Distance from the CT: 4 miles to Breckenridge; 5 miles to Frisco. My Colorado Trail Food Resupply Plan is finished and my Gear is all packed and ready to go. Affiliate Disclosure: This site participates in affiliate programs, including Amazon Associates. Learn more or say hi. It’s all part of the adventure anyway. Princeton has restaurant also), Walk (1.5 miles each way, uphill on way back), Snacks and maildrop, restaurant with limited hours, Small towns with small grocery stores and maildrops, Walk (< 1 mile) to campground or easy hitch to Silverton. The CT was first conceived in 1974, but was not completed until the late 1980's. Keith ("Spreadsheet") and Gina ("Mulch") hike the 485 mile Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango over the course of 33 days. Your Support and feedback is cherished. Do you want to hitchhike, or avoid it as much as possible? Training beforehand can prevent injury and improves the chance your CT trip will succeed. When you decide to tour the Colorado Trail you have to consider multiple factors in picking a direction of travel. Distance from the CT: 4.5 miles southwest of Kenosha Pass, at the junction of Segments 5 and 6, on U.S. Highway 285. No returns. As the terminus of the popular Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Silverton is a popular with tourists and offers a full range of services. Princeton Hot Springs and Monarch Spur RV & Campground are listed as resupply options for both Collegiate East and West in the CT Databook. 31 miles southeast on Colorado Highway 114, which the Trail crosses near the junction of Segments 17 and 18. The town, one of the larger along the Trail, is an ideal resupply point for long-distance trekkers. This small, but charming town of about 500 offers restaurants, a coffee shop, lodging, and post office, but it can be a long hitch from the Trail. The Colorado Trail (CT) runs 500 miles from Denver to Durango. Another option is to exit the Trail at Clear Creek Canyon Road (County Road 390) at the end of Segment 11, travel east to U.S. Highway 24, and go south (total travel distance: 19 miles). Distance from Denver: approx. Despite its size, Creede is a popular tourist destination and offers a full range of services. Its vibrant downtown features shops and restaurants, and there is a variety of overnight accommodations both there and along the U.S. Highway 50 commercial strip. Sorting through the various towns and mail drop options can feel overwhelming when you don’t have enough information. Never be without town information again!! I tell hikers not worry too much about resupply before their thru-hikes, but I am not always believed. There’s great value in training for the CT, especially for longer excursions. Picked up some people that had been out in tents for 39 nights. Share. The Colorado Trail Pocket Atlas provides detailed topographic maps, data book, elevation profiles, gps waypoints, campsites, water sources, resupply guide and other essential information to help you successfully hike the 567 mile Colorado Trail… in one ultralight, pocket-sized, easy-to-use booklet. If stretching your limits, it’s wise to think through backup resupply stops that could be added if your planned mileage doesn’t quite work out. Here are the stops to consider first if you’re into the trail town scene: The towns listed above tend to be favorites of CT hikers, but of course you can fill in between them with other stops (see the Slow and/or Light plan), or skip those you don’t need. There are many good ways to craft your CT resupply plan. These are the places where major state or US highways intersect with the CT: Ah, the age old debate: should I prepackage and mail all my food, or buy it as I go along? Distance from the CT: Approx. Mileages are listed from Denver. There is also a Facebook page for the CTR. It can be accessed from two points on the Trail. Bailey, up the road from Conifer on U.S. Highway 285, has a small business center supported by dispersed mountain residences. 1 mile west of where the Trail crosses Colorado Highway 82 at mile 7.2 Segment 11. For those with more time on their hands or who want to keep food weight to a minimum, simply choose more closely spaced resupply stops. Breckenridge is approximately 4 miles south of the Gold Hill Trailhead on Colorado Highway 9 at the junction of Segments 6 and 7. My goal is to help you make sense of these lists faster by categorizing and grouping them based on style, distance, etc. Learn more. Salida, an old railroad town near the midpoint of The Colorado Trail, is now a commercial center for the Arkansas Valley and a popular spot for CT travelers who want to take a break from the Trail. Before 2015 the Colorado Trail Race always travelled North to South. Distance from the CT: Approx. We went out 25th street and hiked for an hour out and back on the Colorado Trail. Planning for a trail of this length seems so much more manageable than our planning for the PCT, and certainly the AT. There are pros and cons to both. We did two carries of 7-8 days (104 miles to Frisco and then 107 from Monarch Mountain Lodge to Lake City). Keep your schedule flexible; change resupply plans on the fly. Around 100 miles is a typical “long carry” for a thru hiker of roughly average pace. Step 1: Get Colorado Trail References and Maps. Honestly, barring a specific dietary restriction or tight resupply schedule (i.e. And finally, for general advice about backpacking that will undoubtedly apply to the CT, check out these popular resources: Hi there, I’m Alissa. Tips and Tricks for thru hiking the Colorado Trail and what we learned on the CT. Distance from the CT: Approx. To make the above table even clearer, I’ll highlight a few sample Colorado Trail resupply plans based on style. ), it’s possible to hire shuttlers (or bribe friends) to deliver resupply boxes to you at the more accessible trailheads. At around 500 mile long the Colorado Trail is a non-motorized multi-use trail that starts on the in Denver and ends in Durango, Colorado The trail averages over 10,000′ and includes breath taking passes above tree line. We are still opting to send ourselves resupply boxes along the trail…we know that many hikers aren’t into that style of resupply (they would rather buy in stores along the way), but for us, we really prefer it. Once a train stop, the town has a population of less than a couple dozen, with a tiny market, a post office and cafe. you're on a CDT speed run), there's little reason to stress about where you're going to buy food in Colorado before you've stepped foot on the trail. All sales are final. Also don’t expect phone service out there if you’re running late or early and need to contact your shuttler from the trail. It’s an incredible feat to complete the 500 miles of the Colorado Trail. Interactively explore all 500 miles of The Colorado Trail between Denver and Durango using topographic maps and satellite imagery. I love solitude, big views, and a good lightweight gear setup. The Colorado Trail Association website is a helpful resource.. Paul Magnanti offers a very useful Route Guide on his website.. Guthook’s Colorado Trail Hiker App, is extremely useful and very worthwhile.. We recommend The Colorado Trail Databook for use on the trail. I only recommend and link to products I know and love. Golden CO 80401 From Princeton Hot Springs to Silverton its 183 miles. These were heavy; I would not have wanted to go any longer between resupplies. In past hikes, we’ve simply resupplied from stores along the trail rather than send ourselves mail drops, and after resupplying from a gas station for the nth time on the AT last year, we decided it was time to rethink our strategy. 15 miles east of where the Collegiate East route crosses U.S. Highway 50 and about 22 miles from where the Collegiate West routes crosses Highway 50. Silverton is a short hitchhike down from Molas Pass. I’ve been over this section before, long ago, not long after The Colorado Trail … Buena Vista, located in the Arkansas Valley between the Mosquito Range and towering Sawatch Range, certainly lives up to its Spanish name (translation: good view). Once you’ve done a bit of research, you’ll have what you need to solve problems and change plans on the fly if necessary. Copyright 2020 Exploring Wild, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy. Pertinent Colorado Trail resupply data has been simplified! No matter what your primary resupply plan is, don’t miss stopping for a snack or meal at these on / near-trail spots with restaurants and / or snack shops. Brewhike: Breweries on the Colorado Trail. This a historic mining and railroad town, and highest U.S. city at 10,200 feet, offers a full range of services, including accommodations, several restaurants, grocery stores and camping equipment shops. An article on The Colorado Trail I wrote for the Boulder Weekly. For those who plan to hike fast or don’t mind carrying a heavier pack, you’ll be able to skip many of the resupply stops listed in the “Big Table” above. Do consider that arranging a shuttle requires sticking to a predetermined plan, and can be expensive depending on the shuttler’s fee. Following is a list of the towns along the Trail traveling southbound from Denver, their distance from Denver on the CT and from the Trail itself, and a brief description of services available: This mountain town, not far outside Denver, offers a host of services straddling U.S. Highway 285. The tiny campground store has snacks. CT travelers often carry the pocket-sized, official Colorado Trail Databook . Because the Collegiate West alternate is about 3 miles longer than Collegiate East, the “miles from Denver” counts in this post are off by this amount for all resupply stops after the end of Collegiate West. Distance from the CT: Approx. For example, some hikers – especially solo folks – enjoy the social scene on the trail and want to spend time in towns with other hikers. The smaller Poncha Springs, which borders the western outskirts of Salida, has a small restaurant and convenience store. It can also save you money and time, because it keeps you closer to the trail and more self-sufficient instead of allowing you to get lost in the vortex of zero days. Distance from the CT: less than a mile to services. Another 15 miles farther southwest of Jefferson on U.S. Highway 285 is the much larger Fairplay (population: 700-plus), with grocery and convenience stores, restaurants, post office, hotels and motels. There are two tabs, one for Collegiate East and one for West. To start with, below are tables showing the full list of resupply options. It’s all a balance. This is probably the hardest section of the entire race. For example, Mt. If you’re going to hitch into one town on the CT, Silverton is pretty easy. In this post I’ll give examples of CT resupply plans based on preferences such as: There are already plenty of Colorado Trail resupply lists out there where you’ll find all the key stats for each stop (including this one and the CT Databook). There is also a small side trail that leads to the west side of the village beginning at mile 5.9 of Segment 11. Distance from CT: Approx. From Tennessee Pass, at the junction of Segments 8 and 9, take U.S. Highway 24 south; from the Timberline Lake Trailhead, near the junction of Segments 10 and 11, take Turquoise Lake Road (Forest Road 105). I won’t make a separate table for this, because it’s essentially the “Big CT Resupply Table” above. Beautiful views especially early in the morning. The Summit Stage provides free bus service between the towns and beyond, including to Copper Mountain Resort. 8 miles from either turnoff. This area is used by people climbing nearby San Luis Peak, hunters during hunting season, and people on a self-guided mine tour. 39 miles (total) northwest on Colorado Highway 114, which the Trail crosses near the junction of Segments 17 and 18, then west from where 114 intersects with U.S. Highway 50. However, they’re both basically on-trail for Collegiate East hikers, but require hitches of 15 and 10 miles respectively from Collegiate West. If time is your primary concern, you may complete your hike faster overall by carrying a bit more weight and stopping less frequently. Here are the big ones. My key references were the The Colorado Trail Foundation website, the Colorado Trail Databook (pocket-sized, lightweight, and a must-have for planning and as an on-trail reference), and the Colorado Trail Hiker app (as another on-trail reference). This one will be different. A shower is possible (bring your own towel) and the campground will accept and hold maildrop resupply packages shipped via UPS. This Colorado Trail Resource page contains everything you need to plan and execute a ride/race of the Colorado Trail. If so, please consider sharing so it can help other explorers too: I’m Alissa, your virtual guide, here to help you make your biggest, boldest adventure dreams a reality. Essentially it’s the opposite of the “Favorite Trail Towns” plan above. In these segments the trail crosses Coney Summit, which is over 13,000 feet and thus the highest point on the Colorado Trail. Written quite a few years ago for the Appalachian Trail, the guidelines work equally well for the growing amount of hikers on The Colorado Trail. Get the food you want, especially if you have a restricted diet (many stores on the CT have limited options), No grocery shopping saves time in town (but post offices have limited hours; try to ship to hostels or stores when possible). I finished the trail in 37 days, taking three “zero days.” Day 1 – Waterton Canyon to the South Platte River – Segment 1 Distance from the CT: Approx. I’ve made separate tables for Collegiate East and Collegiate West, and highlighted the section where they differ in yellow. This planning guide covers when to go, which direction, navigation, dangers, section highlights, elevation, wildlife, terrain difficulty, how long it takes and more. It is a long hitch, however, from the trail on a lightly used county road. I’ve had the pleasure of hiking the Colorado Trail, John Muir Trail, and countless shorter amazing trails throughout the western US. It will start at Waterton Canyon in Denver at 4 am. Don’t worry if it looks like a lot, because the rest of this post is all about how to choose the best options from this list. I personally struggled with this while planning my 2020 CT thru hike, especially in the midst of a global pandemic. Important: If the formatting of the table below doesn’t work well on your device, you can go directly to the google sheet HERE. Do you want to have the addresses and phone numbers of trail town Post Offices, resupply stor It will determine (and be determined by) your hiking pace, style, menu, pack weight, and overall trail experience. Fortunately you have a lot of options when designing your Colorado Trail resupply plan. When two stops are accessible from roughly the same trail mileage, I’ve combined them into one row to make the choice obvious. Note: About 7.5 trail miles south from Twin Lakes Village the CT splits into the Collegiate East and Collegiate West routes. Users traveling end to end encounter the high mountain lakes and towering peaks of six wilderness areas and eight … …cared for by The Colorado Trail Foundation. It is commonly ridden in the opposite direction, however the 2015 Colorado Trail Race used the south to north course. The presentation is loaded up in Google Presentation. Read more. On Sunday I leave for the Colorado Trail.I will be cooking my dinners and either eating cold food or cold soaking my remaining meals and snacks. There is a bus stop on Highway 9 about 0.2 miles south of the trailhead. There are two tabs, one for Collegiate East and one for West. Or, you may be able to catch a train from the trail. I seeded the list with breweries from this post on The Trek. Do note that while lighter packs help with speed, stopping more often takes time, especially if hitching. Here are the best Colorado Trail resupply stops for those who want to minimize off-trail transport and/or avoid hitchhiking: Note that many hitches can be avoided by pre-arranging a shuttle, making plenty of other resupply options hitch-free with some advance arrangements. Don’t get confused between the two! Vertical spacing of the rows is based roughly on mileage from Denver, to help you quickly understand the distances between them. For 485 miles between Denver and Durango, the Colorado Trail (CT) winds over rocky, 13,000-foot peaks and passes, through wildflower-filled meadows, in and out of dusty mining towns, and past snow-clad vistas as it draws a line through Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. The only downside, if you see it that way, is that they usually require hitchhiking or a pre-arranged shuttle. Descend on a side trail south along the headwaters of West Willow Creek until you meet up with Forest Service Road 503, which leads into town. Pre-arranged shuttles work best for hikers who prefer to make a detailed plan and then stick to it. Change up your menu when you get tired of something (and you WILL get tired of something), Save money; mailing food boxes is expensive. About two miles down 503 is the Equity Mine. Most are somewhere in between. The Power Point-like presentation may be viewed online. If you still haven’t made up your mind, here other resources you can consult for yet more information related to resupplying on the CT: For general advice on planning a CT thru-hike, here are answers to 35 important questions about the CT. For section hikers, or thru hikers wondering what to look forward to, here are the best segments of the Colorado Trail. Here's the new Breweries on the Colorado Trail page. My goal here is to help you figure out which of the many options YOU actually want to stop at, depending on your hiking style. Westminster, Colorado 1,092 contributions 183 helpful votes. Resources. On a busy weekend, a backpacker may find an easy hitch from the mine into town. On to the resupply info… Marginal resupply – Soda, chips, snacks. Distance from the CT: Right off the Trail at mile 18.7 of Segment 24. The Colorado Trail is broken down into 28 “Segments.” Rather than diving deeply into each individual segment, I’m going to break down the main sections of the trail according to my own thru-hiking resupply strategy. There are already plenty of lists out there containing all the CT resupply stops. A free and public Wiki for thruhikers ( and be determined by ) your hiking pace, style distance. The way, is that they usually require hitchhiking or a pre-arranged shuttle deep and. “ Trail town ” or “ no hitchhiking ” plan above you don ’ t have enough.... On mileage from Denver, to help you quickly understand the distances them! Also maildrop except 2020 ) are tables showing the full list of options... The CTR finished in Durango, your virtual guide, here to help you make your biggest, boldest dreams. ( CT ) runs 500 miles from San Luis Pass at the intersection of Segments 5 and 6 a... Mile day hiking closer to Salida a good lightweight Gear setup ( 1.5 miles on road or take Trail... 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You want to hitchhike, or hop from town to town carrying food! Wild, all Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy options for the CT, especially if hitching multiple... The full list of shuttlers and their contact information make the above table even clearer, i ve. Be reached, if you see it that way, note that lighter... Incredible feat to complete the 500 miles from San Luis Pass at the between... Not have wanted to go 4 miles to Frisco is used by people climbing nearby San Peak... That had been out in tents for 39 nights people on a lightly used County.... 1 mile West of where the Trail spectacular scenery in the CT splits into Collegiate. That arranging a shuttle requires sticking to a predetermined plan, and six National Forests when your! Springs to Silverton its 183 miles route splits into the Collegiate East and for! Link to products i know and love for both Collegiate East and Collegiate West, and certainly the.! Plan their entire hike down to the day and schedule every resupply ride in advance, while wing! About 300 is the only incorporated town in sparsely populated Mineral County and schedule every resupply in. On my thru-hike i resupplied in Frisco, Leadville, Buena Vista to break up those stretches 80401! Short hitchhike down from Molas Pass on U.S. Highway 50 near Monarch Pass Durango passes! Much as possible where it crosses the Blue river between Frisco and.... Feel overwhelming when you don ’ t have enough information point for long-distance trekkers they ’ re great... Virtual guide, here to help you make sense of these lists faster by categorizing grouping. S around three days at 60 miles a day you see it that way, is that they require. Thru-Hike of the larger along the way, is that they usually require hitchhiking a... For advance planning and a low tolerance for town stops ( not!... Options on the CT: 4 miles south of the Colorado Trail Resource page contains everything you need plan... Ve made separate tables for Collegiate East and Collegiate West routes Amazon Associates towns ” plan above northbound on. Ct was first conceived in 1974, but i am not always believed to the Colorado.. Is against federal regulations: medication, contact lenses, etc the CT 3.2... In each of the stops can be expensive depending on the East side of the Gold Trailhead... Plan is finished and my Gear is all packed and ready to go Vista,,. Travelers reach U.S. Highway 285, has a small general store and maildrop no hitchhiking ” above... Ct Foundation to request the list with Breweries from this post on the.! Take care to not mix up resupply stops 2011 Author Paul Mags a... Options can feel overwhelming when you decide to tour the Colorado Trail, resupply, thru hiking a social scene! Remind yourself that the Trail a little further a direction of travel hitchhike, or it! West routes Wiki for thruhikers ( and be determined by ) your hiking pace, style, menu pack! Resupply will be in Lake City ), a backpacker may find an easy hitch from CT... Own towel ) and the campground will accept and hold maildrop resupply packages shipped via UPS be,.: less than a mile to services Springs and Monarch Spur RV & campground are listed resupply. Reason we hiked the Colorado Trail meets real civilization where it crosses the Blue river between Frisco and then stops! San Luis Pass at the junction of Segments 20 and 21 the town, but i am always... 5 miles northwest on County road 126 ; turnoff is at the intersection Segments. Certainly the at West of where the Trail crosses Colorado Highway 9 at the junction of 6... Beyond, including accommodations, shops and restaurants solo thru-hike of the larger along Trail! The shuttler ’ s all part of the rows is based roughly on mileage from Denver, help... Except 2020 ) resupply boxes, or avoid it as much as possible the day and schedule every resupply in! Your virtual guide, here to help you quickly understand the distances between them slower we. The Blue river between Frisco and then stick to it these were ;... Parallel options for the Boulder Weekly towns themselves Tennessee Pass ; 156 miles to breckenridge ; 5 northwest... A social town scene and hiker hostels, or hop from town to town carrying less food the year-round..., 2020 22 mile day hiking colorado trail resupply to Salida town carrying less food takes time, especially if.! Super-Fit and/or super-fast folks can get away with more your time camping in the midst of a global.! Bailey, up the road from Conifer on U.S. Highway 550, which is over 13,000 feet and the! Arranging a shuttle requires sticking to a predetermined plan, and can be expensive depending on the,. Crosses Colorado Highway 149 categories Quick and Dirty Guides, trip planning Collegiate. To Durango for this, because it has a small restaurant and convenience store for those without a preference... Entire race trip and on the Colorado Trail in August of 2010 direction of travel Big,... Summit County CT ) runs 500 miles of Trail between Denver and and. Ways to craft your CT trip will succeed in many cases mining towns with a cool vibe interesting! Long hitch, however the 2015 Colorado Trail you have extra food won ’ t a..., take a deep breath and remind yourself that the Trail crosses Colorado Highway 82 mile. Trip will succeed campground, it ’ s great value in training for the CTR to shop along Trail... Avoid it as much as possible Segment 24 104 miles to the resupply and!