I'd love to just bring my Zpack bear bag kit, but I'm guessing there's not enough options for tree branches to reliably hang a bear bag from every night. Is this a correct assumption?

I really don't want to bring my Bear vault with me, so I'm leaning towards finally buying and trying out an Ursack. Thoughts? Also, it seems like I should be able to get by with 3-5 day resupplies with 18-20 mile days. Correct? Nothing longer than 5 days I'm hoping?

Hi friends, my brothers and I are planning a northbound hike in August, because that’s more convenient for us, but we are a little intimidated by day 1.

The hike up to the kennebec pass from Durango seems like a heck of a way to start the trail. It seems like not just a long day, but also a ton of elevation gain (7kft gain and 6k net?) and potentially limited access to water.

I guess I’m looking for reassurance or to be talked out of it. But also interest in anyone’s experience of this trail. How hard is this direction?

I grew up in Western NY so I have lots of experience hiking in snow, but I've never backpacked in snow other than 1-2 inches. I've never used microspikes, crampons, or an ice axe. Am I overthinking this, or will I most likely be fine?

Hello hiking friends,

I'm planning to hike the CT starting mid July of 2025 and am getting mixed signals on water carries. This very well could be a simple case of the variable conditions from year to year but I'm trying to determine if that is the case and whether my current frameless pack is going to cut it.

On the CT website it mentions in the FAQs:

"The longest dry stretch is in Segments 17-19 where you will likely encounter minimal or no water for up to 40 miles. In Segment 17, Baldy Lake (mile 7) and Razor Creek (mile 10.6) are the best options for water. The next longest dry section is in Segments 26 & 27 from Straight Creek to Tyler Lake, a distance of 22 miles."

It then contradicts itself when clicking into the water sources link (https://coloradotrail.org/traveling-the-ct/water-sources/). Mentioning the longest stretch is around 22 miles instead of ~40.

My questions are:

1. Is the 40 mile stretch of no water if you factor out cow water?

2. What is the max water you carried?

3. Would you advise against a frameless pack (palante desert pack 19", 43L)

4. When it says 40 miles with 'minimal' water is the water source more reliable with a mid July start date?

5. While on trail I plan to use the far out guide for the most up to date info. Any additional recommendations for proper research/real-time planning?

For context I have a ~8.5lb base weight and have used the pack/gear on the Unita highline trail (70miles instead of the full 100. Cut out the 20 mile approach). I finished the 70 miles in 3.5 days. I have also used the gear during a 35 mile trip where it snowed and I was plenty warm.

I'll be posting a literpacks for some specific help from the community once I have a better grip on details :)

Hi! I’m planning a 2025 thru hike of the CT and trying to pick my start date. Early July would work better with my travel and trail race schedule but I could do mid/late July if it’s worth it, so my questions are:

1. Are the bugs / afternoon thunderstorms impactful enough to deal with starting later in July even if it messes up other plans?

2. Is there usually a big enough difference between early and mid July start weather?

Trying to figure out if it's possible to send the trailhead location to google maps for driving?

Hey everyone,

I’m seriously considering tackling the Colorado Trail (CT) next season as first thru, aiming to finish it in 21 days, and I’d love your input on my resupply plan and gear setup!

Plan Overview

• Trail: Colorado Trail (485 miles)
• Daily Mileage: ~23 miles/day
• Resupplies: 4 planned stops in towns.
• Gear: Ultralight setup with a base weight of 6.41 lbs.
• Max Carry Weight: ~12.5 lbs (including food and water).

I’m planning to carry 1L of water at a time, relying on frequent water sources along the trail. Food will be optimized for weight and calories (~2 lbs/day with nuts, bars, and dehydrated meals).

Potential Resupply Stops

Here’s the current plan for resupply stops.

1. Twin Lakes (right on the trail).
2. Salida (via Monarch Pass, ~11 miles hitch).
3. Lake City (via Spring Creek Pass, ~2.5 miles hitch).
4. Silverton (via Molas Pass, ~6.5 miles hitch).

Does this sound realistic? Could I get everything I need in these towns, or should I consider mailing resupply boxes? I’m especially curious if Salida is worth the hitch or if there’s a better option.

Gear Setup

Lighterpack

Questions for the Community

1. Is 1L water-carrying capacity reasonable for the CT, assuming frequent refills?
2. How difficult is hitchhiking to towns like Salida, Lake City, or Silverton?
3. Any advice or tips for someone aiming to complete the CT in 21 days?
4. Also not sure if the alpha crewneck and Houdini rain jacket are pushing it but figured I just put what I have.

This is still in the planning stage, so I’m open to all suggestions. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Apologies for potential nuisance post. Posts like this are usually a dime a dozen but I can’t help it. Looking to hike in 25’ and I’m super stoked but I’ve been having some big fears creep in. I want to start around August 10th and finish around the same date in September (give or take 3-4 days). I’m no stranger to pre hike scaries (thru’d the AT this past year) but high country compared to east coast hiking seems like comparing apples to oranges.

Weather - I had some incredibly chilly days in the Whites around the same time in August (~40deg with sideways wind and rain) in alpine conditions but nothing sustained longer than 3 miles. Given that much of the latter part of the CT is above tree line I’m worried about the afternoon thunderstorms being unavoidable and having to hike through some gnarly stuff as well as chances of snow in the San Juans. I’ve been reading heavily on not only this sub but others as well that the weather is fickle every year and nothing is for sure. I can absolutely hike in extended periods in rain, if that’s really all it is, but it seems like there are more extreme ends of the spectrum for weather when it comes to temps.

Food Carries - It seems that as I’ve read more and more, resupplies seem much more common than I thought. I don’t like carrying more than 5 days of food (longest on the AT was 4 but food weight was off the charts so 5-6 would be comparable on the CT weight wise). Mileage wise I was planning on 16-20 miles a day with variable days in/out of town for resupply.

As I’ve been typing this it’s like I can clearly see the overthinking but would rather hear someone telling me that than hoping for the best. Those are the two big concerns, with the weather being the main one. I’ve been telling myself “people have done it before, you can to” and all other stuff I would have told myself pre-AT but this seems like a whole different ballgame. I also have 8 months to temper the fear into resolve. Any and all advice or anecdotes surrounding what I’ve mentioned would be invaluable.

I’m planning on my carry weight to be right at 15 pounds without food. Should I go with framed or unframed pack?

Hoping to start the trail June 27th. Do you think I should consider bringing my microspikes?

I have two potential time blocks for a thru-hike of the CT this summer. I can go from around July 15 to Aug. 15, or Aug. 15 to Sept. 15. I've got some flexibility on start and end days, as well as total time.

I'm curious to hear which option folks would recommend, and why. Thanks!

Curious if anyone has hiked any of the segments in Southern Colorado during the winter? Day hikes likely. I collect winter recreation data, mainly across the GMUG, Rio Grande & San Juan, and am looking for people who would be willing to collect visitor use data or chat about areas that are known to have snowmobile incursions into wilderness areas. Thanks!

I’d like to get started the last week in June. What issues am I likely to run into?

I'm in the planning stages for a thru-hike in 2025 of the CT. I've used Farout (i.e., Guthook) on a lot of previous hikes (e.g., LASH of Oregon, the JMT, the Timberline Trail, the Wonderland Trail, . . .) and on most Farout identifies campsites.

It doesn't look like that's the case with the CT? Even when I filter the entire CT I think only one (1) site shows up on the entire trail. Am I not filtering it correctly? Are sites obvious and plentiful enough that I don't need to worry about it?

UPDATE: I just received a reply from Farout, . . .

"The Colorado Trail data is now maintained in partnership with the Colorado Trail Foundation. The CTF's approach to tent sites is to assume that you can camp anywhere (using Leave No Trace principles) unless expressly stated that you cannot camp in a specified area. For that reason you will now see warning icons in some areas stating no-tenting regulations, and you will see quite a few water sources with notes regarding minimum-distance tenting regulations. Otherwise you may assume that you can camp anywhere."

Hi all, I'm planning on hiking the colorado trail next year but due to work I wouldn't be able to start until around labor day. I plan on taking around 4-5 weeks to complete and want to wrap up the hike the first week of October. Wondering if weather is a large factor up in the rockies at that point in the season. I'm experienced in winter hiking so cold and ice doesn't bother me but is there usually large amounts of snow that time of year?

Curious, what is everyone’s favorite or least favorite camp shoe they’ve used while thru hiking the CO Trail? Thanks in advance for the advice.

I’m planning to do the thru hike next summer and will be planning to stop in most towns, maybe not all of them. I’m not a fast hiker in the elevation, but I’m not slow either meaning it could take me up to 2 weeks to get to 20 mile days. After extensively reading people’s experiences with UR Sack vs. BV, I’ve decided to go with BV even though it’s bulky. For those of you who have already done the thru hike and used a BV, what size BV do you recommend? Thanks in advance for any advice.

But I've never actually been backpacking before. How much experience, practice, or training would I need before attempting the trail?

Do I start with building skills doing 2-3 night trips for months/years first? What does the timeline look like to get experience up the CT level?

Backpacking seems like it would be a good natural extension of my outdoor interests. I'm a Coloradan, an avid day-hiker, snowboarder, and a frequent dispersed camper.

Thank you for your feedback!

Segment 18.

I was day dreaming today about how cool it would be to attempt a through hike without a cell phone. I’m a fairly experienced backpacker. I always lament the distraction of my phone. Obv through hiking pre-dates cell phones and many have completed the trail without them. A lot of backpacking skills I learned with the help of YouTube Reddit and BackpackerRadio. But for obvious reasons pre-cell skills are not really a frequent topic on those platforms. My first thoughts of a cell phones functions and their analog equivalents are TRAIL NAVIGATION: map, compass, necessary skills TOWN NAVIGATION:addresses and phone #s of hostels and resupply locations MUSIC:iPod and headphones EMERGENCY:I have an inreach E-READER: I like books anyway CAMERA: I have a GoPro and a 35mm I’m proficient with

What am I missing/forgetting? How can I learn and practice using map and compass? Any experience or advice from pre-cell hikers would be greatly appreciated! The idea would be to attempt this on my 2025 hike.