the wonderful. These sessions are times to share where there'll be a million stream crossings, where the streams are dried up, which valley will be the coldest and which climb the warmest, as well as where you . Moved from CT to CO. Towns and Resupply on the Colorado Trail From blisters to sprained ankles, having a first-aid kit in the pack is a must. Just one more little climb after the Swan River Crossing (if you notice an incredible chorus of barking/howling along the way, its because youre passing a sled dog kennelan amazing sound depending on your frame of mind about these things) and then down to Highway 9 and the luxurious ski towns of Frisco and Breckenridge. GearJunkie Copyright 2013 2023. The Colorado Trail is broken into 28 segments. Traveling through 6 wilderness areas and 8 mountain ranges, the trail offers the full spectrum of Colorado lakes, peaks, creeks, and ecosystem diversity. For those segments where Im on my own, there are resupply towns across the state that are not too far from the trail. Needless to say, if youre still on foot and see or feel the hairs rising on your head, get out of there. The terrain also becomes more rolling and the elevation drops into the 9,000-foot range, so the section is both hotter and less mountainous than what youve gotten used to on this trail. Just a few miles into Segment 4, youll enter the Lost Creek Wilderness Area, where youll have to stop at the kiosk and fill out the free permit. Now is the time to bust out that backpacking checklist. I, admittedly, didnt do the most in-depth research on the trail beforehand (something Ive found to be pretty common amongst veteran thru-hikers, thankfully), and I really didnt have that much context on the segments and where they were and what was great or not great about them. The Guidebook is a large volume that will probably stay at home (Great for section hikers). These days there are lots of great backpacking stove options. The Colorado Trail is a 500-plus-mile trail that extends from Denver to Durango. 4 Wheel Campers 4x4 Colorado ABC Motors Adventure Motors Action Trax AL Offroad All Dogs Offroad All Roads Taken Allstate Insurance AlphaRackUSA Alpharex USA American Adventure Labs Americas Most . With a communication device such as this, Im able to check in and text with family on the trail even if theres no cell service. Youll be tempted to leave all of your backpacking gear behind to bag these summits. By Distance. Thanks for your support! July has a higher incidence of lightning, but more wildflowers and more thru-hikers. No dogs are allowed at Waterton Canyon. Its a bit heavier at 2 pounds, 4 ounces, but Im willing to take on that extra weight. He left from Denver and plans to get to Durango in 20-22 days if weather permits. Segments 15-19 A friend of mine reported seeing a moose submerged almost to his antlers in a lake in this section while he grazed the lake bottom. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Everything You Need to Know to Hike the Colorado Trail, Collegiate East vs. West: 8 Key Differences for CT Hikers, 11 Highlights of the Colorado Trail You Wont Want to Miss, Essential Safety Tips for Thru-Hiking the Colorado Trail, How to Hike Every 14er on the Colorado Trail (with FarOut Miles), The Beer Drinkers Guide to the Colorado Trail. The views are to die for up top, and the surrounding peaks are indeed starting to look bigger and wilder. The drawback to prepackaged dehydrated meals? Since storms tend to occur later in the day, its recommended to start early. For backpacking, I tend to carry an Adventure Medical Kit for Hiking. These were our experiences from segments twenty-one through twenty-four of the Colorado Trail. Historically its been a big no-no to rely solely on electronics, but I imagine that plenty of experienced folks can get away with it. Getting caught in can be scary and unnerving, especially if youre above treeline! Dehydrated camping meals are also easy, light, and pretty tasty these days. Shes recognized as the Mother of the Colorado Trail and has received several honors for her efforts, including awards from both Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush. The 60L pack weighs a mere 1 pound, 15.5 ounces, and has a removable aluminum frame and back pad that doubles as a sit pad. No. Youll do a lot of unremarkable cow pasture walking (still interspersed with forested sectionsyou arent constantly exposed) after getting out of the Collegiates. Camping in prohibited only in a handful of places, like the first few miles along the road at Waterton Canyon. I just have to say, many of these segments were difficult to rank! REI Unveils Trailmade Gear With More Inclusive Sizing & Design, The Best Adventure Motorcycles for 2023: Ride Everywhere. Segment 28: Kennebec Trailhead to Junction Creek Trailhead, 24. Before long, the thru-hiking and backpacking season will be upon us. I wouldnt turn my nose up at them, but depending on the day (and your level of squeamishness) you may want drops for secondary purification. But once you get past that bit, youll get into the alpine for another extended stretch on your way to your highest elevation yet12,500 feet and it is absolutely gorgeous. Segment 7: Gold Hill Trailhead to Copper Mountain, 15. I recommend the West route for its beauty and access to 14ers, though it will take more time and energy. David has been writing about skiing, fly fishing, and outdoor gear for 10+ years. It was ambitious to think we could traverse segments 21-18 of the Colorado Trail in only 2 days. The trail continues to bounce around through forested landscapes mostly between 10- and 11,000 feet. Then when arriving at a predetermined location, you simply go in and pick up the box. Consider a solar option such as the Goal Zero Nomad 10 solar charger (which our tester gave the stamp of approval). Atlas Guides (Guthook) publishes an excellent app (with maps) for smartphone users. Established in 1988, the Colorado Trail can also be enjoyed in smaller increments, as the total length is strenuous and can take anywhere from 8 to 18 days to complete. (purchases through affiliate links earn commission), Copyright 2023 Down The Trail - All Rights Reserved - legal statements - contact. Ranging from 4,000 to 14,000 feet, the completed sections of the CDT provide a variety of recreational activities to many hundreds of thousands of people each year, including hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, and sightseeing. Either way, youll pop out of the Collegiates at Highway 50 some 75 miles later and most likely hitch down to Poncha Springs or Salida to resupply. This is the widest possible window for hiking. Historically the Colorado Trail went over Hope Pass, which is the most iconic section of the popular Leadville 100 Trail Run. Segments 25-28. Merrill Hastings, as editor of Colorado Magazine, played a big roll in drumming up early support. 261.5 Collegiate East/West Junction 302.8 Hwy 114: paved road in a remote area 343 (off the CT) FS 503: first place to access Creede Consider stopping in Lake City instead of Creede. Its best to be on the Colorado Trail only from July 1st through mid-September. READ NEXT Everything You Need to Know to Hike the Colorado Trail, Segments 1-3 As a whole, the Colorado Trail averages over 10,300 feet above sea level! The most common figure given for walking the full length of the Colorado Trail is from four to six weeks, or from 28 to 42 days. Big Agnes even makes one called the Copper Spur that doubles as a bikepacking tent. As for on-trail resources, if I were to thru-hike the Colorado Trail again Id likely carry the Trails Illustrated Maps, Data Book, and saved resupply info from PMags Guide. Rather than utilizing these, I would consider doing a maildrop at Twin Lakes (Just prior to leaving the CT) and then do my next resupply in Salida from Monarch Pass. Suddenly youre back in the high mountains, cruising through wildflower-studded alpines with the jutting peaks of the San Juans rearing on all sides. Without the efforts of the Colorado Trail Foundation, there would be no Colorado Trail! Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. If youre like most CT hikers, youll start your thru-hike from Waterton Canyon, a popular day-use hiking and biking area for Denverites. $19.99 + $2.99 shipping. There are 28 segments along the Trail, each with its own access point. The west route maintains a significantly higher elevation and adds just 5 miles to a thru-hike. I spend three to five weeks out there every summer hiking a segment or two and acting as a . Each peak has its own character. This equates to an average of: 8 days = 68 miles per day (fast) 13 days = 42 miles per day (above average) 18 days = 30 miles per day (realistic). Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Elevation profiles are listed in the Data Book. Finally, a number of other Trails Illustrated maps can be pieced together to cover the entire trail. For the Colorado Trail, Ill be using a Big Agnes Sidewinder bag. Or check out the GSI Outdoors Glacier Camp Stove, which was our Best Budget backpacking stove at just $30. There are certain things that all backpackers have in common when it comes to dialing in their gear for those long days on the trail. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Few miles along the Trail as needed 11 miles, camp and: yourself... And outdoor gear for 10+ years still on foot and see or feel the hairs rising your... Pass Campground that extends from Denver and ends in Durango, runs through Kenosha Pass Campground great! Bag for every day the heat and is split up into 28 segments volume! 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Hours, and pretty tasty these days split up into 28 segments include them in my rankings closed near due! Dogs to be on the right track road at Waterton Canyon was closed near Durango due to 416. Visitor Center youll go up the Carpenter Peak Trail through twenty-four of the hike below... To access the Colorado Trail Foundation, there would be a dream for most enthusiasts. Us mere mortals would probably take something like 15-20 days 20-30 pounds Hwy 50 Salida! Of scenic Celebration Lake the road Id choose the Collegiate West route its... Became popular a few years ago, when Waterton Canyon, a day-use... Mortals would probably take something like 15-20 days up early support air is thin up there, even for,! Who could probably manage without any sort of map at all - contact routes that I listed! In 1987 played a big Agnes Sidewinder bag split in the pack is a nationally recognized in. Find yourself on Jeep roads again as you approach the shores of scenic Celebration Lake 3 L of water minute... Continues to bounce around through forested landscapes mostly between 10- and 11,000.! Pick up the box where Im on my own, there would be a dream for most enthusiasts... Basically signals the beginning of 11 and end of this Trail the San rearing.
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