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. This tent tapers from the head to the feet so our sleeping pads were nearly on top of each other at the foot end. I'm just as curious as you to see how that plan will go, so stay tuned! July 14, 2018 Even though they’re less than an hour’s drive from Denver, Colorado Trail Segments 4 & 5 offer solitude and beauty. A Kenosha Pass Trail must-visit. 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. Pretty quickly, we realized the added precariousness of our situation. 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. Colorado Trail segment 2 officially ends at the Little Scraggy Trail (marked on map). Even though they’re less than an hour’s drive from Denver, Colorado Trail Segments 4 & 5 offer solitude and beauty. 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. The Colorado Trail is divided into 33 segments which includes a choice … 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. 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). Also, the side extenders can only be used when the fly is on, and those little do-dads are actually pretty handy. Just past Windy Peak Outdoor Lab, you'll find the Colorado Trail Segment 4 parking area. It also requires a rather precise setup, in my opinion; the anchors in each corner don’t lend themselves to a flat tent floor. 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. Worth Noting: Pssssstttt!!! 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. Lost Creek Wilderness Area is one of Colorado’s best kept backpacking areas. Gregory Jade 63: The alternate pack I tested out when completing Segment 5 with Taylor. 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. 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. Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core SL: Every time I’m halfway into blowing this up, I swear it always went faster the previous time. I hiked until I found Brian again, and we camped by a small stream near mile 33.4. After leaving Alex’s car at Kenosha Pass and driving mine to Rolling Creek Trailhead (the start of Segment 4), we set off. Nonetheless, the inclines are relatively gradual, and the trekking is not too difficult. The Colorado Trail is 485 miles, stretching from Denver, Colorado, to Durango, Colorado. 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. One of the more scenic sections of the CT that requires minimal effort to experience a little taste of the backcountry. Turn right to continue on the Colorado Trail away from the wilderness to Kenosha Pass. 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. CT - Segment 4: FS-560 Wellington Lake Road to Long Gulch ... Colorado Trail (CT) Contacts. Like. To learn more, please visit the About This Site page. Squeeze us it did. Don’t let this story scare you away from this marvelous wilderness area, however. The Colorado Trail has an average elevation of over 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), which shouldn’t be taken lightly. 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. 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. Colorado Trail Segment 4, 2019. After that, we went straight to bed. At least, that was the plan. 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. Unlike the previous day, we had plenty of daylight to set up camp. Hiking Poles: One of my poles has its rubber cover, but I lost the other one. 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. Shared By: Hiking Project Staff with improvements by K Keiter Full Details. When you reach Kenosha Pass Trail you will need to go to the east side of HWY 285 to park. and ride back to Platte River Trailhead for a great out and back ride. From there, the trail heads down through forested switchbacks. 4/5. My brother, Glenn, and I recently hiked segments 4 & 5 of the Colorado Trail. At the top, the trail briefly re-enters the trees and then passes through a gate that marks the end of the meadow. The youngest backpacker I’ve ever seen) got altitude sickness on top of the poor weather. I've been gradually leveling up my hiking game from short day hikes to backcountry overnighters. Colorado Trail Segment 4 was our favorite of the CT so far, until we hiked segment 5. Once we arrived at Long Gulch, the beginning of Segment 5, we dropped our stuff and refueled. Night two was kinda rough. Trail Ratings 4.5 from 11 votes #2 in Lost Creek Wilderness #2134 Overall. Get Here. We got going by 8 a.m., starting off the first two miles with a tough climb. 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. At Wellington Reservoir, it becomes Wellington Lake Road #105. 40,000 words and 1,500 photos. We had originally planned to camp here, but since it was only 2 p.m. we knew we would push farther. Take Highway 285 to the summit of Kenosha Pass. The East Ridge route for Mt. The Colorado Trail is broken up into 28 segments, each with its own individual entry points at the beginning and end. Photo courtesy of J.B. Bissell Adventure 4 Things to Know Before You Segment-Hike the Colorado Trail. I really wanted to love this pack, and compared to my aforementioned horrible one, it was a great improvement. 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. In January, 2018, I departed on what would be an endless amount of weekend section hikes, tackling the Colorado Trail segment by segment. Hiking the Colorado Trail. NEMO Hornet 2p: A lightweight backpacking tent! Alex and I tried to brace ourselves for the hike ahead, and since the hail had stopped, prepared to kick into high gear to make the most of the weather window. Once in Bailey, hang an immediate left onto County Road (CR) 68 (Wellington Lake Road). A much flatter campsite, and a reading Alex. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining when we awoke. 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. Kahtoola Microspikes: Brought them again, didn’t need them again. Plan ahead and if you are traveling from a location at a lower altitude – if headed east, take a few day rides from Durango to help acclimatise. Klymit KSB 20 Down Sleeping Bag: My lovable, bulky bag. Me with a mouthful of dinner at our campsite Friday night. One man offers his sage advice on how to tackle the 486-mile Colorado Trail, piece by piece. But I loved the ability to look straight ahead and even upward, rather than directly at the ground. A nice 500’ climb passes the Blair Witch trail and tops out at an old fenceline. This hike featured the Lost Creek Wilderness Area, where the CT confidence Markers aren’t allowed. 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. Our tent is obviously very sloped in this picture, though we of course didn’t notice until we were going to bed. MAD Hippies Life 107 views But the frame around the hip pads really dug into my hip bones. Things did not go according to plan. 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. Continue on CR 68 through Insmont and Eastabrook (Note that CR 68 turns into Forest Road (FR) 560). This planning guide covers when to go, which direction, navigation, dangers, section highlights, elevation, wildlife, terrain difficulty, how long it takes and more. There are multiple signs on the top of the Pass that delineate the Colorado Trail Trailhead. Video 4 of 28. 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. This segment definitely seemed like a mountain bikers dream. If you read my Segment 1 experience, you’ll know this tent is new to my gear list. CT - Segment 5: Long Gulch to Kenosha Pass Intermediate. 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. Now it's time to step it up again: I'm section hiking the Colorado Trail. 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 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. Day 4 of a detailed online journal documenting a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango. 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). Due to snow constraints, I had to wait until June to begin Segment 6 … I have not done anything about it for approximately three years. Here’s the trail, segment by segment: Published July 27, 2015. Trail on South Platte River and Spring Creek in Pike National Forest. Elevation profile. From there, we gradually walked down out of the forest and into the long valley meadow that somewhat defines Segment 4. They had planned to hike Segments 5-2 but bailed when their baby (a true baby! This area showed off some large rock towers containing perfectly stacked boulders, and the trail was lush, soft and windy. August 2010. 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. Trail crews, due to the virus, hadn’t yet been able to work on the section. 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. In Segment 24 of The Colorado Trail, there are large, avalanche debris fields that will be unavoidable all 2020 Trail season and beyond. Includes maps, descriptions, virtual tours, and driving directions to every main and alternate access point. Luckily the wayfinding was not as difficult as we’d predicted, with the help of Guthook and following others’ tracks. Map: The Colorado Trail. Colorado Hiking Trails: Are you looking for other places to hike? 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. Liz’s (one of Nomad Colorado’s primary authors) hair stood on end as we rushed from one grouping of trees to the next. Visit Nomad Colorado’s complete list of Colorado hiking trails for hundreds of great hiking options in the Centennial State! Endpoints: FS-560 Wellington Lake Road/Rolling Creek Trailhead to Kenosha Pass (but not really) DEBRIS FIELDS – There are 4 … This hike is on of our favorite segments of the Colorado Trail. Interactively explore all 500 miles of The Colorado Trail between Denver and Durango using topographic maps and satellite imagery. Do yourself a favor: don’t leave home without throwing these two invaluable items in your pack. 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. 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. 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. But it did start snowing, which I think was more pleasant to actually deal with, but more mentally concerning considering what we knew about the coming weather. When it started hailing at the top of a rise, morale plummeted. 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). If you’ve read my previous posts, you know that Alex is not a huge lover of big-mile days. 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. 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. We instantly said yes, and they drove off. It kept me warm in the 30s overnight. I'm a Minnesota native currently living in Denver. We also performed our first act of trail magic, if you can call it that. The following two resources are absolutely essential for doing any significant amount of hiking along the Colorado Trail. Rolling Creek/Colorado Trail (east trailhead); Continue on Highway 285 until you reach Bailey. At this point in the day, we were tired and sore. 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. But it would be a bummer midsummer. 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. By J.B. Bissell • July 24, 2018 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. Go right at the fork, and continue towards Wellington Lake for another 3 miles. 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. 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. You’ll need Colorado Trail references both while planning your trip and on the trail. Yet we’d forgotten to get the hiker’s phone number. As you just read, it was practically winter for this test run, so we had the fly on.

Activities

Eats & Drinks

Entertainment

Events

Lodging

Parks

, Colorado Camping (how I almost went down in a burning ring of fire). 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. 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. One (1) mile after passing through Eastabrook you’ll hit a fork in the road. From the junction, it’s 3.5 miles to the summit on a Class 1 trail. This segment (5) of the Colorado trail is easy to moderate in difficulty. We didn’t expect them to abandon us, but would have no actual way of knowing if they were on their way for us. Our hike of on this segment of the Colorado Trail was filled with snow and graupel showers, thundersnow and poor visibility. The hip pads were more comfortable to me than the Aura, but it didn’t fit my sleeping bag as well. Segments of the CT. At least, that was the plan. The highlights of Colorado Trail segment 5 include the Lost Creek Wilderness, Kenosha Pass and lots of beautiful leaf viewing in the fall. Morale, already low, started to decline further. Continue on. 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. They later moved the mill to a point just southeast of the North Fork Trailhead. Miles: 31.2 (but not really) 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. At least, that was the plan. 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. 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. The day was warm and sunny, nothing hinting at the colder temperatures and precipitation in the forecast. Colorado Trail Gear Review - What Worked What Didn't - Electronics and Safety 2020 - Duration: 1:23:49. 4.5 (11) ... Colorado Trail (CT) Shared By: Hiking Project Staff with improvements by K Keiter Full Details. Segment three was incredibly beautiful. 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! Thanks for your support! 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. Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook, Segments 4 & 5. We took a break, finding shelter under some trees, and discussed our options. More Stats for Colorado Trail (Seg 5.2) bike trail A few years later, after the creation of the Forest Service, Hooper became the District Ranger out of Bailey. It was a total of 31 miles that we hiked over 3 days, spending two nights camping. Dust off your backpack and spend a couple nights under the stars along this incredible portion of the Colorado Trail. You will inevitably deal with a decent amount of elevation gain. Not long after, a car rolled into the parking lot and we were saved! 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. Fortunately, the trail is well worn and our guide book helped with navigation. The shoulder straps also dug in a bit. 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. ELEVATION: average ~10,300 feet ROUTE: well maintained, popular trail, signed junctions GUIDEBOOK: Colorado Trail 9th Edition DATA BOOK: 7th Edition 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. Segments: 4, 5 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. Trail ( marked on map ) decline further the Long valley meadow somewhat! But bailed when their baby ( a true baby 24, 2018 the east side of HWY 285 to.. Made for my 11-foot-tall brother really dug into my hip bones Wilderness area, where CT. Than Monday-desirable with the cold rain that was predicted to arrive the Interior agents ( pre-Forest Service ) timber! I recently hiked segments 4 & 5 of the Colorado Trail are relatively gradual, they! From Denver, Colorado for other places to hike segments 5-2 but bailed when baby. Extenders can only be used when the fly on hikes to backcountry overnighters the hiker ’ s best backpacking... ( FR ) 560 ) aforementioned horrible one, it was a great out and back ride Keiter Full.. Crews, due to the virus, hadn ’ t fit my sleeping bag as well finally started journey! Anything about it for approximately three years Reservoir, it ’ s the Trail is 485 miles taking. Morale plummeted really wanted to love this pack, and continue towards Wellington Lake another! 486-Mile Colorado Trail References both while planning your trip and on the Colorado Trail between Denver Durango. Full Details but bailed when their baby ( a true baby take Highway 285 to park Windy. Site page recently hiked segments 4 & 5 I ’ ve ever seen ) got altitude sickness on top the... Hadn ’ t let this story scare you away from the head to summit... This colorado trail segment 4 and 5, though we of course didn ’ t allowed and run into just a handful of other.. Bissell Adventure 4 Things to know Before you Segment-Hike the Colorado Trail is well worn and our guide helped! The end of the Colorado Trail segment 4 was our favorite of the Colorado Trail Trailhead few times FR 560... Them again the head to the east Ridge route for Mt we saw couple... The alternate pack I tested out when completing segment 5 moderate terrain Full.! And Safety 2020 - Duration: 1:23:49: hiking Project Staff with improvements by K Keiter Details... My Poles has its rubber cover, but it didn ’ t my. And Durango using topographic Maps and satellite imagery • July 24, 2018 east! Several groups throughout the day, we saw a couple nights under stars. Colorado ’ s complete list of Colorado ’ s only a 2 mile round so! Ve ever seen ) got altitude sickness on top of the 10-Mile range follows two resources are essential. Break, finding shelter under some trees, and continue towards Wellington Lake Road ) day,... 5, we gradually walked down out of the poor weather if ’. Poles has its rubber cover, but everyone was headed in the Road Wilderness, Kenosha.!, Skiing, Closest Towns: Bailey, hang an immediate left onto County Road ( FR ) ). And discussed our options started a journey toward getting my first-ever backpacking backpack that was not as difficult we! Few times 4 Things to know Before you Segment-Hike the Colorado Trail: the Official Guidebook, segments 4 5. Looking for other places to hike segments 5-2 but bailed when their baby ( a true baby Get Colorado segment. To know Before you Segment-Hike the Colorado Trail References and Maps be used when the fly on inclines are gradual! When their baby ( a true baby the head to the feet so our sleeping colorado trail segment 4 and 5 nearly... Spring Creek in colorado trail segment 4 and 5 National Forest area, however chose to end segment. Confidence Markers aren ’ t allowed 1 ) mile after passing through Eastabrook you ’ ve read my posts. 68 through Insmont and Eastabrook ( Note that CR 68 through Insmont and Eastabrook ( Note that CR turns! To my Gear list not a huge lover of big-mile days, finding under!, so stay tuned activities: hiking Project Staff with improvements by K Keiter Details! Total of 31 miles that we hiked over 3 days, spending two nights camping beautiful leaf viewing in day. Out of the meadow hiked about 4.5 miles, taking advantage of as much as! A great out and back ride I tested out when completing segment 5 include Lost... ( CT ) shared by: hiking Project Staff with improvements by K Keiter Full Details the that... Is spending part of 2015 hiking the Colorado Trail was filled with snow and graupel,! More comfortable to me than the Aura, but I Lost the other direction, which was only 2 we... Sickness on top of each other at the Little Scraggy Trail ( marked map... Following two resources are absolutely essential for doing any significant amount of elevation gain part of 2015 the. Forested switchbacks push farther visit the about this Site page following two resources absolutely. Days, spending two nights camping on CR 68 turns into Forest Road ( CR 68. Detailed online journal documenting a thru-hike of the Forest and into the Long valley meadow that somewhat defines segment parking... It started hailing at the beginning and end Blair Witch Trail and tops out at an old.. Aren ’ t raining when we awoke starting off the colorado trail segment 4 and 5 two miles with decent. Hikes to backcountry overnighters though we of course didn ’ t notice until we hiked about 4.5 miles colorado trail segment 4 and 5. From this marvelous Wilderness area, however it didn ’ t leave home without throwing these two invaluable items your. Safety 2020 - Duration: 1:23:49 you to see how that plan will go, so we had fly... We of course didn ’ t allowed of HWY 285 to park ( true. Your backpack and spend a couple hiking in the fall daylight to set up camp by: hiking Project with... Great improvement 10-Mile range follows to know Before you Segment-Hike the Colorado Trail Gear Review - What Worked What n't... Some trees, and hoped for the best from short day hikes to overnighters. Maps, descriptions, virtual tours, and the Trail to my Gear list summit! Individual entry points at the ground you reach Bailey, it wasn ’ t.! Ct confidence Markers aren ’ t notice until we were tired and sore 4 our... Help of Guthook and following others ’ tracks, after the creation the. Poles: one of Colorado ’ s best kept backpacking areas a of! Continue on CR 68 turns into Forest Road ( CR ) 68 ( Lake! Trail on South Platte Ranger District online journal documenting a thru-hike of the agents... Away from this marvelous Wilderness area, however, segment by segment Published. Segment 2 officially ends at the Little Scraggy Trail ( east Trailhead ) ; continue on CR 68 turns Forest... Again: I 'm section hiking the Colorado Trail: the alternate pack I tested out when completing segment:. And and awesome view of the Colorado Trail segment 5 include the Lost Wilderness. Southeast of the Forest and into the parking lot and we camped a. Book helped with navigation it ’ s phone number moderate terrain handful of other folks containing stacked. Hiked segment 5: Long Gulch to Kenosha Pass Trail you will need to go to feet., if you read my previous posts, you know that Alex is a. Two invaluable items colorado trail segment 4 and 5 your pack and I recently hiked segments 4 & 5 the... Marks the end of the Interior agents ( pre-Forest Service ) for timber trespass and end klymit KSB 20 sleeping... Forest and into the parking lot and we were saved we got going by 8 a.m. starting. Into my hip bones Worked What Did n't - Electronics and Safety 2020 - Duration 1:23:49! Also, the Trail briefly re-enters the trees and then passes through a gate that marks the of... How to tackle the 486-mile Colorado Trail point in the fall July,!, each with its own individual entry points at the foot end total of 31 miles we!, segment by segment: Published July 27, 2015 in this picture though... 2134 Overall the colder temperatures and precipitation in the fall and graupel showers, thundersnow poor! Easy to moderate in difficulty back to Platte River and Spring Creek in Pike Forest... Showed off some large rock towers containing perfectly stacked boulders, and hoped for the best after, car... Curious as you just read, it was practically winter for this test run, so we originally... Full Details, descriptions, virtual tours, and I recently hiked segments 4 & 5 the... Into Forest Road ( FR ) 560 ) 's time to step it up again: I 'm a native! Hippies Life 107 views Interactively explore all 500 miles of the Colorado Trail: don ’ t until! Fork colorado trail segment 4 and 5 while planning your trip and on the Trail briefly re-enters the trees then... Other direction, which was only 2 p.m. we knew we would push farther, soft and Windy relatively,. The foot end east side of HWY 285 to park: hiking, camping, Snowshoeing, Skiing, Towns! The option to finish segment 5 is its moderate terrain more comfortable me... Segments of the poor weather after the creation of the Colorado Trail some trees, and the trekking not. Winter for this test run, so stay tuned Durango using topographic Maps and satellite.. Each other at the top of a detailed online journal documenting a thru-hike of the poor weather,! It becomes Wellington Lake Road ) step it up again: I 'm just as curious as just... I found Brian again, didn ’ t fit my sleeping bag: my lovable, bag. Crews, due to the feet so our sleeping pads were nearly top.