Colorado Trail Thru Hike
All 486.4 miles of it, from Denver to Durango.
If you know or follow me on any platform, you’ll know that I’ve been making hiking a priority in my life for quite some time now. From the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, Ozark Highlands, Lost Coast Trail, Teton Crest, and many small one’s in-between. The Colorado Trail hit different. The exposure, the constant threat of a thunderstorm, the looming dark skies, the speeding mountain bikers, and dead trees swaying overhead.
Approaching Lake Ann Pass at the start of the Colligates
Despite the nerve-wracking challenges the Colorado Trail brought to my hiker resume, it was one of my favorites. The epic skyline of pure mountain bliss, the terrain so smooth and very well thought out by the Colorado Trail Maintenance Crews, and the wild changes of scenery. Who knew Colorado has so many habitats!? Grassland, riparian, semi-desert shrubland, subalpine forests, alpine tundra, and stunning geological rock formations taken straight out of Bryce Canyon.
The trail itself is broken up into 33 segments, including a choice of two routes in the middle, the Collegiate East and Collegiate West. The trail passes through six National Forests, Six Wilderness areas, traverses five major river systems and follows eight of the state’s mountain ranges!
My experience of the Colorado Trail
When we flew from Northern California (sea-level), our focus was getting directly to the trail. We should have known better to acclimate to the extreme altitude change, but atlas, we didn’t care. Luckily, we avoided the altitude sickness, by implementing a strict rule that EVERY HALF HOUR, you stop, and drink water. This provided us shade breaks, resting points, and much needed hydration as we entered the high desert of the Colorado Trail.
Once our feet hit the dusty trail it was very hard to stop. We had been training for months by running, hiking, and (light) weightlifting.
Our first day, we did 18-miles. The second day, we did 17. Our third day, we did a 22 miler before realizing that our plan of taking our time to finish in 45-days, was not feasible. We initially planned on maximizing our vacation time, enjoying the views, and capping ourselves around 14-15 miles each day. We quickly noted that we loved being out there in the wilderness, hiking and wanted to enjoy the long daytime hours of summer.
SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COLORADO TRAIL INCLUDE:
bathing in ice cold rivers
the pesky fox at segment two that came out to visit while dinner was being cooked
sunrises and the lack of other hikers on trail that early
eating snacks in the tent while listening to the rain
aspen forests doing their groove thang!
massive bolete mushrooms
baby fawns frocking in the morning meadow hours
the fire station and its cold, cold water, and nap worthy shade.
seeing an old burn scar and following its path for miles along a ridge and valley.
THE SNOW MESA (a plateau of prairie fields at 12,600feet! You follow this for 8 miles. Mind blowing segment)
high mountain tops, and the rocky scrambles
the sheer magnitude of being at the high-point, (13,900feet) of the trail.
epic wildflowers
having a dog to pet each night (thanks blue)
Choosing your own Adventure
You come to a split in the trail, the famous Collegiate Split. Allowing you to truly chose your own adventure. The east stays within tree-line, providing a safer route from the storms, and offers multiple access points to numerous 14’ers. The Collegiate West path follows the notoriously difficult Continental Divide Trail. On this section alone, you gain 19,800 vertical feet.
We chose the West. We wanted to see the most Colorado had to offer, and for us, choosing the higher (arguably more scenic section) proved to be worth it.
Hope Pass & the Sketchiest Situation to-date
Immediately leaving Twin Lakes (a small resupply town with a single general store that is very hiker friendly), we were greeted with a 6-mile climb, Hope Pass, and the gnarliest thunderstorm I have ever been stuck in.
Climbing to the top, the clouds were direct overhead, and the booms came in waves. The sky darkened, the drizzle began, making every step slower. Concerned about mileage, we made the decision to push on. Heads down, hearts beating out of our chests in pure adrenaline, we climbed upwards. (DO NOT RECOMMEND. TAKE COVER IN SCENARIOS LIKE THIS AND WHEN IN DOUBT, WAIT IT OUT.) This climb seemed to take forever. Hyperfused on our safety, and getting our selves up and over the mountain ahead. Approaching the summit, I could see the cairn marking the top. It seemed to get further and further away, as if the clouds were pushing it out of our reach. We got to the top, looked into the valley below to get a sense of the weather down below and were mesmerized. A valley of aspens, spruce, and pine sat below a few thousand feet, surrounded by thick fog, heavy rain, and cracking thunder. The valley, offered the chance of a shelter if we could reach them in time. We made it over the pass, not speaking to one another, only to run down the mountain as lightening stuck the surrounding peaks. We quickly boulder-hopped down the wet rocks, tears blocking my vision the entire time. Dubs (or Justin, my partner) gave me tough love, telling me we had to hurry to get off the mountain, meanwhile we had reached the heavy rain and hail. Realizing we were completely out of water, we had to stop and gather some at the first stream we saw. Taking turns filling our water bladders, waiting to filter them until we’ve reached a safe haven.
We couldn’t have made it to tree line in a better time. Our phones started beeping from service alerting us Extreme Weather in our area, and our frantic search for a suitable tree began. A towering spruce, many thick limbs above, provided us a safe shelter to hunker down in. I busted out my foam sleeping pad to sit on for our wait. We sat in two balls, soaking wet, quivering, surrounded by decent-sized hail & lightening for about an hour.
Then? It just stopped. It didn’t even let up, it just completely stopped.
We gathered our stuff and began the hike onward.
This was the only picture I have of that day, this was taken as we were looking down into the valley on the rocky decent. Pictures never do situations like this justice.
The beginning of the West Colligates were mind-blowing. Real rocky scrambles, crystal blue alpine lakes, constant chirps of marmots, and nearby darting pikas. Did I mention we thru-hiked during peak wildflower season?!
Our Little Trail Family
We initially had to delay our start time by a week (work-complications) and our friend, Salamander, had no choice but to start a week early. He lives in Gunnison (a trail town of the Colorado Trail), and couldn’t wait to begin his trek, so he started thirteen days before us!
We thought we would never catch him, but we did, halfway through the Colligate West Route. He is less amusing than his better-half, Blue. The most perfect trail dog, a black golden retriever, familiar with commands such as, “off-trail” and “behind”. She easily was our favorite trail family member, and her enthusiasm towards chipmunks and the vastness of the trail was highly contagious.
Once we met up with ‘Salamander’, Blue’s companion, he carried a two lb. blue tarp (not necessarily ultralight in the backpacking community haha). This tarp helped immensely as all 4 of us could duck under, sheltering ourselves from rain. With good company, extra snacks, and our favorite card-game, the rain became a nice break in our day at times.
Nutrition and Sustenance
I’ve got a bone to pick with traditional ‘hiker’ foods. Ramen, pop-tarts, candy bars, instant mashed potatoes, and the dreaded Knorr pasta sides make me cringe from within. This wasn’t always the case. I’ve always loaded up my pack with these cheap, high calorie dense foods, sugar packed fuel, and my body has suffered for it. When I finished the Appalachian Trail, spending 6.5 months on this poor diet, I got a physical. I wanted to compare my body weight, blood work, etc. with beforehand to see if anything had shifted.
It had.
Not only had I lost about 15lbs, my ‘fatty liver enzymes’ were double the normal amount. After speaking with my doctor regarding a possible drinking problem (spoiler alert, that wasn’t it), she concluded it was from my trail diet.
Since then I have been on a mission to create healthy homemade foods, to dehydrate for trail consumption. I’m planning on doing a write up about this eventually so I’ll keep it short, but this made ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
Ending each day with a dinner like I would traditionally eat at home was critical. I would sleep soundly through the night, wake up feeling completely reenergized, and genuinely enjoy my food a lot more! Some staples were; vegetarian chili, beans and rice with all the fixings, lots of curries, couscous with veggies, & even nutritional yeast alfredo, packed with kale & broccoli.
This little experiment had too many variables for me, and needs further long-term research.
But, it’s safe to say that I’ll be incorporating this nutrition style into my long-term planning when considering another trek in the future.
Although I made most of my own dinners,
I clearly still need help on desserts.
Trail Towns
Trail towns are so fundamentally important to the trail, as they provide the much-needed necessities to your hike such as laundry, and a shower.
Then, they encourage the luxuries such as a bed to sleep on, cold beer and town food. The Colorado Trail towns are unique, small, mining towns. They have a western feel to them. Cobblestone mixed with old wooden structures; all while being nestled by surrounding mountain ranges.
The Following is a top 5 of my favorite trail towns!
1. Lake City, Colorado. This town was straight gravel roads, buzzing with ATV’s and adventurers like us. Extremely hiker friendly, the churches gather the hikers in town and feed them a massive homemade dinner. Reasonable prices for hotels and cabins. Very walkable, unique place. CHECK OUT THE SODA SHOP. (drool)
2. Silverton, Colorado. This place is a bit of a tourist trap, but for good reason. It’s nestled in-between the San Juan Mountains making this town picturesque. The HARDROCK 100 (an endurance 100-mile run through difficult terrain), mountain bike races, & the iconic main strip, make this town worth visiting. With a mining feel, & vegan BBQ this place doesn’t mess around. Don’t plan on staying the night here though, as prime summer season has hotels well over $200 a night.
3. Leadville, Colorado. Leadville is the highest unincorporated town in Colorado, sitting at 10, 152 feet! Very hiker friendly, two hostels to choose from, and many delicious food options! The outfitters need some work (as most of these towns do) but you can find the bare minimum. Yes, the famous Melanzana (a unique gear company) is here… and yes, I’m still bitter about not getting one.
4. Gunnison, Colorado. Although off the beaten path, this little gem of an area stole our heart. A killer main drag, the best beer ever (High Alpine), and surrounding mountains made this town a literal postcard. Add in farmers market produce to your hiker meals, and now we’re talking!
5. Breckenridge, Colorado. Honestly, this one was hard to put on the list. Truthfully, its just a larger city that allows you to get more resources (cheaper). They have a free bus system that can literally pick you up from the Colorado Trail and drop you off right at the front doors of an REI. Hard to beat. If you do not need any major gear changes, this town could easily be skipped, as its quite expensive.
Full disclaimer: Try to support the trail towns as much as possible. Remember that you are a complete representation of the trail, the minute you step off it. Many of these trail towns rely on hiker season to keep businesses open, year-after-year. Leave tips, write reviews, do your part!
Cow Country
They talk about cow-country on the Colorado Trail, but we found it rather beautiful. The rolling hills (WHERE DID ALL THE MOUNTAINS GO?) The brutal heat from the sun, the lukewarm water sources, of which were barely a trickle at times, and the constant ‘moos’ coming from all directions, day or night made it to be an interesting section of the trail.
The amount of 4x4 roads we walked was unreal! Something I’m typically used to while hiking, is a designated well-marked trail. This was quite different; exposed, gravel, semi-boring, but beautiful in its own way.
*Shoutout to the only legit trail magic we had on trail! An older couple in their RV on some Public Lands, with lawn chairs, about 6 dogs, and cold sodas!
WILDLIFE
My favorite wildlife experiences
Although we saw and heard a lot of big mammals, the lack of reptiles utterly shocked me! Wondering if the mountain bikes & sheer traffic of the trail, limited those encounters?
Moose x2- one was swimming and diving underwater in a pond!
Bear Tracks- no bears but followed a mama and cub about .7 of a mile in cow country.
Coyote Calls- almost every night
Mountain Lion- scat & possible (not confirmed) sighting
Marmots- chirping as we approached their dwellings
Pikas- witnessing these little ones forage on the mountaintops is truly something incredible.
Do you plan on Thru Hiking the Colorado Trail?
From gear lists, lodging logistics, to food resupplies & more, we can assist you.
Need more info? Drop me an email!
Get outside,
xoxo Tree Hugger/Suz
