colorado trail segment 4 and 5
This hike is on of our favorite segments of the Colorado Trail. Midmorning, we saw a couple hiking in the same direction as us and leapfrogged with them a few times. Things did not go according to plan. 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. Continue on. I finally started a journey toward getting my first-ever backpacking backpack that was not made for my 11-foot-tall brother. The segment starts off with a large climb on miles 3-7, works through a beautiful 5 mile field with endless views and ends in a valley. The Colorado Trail: Segments 4 & 5. By J.B. Bissell • July 24, 2018 A nice 500’ climb passes the Blair Witch trail and tops out at an old fenceline. 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. Interactively explore all 500 miles of The Colorado Trail between Denver and Durango using topographic maps and satellite imagery. The following two resources are absolutely essential for doing any significant amount of hiking along the Colorado Trail. You’ll need Colorado Trail references both while planning your trip and on the trail. Nonetheless, the inclines are relatively gradual, and the trekking is not too difficult. For Segment 5 (Long Gulch Trailhead to Kenosha East Trailhead), bikes are not allowed beyond/east of the Rock Creek Road/NFSR 133 from the Rock Creek Trailhead. 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 is broken up into 28 segments, each with its own individual entry points at the beginning and end. 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! There are multiple signs on the top of the Pass that delineate the Colorado Trail Trailhead. 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. Dust off your backpack and spend a couple nights under the stars along this incredible portion of the Colorado Trail. Don’t let this story scare you away from this marvelous wilderness area, however. Take Highway 285 to the summit of Kenosha Pass. The Colorado Trail is 485 miles, stretching from Denver, Colorado, to Durango, Colorado. 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. Highlights of Colorado Trail Segment 5. Liz’s (one of Nomad Colorado’s primary authors) hair stood on end as we rushed from one grouping of trees to the next. 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. 4.5 (11) ... Colorado Trail (CT) Shared By: Hiking Project Staff with improvements by K Keiter Full Details. 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. More Stats for Colorado Trail (Seg 5.2) bike trail Visit Nomad Colorado’s complete list of Colorado hiking trails for hundreds of great hiking options in the Centennial State! Now it's time to step it up again: I'm section hiking the Colorado Trail. To learn more, please visit the About This Site page. Just past Windy Peak Outdoor Lab, you'll find the Colorado Trail Segment 4 parking area. It always amazes us how you can hike on a July weekend and run into just a handful of other folks. Beautiful sweeping trail and and awesome view of the 10-Mile range follows. We passed several groups throughout the day, but everyone was headed in the other direction, which was only slightly ominous. At the top, the trail briefly re-enters the trees and then passes through a gate that marks the end of the meadow. 4/5. 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). Shared By: Hiking Project Staff with improvements by K Keiter Full Details. Type: backpacking. At Wellington Reservoir, it becomes Wellington Lake Road #105. Endpoints: FS-560 Wellington Lake Road/Rolling Creek Trailhead to Kenosha Pass (but not really) Colorado Hiking Trails: Are you looking for other places to hike? Osprey Aura AG 65: Attention! Hiking the Colorado Trail. Lost Creek Wilderness Area is one of Colorado’s best kept backpacking areas. Not long after, a car rolled into the parking lot and we were saved! In January, 2018, I departed on what would be an endless amount of weekend section hikes, tackling the Colorado Trail segment by segment. Activities: Hiking, Camping, Snowshoeing, Skiing, Closest Towns: Bailey, Grant, and Jefferson, Colorado. July 14, 2018 Even though they’re less than an hour’s drive from Denver, Colorado Trail Segments 4 & 5 offer solitude and beauty. That would give us the option to finish Segment 5 on Sunday rather than Monday-desirable with the cold rain that was predicted to arrive. I've been gradually leveling up my hiking game from short day hikes to backcountry overnighters. Also, the side extenders can only be used when the fly is on, and those little do-dads are actually pretty handy. At this point in the day, we were tired and sore. In Segment 24 of The Colorado Trail, there are large, avalanche debris fields that will be unavoidable all 2020 Trail season and beyond. August 2010. Segment three was incredibly beautiful. The day was warm and sunny, nothing hinting at the colder temperatures and precipitation in the forecast. Miles: 31.2 (but not really) This tent tapers from the head to the feet so our sleeping pads were nearly on top of each other at the foot end. Pretty quickly, we realized the added precariousness of our situation. 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. Trail crews, due to the virus, hadn’t yet been able to work on the section. Hiking Poles: One of my poles has its rubber cover, but I lost the other one. Trail on South Platte River and Spring Creek in Pike National Forest. 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. 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. Worth Noting: Pssssstttt!!! I have not done anything about it for approximately three years. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining when we awoke. Dust off your backpack and spend a couple nights under the stars along this incredible portion of the Colorado Trail. It’s only a 2 mile round trip so perfect for a day hike, or a leisurely afternoon. The Colorado Trail has an average elevation of over 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), which shouldn’t be taken lightly. Morale, already low, started to decline further. 40,000 words and 1,500 photos. 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. When it started hailing at the top of a rise, morale plummeted. After that, we went straight to bed. Unlike the previous day, we had plenty of daylight to set up camp. 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. It also requires a rather precise setup, in my opinion; the anchors in each corner don’t lend themselves to a flat tent floor. Me with a mouthful of dinner at our campsite Friday night. 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. 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. Step 1: Get Colorado Trail References and Maps. The highlights of Colorado Trail segment 5 include the Lost Creek Wilderness, Kenosha Pass and lots of beautiful leaf viewing in the fall. Do yourself a favor: don’t leave home without throwing these two invaluable items in your pack. Continue on CR 68 through Insmont and Eastabrook (Note that CR 68 turns into Forest Road (FR) 560). Right past our campsite, we hit the infamous (at the time) blowdown—a couple of miles where fallen trees almost completely obscured the trail. CT - Segment 5: Long Gulch to Kenosha Pass Intermediate. Fortunately, the trail is well worn and our guide book helped with navigation. From there, we gradually walked down out of the forest and into the long valley meadow that somewhat defines Segment 4. My brother, Glenn, and I recently hiked segments 4 & 5 of the Colorado Trail. 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. 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. I'm just as curious as you to see how that plan will go, so stay tuned! 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. But it would be a bummer midsummer. We also performed our first act of trail magic, if you can call it that. We didn’t expect them to abandon us, but would have no actual way of knowing if they were on their way for us. We chose to end this segment at Deckers Rd. 
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