colorado trail segment 4 and 5
Map: The Colorado Trail. Worth Noting: Pssssstttt!!! I browsed a lot of different tents and landed on this one because it seemed lightweight enough for one person to carry, but could also squeeze two people inside if I ever convince Alex to backpack with me again. The Hike Maps Denver Post photo editor Dean Krakel is spending part of 2015 hiking The Colorado Trail. A few years later, after the creation of the Forest Service, Hooper became the District Ranger out of Bailey. We went to bed pretty much right after sunset, with various strategies for packing up depending on whether or not it was raining when we woke up. My brother, Glenn, and I recently hiked segments 4 & 5 of the Colorado Trail. A Kenosha Pass Trail must-visit. Colorado Hiking Trails: Are you looking for other places to hike? To learn more, please visit the About This Site page. I brought most but not all of my backpacking gear to make sure I was testing a full pack, but just didn’t love this one enough to keep it either. Highlights of Colorado Trail Segment 5. A much flatter campsite, and a reading Alex. We got going by 8 a.m., starting off the first two miles with a tough climb. Trail Ratings 4.5 from 11 votes #2 in Lost Creek Wilderness #2134 Overall. I'm just as curious as you to see how that plan will go, so stay tuned! Photo courtesy of J.B. Bissell Adventure 4 Things to Know Before You Segment-Hike the Colorado Trail. Also, the side extenders can only be used when the fly is on, and those little do-dads are actually pretty handy. This planning guide covers when to go, which direction, navigation, dangers, section highlights, elevation, wildlife, terrain difficulty, how long it takes and more. Osprey Aura AG 65: Attention! Segment three was incredibly beautiful. Don’t let this story scare you away from this marvelous wilderness area, however. Driving Directions to Rolling Creek Trailhead (East): Driving Directions to Kenosha Pass Trailhead (West): Description: This hike is best done as a shuttle backpacking trip. Thanks for your support! At the top, the trail briefly re-enters the trees and then passes through a gate that marks the end of the meadow. 7.8 miles from Bailey, park at a small parking area on the south side of the road (large enough for trailers) or go right (south) a short distance to the Colorado Trail/Rolling Creek trailhead. We also performed our first act of trail magic, if you can call it that. Me with a mouthful of dinner at our campsite Friday night. CT - Segment 5: Long Gulch to Kenosha Pass Intermediate. Pretty quickly, we realized the added precariousness of our situation. Kahtoola Microspikes: Brought them again, didn’t need them again. Endpoints: FS-560 Wellington Lake Road/Rolling Creek Trailhead to Kenosha Pass (but not really) I hiked until I found Brian again, and we camped by a small stream near mile 33.4. The meadow has a saddle shape from end to end; as we’d walked downhill into it, we eventually started a gradual slope back upward. The CTF has volunteer efforts scheduled again this year but completing this work to cut and dig through all the debris will take multiple Trail seasons. We hiked about 4.5 miles,taking advantage of as much daylight as we could before stopping to camp. We were overjoyed by the thought of someone driving us back to our car and being warm and dry at home in just a few hours. Get Here. This hike featured the Lost Creek Wilderness Area, where the CT confidence Markers aren’t allowed. From there, the trail heads down through forested switchbacks. At this point in the day, we were tired and sore. We took a break, finding shelter under some trees, and discussed our options. Our wonderful fellow backpackers had returned after all. Continue on. Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook, Segments 4 & 5. They had planned to hike Segments 5-2 but bailed when their baby (a true baby! Each one is a moderate to exceptional hike in its own right, from 11.4 miles (18.3 kilometers) to 32 miles (51.5 kilometers) in length. Nonetheless, the inclines are relatively gradual, and the trekking is not too difficult. In January, 2018, I departed on what would be an endless amount of weekend section hikes, tackling the Colorado Trail segment by segment. We picked a “keep hiking” time, and hoped for the best. Hiking the Colorado Trail. Interactively explore all 500 miles of The Colorado Trail between Denver and Durango using topographic maps and satellite imagery. After that, we went straight to bed. This area showed off some large rock towers containing perfectly stacked boulders, and the trail was lush, soft and windy. Mostly, we were concerned about the weather—at the time it was decent hiking weather, but if for any reason they couldn’t get back to reach us, we wouldn’t know until the thunderstorms had set in. Type: backpacking. Right past our campsite, we hit the infamous (at the time) blowdown—a couple of miles where fallen trees almost completely obscured the trail. Just as we stepped back onto the trail across the road, one of the hikers called out to us and said he would come back for us if we waited at the trailhead. The trail leaves the forest again for a more open hillside that normally starts to present hikers with some impressive views, but today was obscured by fog and snow. Step 1: Get Colorado Trail References and Maps. Take Highway 285 to the summit of Kenosha Pass. I was immediately crestfallen, knowing our only company had convinced the sane bikers who were headed back for civilization to ferry them back to their car at Kenosha. The Colorado Trail is 485 miles, stretching from Denver, Colorado, to Durango, Colorado. They later moved the mill to a point just southeast of the North Fork Trailhead. Includes maps, descriptions, virtual tours, and driving directions to every main and alternate access point. I'm a Minnesota native currently living in Denver. I have not done anything about it for approximately three years. But the frame around the hip pads really dug into my hip bones. I knew early in the day I wanted to push all the way to Kenosha that day, but wasn’t sure it would happen given Alex’s soreness and the predicted afternoon thunderstorms. A nice 500’ climb passes the Blair Witch trail and tops out at an old fenceline. Squeeze us it did. MAD Hippies Life 107 views Day 4 of a detailed online journal documenting a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango. Morale, already low, started to decline further. Go right at the fork, and continue towards Wellington Lake for another 3 miles. Dust off your backpack and spend a couple nights under the stars along this incredible portion of the Colorado Trail. At least, that was the plan. Trail on South Platte River and Spring Creek in Pike National Forest. Now it's time to step it up again: I'm section hiking the Colorado Trail. But I loved the ability to look straight ahead and even upward, rather than directly at the ground. This hike is on of our favorite segments of the Colorado Trail. At Wellington Reservoir, it becomes Wellington Lake Road #105. Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core SL: Every time I’m halfway into blowing this up, I swear it always went faster the previous time. Trail crews, due to the virus, hadn’t yet been able to work on the section. Not long after, a car rolled into the parking lot and we were saved! Luckily the wayfinding was not as difficult as we’d predicted, with the help of Guthook and following others’ tracks. Lost Creek Wilderness Area is one of Colorado’s best kept backpacking areas. As we drove back down the bumpy dirt road to Kenosha, the sky darkened, thunder rumbled, and snow flurried, making us enormously thankful for having the opportunity to bail on our plans. NEMO Hornet 2p: A lightweight backpacking tent! Colorado Trail Segment 4, 2019. The following two resources are absolutely essential for doing any significant amount of hiking along the Colorado Trail. At least, that was the plan. We drove an early-season thru-hiker down to Jefferson for his first resupply and it was fun to talk to a Triple Crowner, if only for a few minutes! MAP: Trails Illustrated PERMITS: none (easy self-registration for wilderness areas) DESIGNATION: primarily 7 different National Forests BEST SEASONS: July, August, September DISTANCE: 485 miles from Denver to Durango WATER: I thru-hiked with 4 liters capacity. Video 4 of 28. At This Time (my pandemic catchphrase), the plan is to section hike the first undefined chunk, and thru-hike another large chunk over a couple weeks. How to thru-hike the Colorado Trail from end to end complete with a detailed and zoomable interactive map of the entire 486 mile long distance trail. At least, that was the plan. The Colorado Trail is divided into 33 segments which includes a choice … This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. On Friday afternoon, Alex and I got on the road midafternoon in an attempt to beat the weekend traffic and get a head start on car shuttling. Do yourself a favor: don’t leave home without throwing these two invaluable items in your pack. Segment 4 of the Colorado Trail brings the hiker up out of the Ponderosa pine forests north of the Lost Creek Wilderness and into the open parks and Lodgepole pine and Douglas fir forests to the west. FS-560 Wellington Lake Road/Rolling Creek Trailhead to Kenosha Pass (but not really), Gossamer Gear LT5 Carbon Trekking Poles Review, 19 Things 2021 Appalachian Trail Hikers Need to Know, Hiking Fanny Packs: The Ultimate Thru-Hiking Accessory, 5 Things You Should Know About the Lone Star Hiking Trail, 5 Books You Need to Read to Better Appreciate the Outdoors, Best Deals from the Backcountry Post-Cyber Sale. A few groups headed off in the same direction, but after hiking another three miles to another creek-side campsite, we had the whole area to ourselves. You’ll need Colorado Trail references both while planning your trip and on the trail. Colorado Trail Gear Review - What Worked What Didn't - Electronics and Safety 2020 - Duration: 1:23:49. We passed several groups throughout the day, but everyone was headed in the other direction, which was only slightly ominous. DEBRIS FIELDS – There are 4 … This tent tapers from the head to the feet so our sleeping pads were nearly on top of each other at the foot end. Maybe it was the developing trail legs and dwindling food weight in my backpack, but segment 5 was the first day I remember feeling excited about the views on the Colorado Trail. Having started late and hiking until nearly sunset, we had chores to do before bed: filter water, find a place to hang the bear bag, hang said bear bag, eat dinner, and set up the tent, sleeping pads, and bags. The Colorado Trail has an average elevation of over 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), which shouldn’t be taken lightly. The highlights of Colorado Trail segment 5 include the Lost Creek Wilderness, Kenosha Pass and lots of beautiful leaf viewing in the fall. Elevation profile. It always amazes us how you can hike on a July weekend and run into just a handful of other folks. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. We didn’t expect them to abandon us, but would have no actual way of knowing if they were on their way for us. Segment 4 FS-560 (Wellington Lake Road) Trailhead to Long Gulch 16.6 miles 3,271 feet Segment 5 Long Gulch to Kenosha Pass 14.6 miles 1,858 feet Segment 6 Kenosha Pass to Goldhill Trailhead 32.9 miles 5,196 feet Segment 7 Goldhill Trailhead to Copper Mountain 12.8 miles 3,674 feet Segment 8 This segment definitely seemed like a mountain bikers dream. This section of the Colorado Trail closely follows the old Hooper Trail, a logging road built in 1885 by W.W. Hooper and two others to their millsite at the highpoint between Craig Creek and the North Fork of Lost Creek. Like. You will inevitably deal with a decent amount of elevation gain. We decided we needed to hike as much as possible during any clear (read: non-hailing or lightning) spots and pause for shelter when necessary. The day was warm and sunny, nothing hinting at the colder temperatures and precipitation in the forecast. If you’ve read my previous posts, you know that Alex is not a huge lover of big-mile days. Colorado Trail Segment 4 was our favorite of the CT so far, until we hiked segment 5. By J.B. Bissell • July 24, 2018 I capped off three straight weekends of CT section hiking with something of a grand finale: sections of trail, more than 30 miles, over four days. Colorado Trail Segments 4-5: The Bail I capped off three straight weekends of CT section hiking with something of a grand finale: two sections of trail, more than 30 miles, over four days. After tackling segment 4 and a bit of 5 in one day, we camped for the night and woke up to colder temperatures and nasty weather. Elbert is also found on Segment 11 of the CT, ~4.43 miles from the start of Segment 11 and much closer to the town of Twin Lakes (39.1102, -106.3935). Continue on CR 68 through Insmont and Eastabrook (Note that CR 68 turns into Forest Road (FR) 560). Here’s the trail, segment by segment: Published July 27, 2015. The trail and area was quiet despite the holiday weekend; we passed one other group at the Lost Creek Wilderness boundary and had one group of camp neighbors. 4/5. You can read more about my personal experience hiking this section of the Colorado Trail by checking out: Colorado Camping (how I almost went down in a burning ring of fire). Our tent is obviously very sloped in this picture, though we of course didn’t notice until we were going to bed. The hip pads were more comfortable to me than the Aura, but it didn’t fit my sleeping bag as well. When you reach Kenosha Pass Trail you will need to go to the east side of HWY 285 to park. We knew some weather was approaching on Sunday and Monday so, influenced by talking to our camp neighbors, decided to go for more miles on Saturday to shorten up the latter days. It’s well known that the goal for 2012 is to travel ALL of the Colorado Trail – the 500+ miles on the bike and the 146.9 (+) Wilderness miles on foot. From here follow a well defined trail winding its way through the Buffalo Creek Fire (1996). It also requires a rather precise setup, in my opinion; the anchors in each corner don’t lend themselves to a flat tent floor. Rolling Creek/Colorado Trail (east trailhead); Continue on Highway 285 until you reach Bailey. Although mountain biking is not allowed in the wilderness area (about half of the segment), it is possible to bike the western portion of the trail. Once in Bailey, hang an immediate left onto County Road (CR) 68 (Wellington Lake Road). As you just read, it was practically winter for this test run, so we had the fly on. and ride back to Platte River Trailhead for a great out and back ride. I finally started a journey toward getting my first-ever backpacking backpack that was not made for my 11-foot-tall brother. Miles: 31.2 (but not really) Our hike of on this segment of the Colorado Trail was filled with snow and graupel showers, thundersnow and poor visibility. The youngest backpacker I’ve ever seen) got altitude sickness on top of the poor weather. While hiking the Colorado Trail, we loved the guidebook’s detail and the ease of being able to stash the databook in a highly accessible pocket. In Segment 24 of The Colorado Trail, there are large, avalanche debris fields that will be unavoidable all 2020 Trail season and beyond. But, as we rounded a bend, we saw a completely unexpected sight: a trailhead, with a single car, that our compatriot hiking couple plus baby was getting into. They gave us the scoop on the last seven miles we all had to trek to Kenosha, which they’d hiked the day before—a mix of exposed and sheltered, not ideal for thunderstorm weather. Shared By: Hiking Project Staff with improvements by K Keiter Full Details. From the junction, it’s 3.5 miles to the summit on a Class 1 trail. Colorado Trail Segment 4 is by far the most pretty of the first 4 segments while working through 16.6 miles of hiking and 3,330 feet of elevation gain. Activities: Hiking, Camping, Snowshoeing, Skiing, Closest Towns: Bailey, Grant, and Jefferson, Colorado. We chose to end this segment at Deckers Rd. Land Manager: USFS - Pike National Forest - South Platte Ranger District. Gregory Jade 63: The alternate pack I tested out when completing Segment 5 with Taylor. Beautiful sweeping trail and and awesome view of the 10-Mile range follows. Shortly thereafter the operation was closed down by Department of the Interior agents (pre-Forest Service) for timber trespass. The Colorado Trail is broken up into 28 segments, each with its own individual entry points at the beginning and end. Since we’d bailed at a trailhead along the trail, it was simple to go back to Segment 5 a couple weeks later and finish up the rest of the segment we’d missed as a day hike. Colorado Trail Segment 2 . Just past Windy Peak Outdoor Lab, you'll find the Colorado Trail Segment 4 parking area. One of the scariest lightning storms that we have ever witnessed occurred while we were paralleling the North Fork of Lost Creek during our thru-hike of the Colorado Trail. Things did not go according to plan. CT - Segment 4: FS-560 Wellington Lake Road to Long Gulch ... Colorado Trail (CT) Contacts. The Colorado Trail: Segments 4 & 5. I brought Taylor (meet Taylor: good friend and hydrology extraordinaire) to introduce her to the joys of car shuttling and tried to convey the misery of our bail while hiking toward Kenosha, this time under warm and sunny skies. Another highlight of segment 5 is its moderate terrain. We instantly said yes, and they drove off. This segment (5) of the Colorado trail is easy to moderate in difficulty. While we understood prior to the hike that late May in the mountains is by no means summertime, hiking through the snow we hadn’t really expected reminded us that late May in the mountains can just as likely mean winter as spring. 
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