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.

Anyone here ever use the Tin Man Aluminum Can Alcohol Stove? If so, do you recommend it?

Hoping to go SOBO next season. I fish a lot and wondering if it’s reasonable to bring a small fly rod? I figure the trail passes quite a few lakes and rivers but I’m not sure. Weight is also a consideration but would be willing to bring if it’s worth it. Thanks

I was watching this YouTube video where there guys come across a trail magic house in between segments 1 & 2 along the south plate river. I can’t find any other information about it online anywhere and this video is a few years old so I’m wondering if anyone has any more information on it and if it even exists still at all. Thanks!

https://youtu.be/zEBQBHuuhIU?si=5WuEINISkkXfK9il

Timestamp 2:02

I’m considering doing the thru hike next summer and wanted advice on pack size. For example, I noticed packs come in 45 or 60L. What size is most common for thru hikers? My guess is the larger size. I don’t know if it matters but 43F 5’4” 133lbs.

Thanks!

Do we know if people are still hiking? I’m going to be in Leadville early next week and would love to give back.

Looking for a solid 8-10ish mile hike that’s close (within 40ish minutes) to Colorado Springs, are there any good recommendations? I want to get one last one in before the weather and my work schedule gets in my way.

Anyone else miss the trail terribly? I can without a doubt say that the trail was the 31 happiest days of my life. Now back to everyday life (I’m a nurse and also training for a marathon) I feel so disconnected from the world and all the people in it.

Luckily I was able to give a hiker a ride to Willis Gulch today and felt some connection to the trail and the happiest days of my life. This shit is hard.

Hey y'all!

Next week we're caravanning up to the Hotel Draw Road Trailhead and don't have a 4x4 vehicle. I'm looking for alternate routes that are more friendly to something AWD.

I've heard Forest Road 564 is more accessible but am unsure. Would love to hear it from someone who's been there.

Thanks!

I’ll be hiking the collegiate west next year and was planning on using my bear vault but I am having thoughts about switching to the ursack for the weight savings. Does anyone have any experience using the ursack on the trail?

My partner and I will be hiking Section 8 southbound from Friday, September 20th to Monday, September 23rd, and need transportation from Tennessee Pass to Copper on Friday or Monday (leaving a car at either Tennessee or Copper depending on the day). Any advice on reliable transportation and/or which trailhead would be best for parking a car overnight? I was at the Alpine lot in Copper a few days ago, and saw signs that said no overnight parking during the summer season but I've also read that you can call the security office and let them know you'll be parking for a few nights. Any information is much appreciated!

Guthook is great for trail logistics. But this book is fantastic. Very well written and organized.

Looking to put an effort on the CT next summer. not racing, just riding. Budgeting 15-18 days. I have 2 bikes at my disposal. A 150/140 trail bike (stump jumper) and a 120mm trail hard tail (Esker japhy). Esker has clearance for 2.8 tires and sliding drop outs. For those that have biked the CT which would you go with and why? I’m a fairly experienced rider and have some bike packing/touring miles under my belt. Just wondering what people might suggest. Never bikepacked on a full squish so would have to tweak storage which is no big deal, but don’t want to if I don’t have to. I did the tour divide route on a fully rigid 29er and have my gear pretty dialed, just not sure what bike to throw it on. Thanks for any tips.

Hey CT friends! I’m packing in with a friend at Eddiesville and jumping out at Elk Park with the train starting tomorrow.

How is weather right now and how is the current condition of the road to Eddiesville for a CRV?

I am currently gathering gear for some long distance trips and possibly the CT next year. What I would like to do is cut a little weight. I'm not looking to go crazy ultralight.

Non-negotiable items are a free standing tent, air pad, pack, and crocs.

I just feel like I'm taking too much stuff.

I'd appreciate any tips. Thanks y'all.

Lighterpack - https://lighterpack.com/r/v4kqlg

TLDR: Here is a map of alternate routes and side trips you can do while hiking the Colorado trail https://caltopo.com/m/FR8K4B1. It started as a copy of Justin Simoni’s excellent How to Access Every 14er off the Colorado Trail map.

I hiked the Colorado trail this summer and the alternate routes and side trips that I took were some of my favorite sections. While hiking I was using CalTopo to map these routes, so I wanted to share the map I made for any future hikers who are interested, it is available at https://caltopo.com/m/FR8K4B1.

List of alternate routes and side trips.

Mile numbers are going SOBO (CW denotes collegiate west)

~50. Kenosha Mountains Ridge Walk. 14 miles on alternate. Roughly 8 miles above treeline off-trail, class 1. Reasonably well known CT alternate or day hike. Good info on the range is available at https://www.summitpost.org/kenosha-mountains/152051. I saw five Big Horn Sheep, great views to the west and north of the Front Range. The ridgeline itself is interesting, see the summit post link above.

~80 Georgia Pass CDT alt. 12 miles on alternate. Hike 6 miles of the CDT then another 2 miles above treeline along a Jeep Road before descending to North Fork Swan River then take a forestry service trail back to the CT. A couple mtn goats snuck up on me while having lunch on Whale Peak and I saw a large group of mtn goats with young children by Wise Mtn.

~80. CDT to Silverthorne CDT-alt. Around here you could do an 80-mile alternate route heading north along the CDT past Torreys and Grays Peaks (41 miles) and then back to the CT on the CDT Silverthorne alternate route (43 miles). I have not hiked this but I would if I was hiking the CT again and wanted to add some miles.

~165, 170. Mt Massive and Mt Elbert. (See 14ers website, https://www.14ers.com/)

~CW7. Mt Hope. (See 14ers website)

~CW15. Mt Huron. (See 14ers website)

~263. Mt Ouray (See 14ers website)

~330. Mt San Luis. This is the most convenient 14er to hike from the CT. Can either be done as an alternate route, my general preference and specific recommendation, or as an out and back. Of course, more info is available at the 14ers website.

~393. Walk into Silverton along the northern 10 miles of Steve Howe’s Weminuche High Route. 11 miles on alternate. When I hiked this, there were some very short sections of difficult class 2 (traversing 35 degree scree along a where a faint mtn goat trail has been wiped out in spots). The scenary is fantastic throughout. After resupplying in Silverton there are several ways to return to where you leave the CT. You could either walk back to the CT on the same route, walk on dirt road back to Deer Park trail and then Whitehead trail, find a ride to the trailhead for Highland Marry Lakes etc. The CT between Verde Lake Trail and Elk Creek contain's one of the best views on CT so I would not recommend skipping the trail between Molas Pass (the road crossing for Silverton) and mile 393.

~395. At the CDT/CT southern junction you can follow the CDT south for 5 miles to the pass just north of Mount Nebo then hike back along the physical Continental Divide back to Hunchback Pass and then over Hunchback Mountain to end up 0.5 miles SOBO along the CT of the CT/CDT junction. I hiked along the divide from just north of Mount Nebo to Hunchback pass and then along the CDT back to the CT/CDT junction while hiking NOBO along the CDT (so I have not hiked all of what you could do as a CT side trip/alt). South of Hunchback pass, the views to the west of the Grenadier range and the Needle Mountains are great. The northern slopes of peak 13110 just north of Mt Nebo is steep Talus for 400ft of elevation and 0.2 miles distance so it is slow going but not for very long. You can take a look at the route along the divide on the Jonathan Ley CDT maps.

~420. Rolling Mtn (13er). I would highly recommend climbing Rolling Mtn, the two routes I took up and down were very fun and the views were some of the best I’ve seen in Colorado, class 2. It is easy to find info online on the route up the east gulley from the Rico-Silverton trail. I took a different route down the west side to make this an alt not an out-and-back.

~460. Centennial Peak. 10-mile round trip (out-and-back). If you have some extra time before heading into Durango and want to climb one last mountain or just spend some more time in the mountains before finishing the trail this is a very nice side trip. The Colorado trail just skims the edge of La Plata Mountains so if you want to see a little bit more of this small subrange of the San Juans this is a very hike-able way to do it. Hike 4 miles along the lovely Sharktooth trail to the pass between Sharktooth and Centennial Peaks then follow the unofficial trail up Centennial Peak along the ridge.

I’m planning on sending some resupply packages while on trail. Can anyone confirm that the post offices in Leadville, Salida and Lake City accept general delivery mail?

I want to hike CT sections 22, 23, and 24.

Problem:
From the CT Guidebook, Segment 22: ".... at mile 9.3. The trail will remain above tree line, near the Continental Divide, and exposed to severe weather from this point to midway on Segment 24, a distance of roughly 32 miles."

How am I supposed to do 32 miles above treeline safely? I'm not going to do that all in one day.

About to do sections 22, 23, and 24 of the CT. How do I use FarOut(a.k.a Guthooks) or some other way, to know what sections are above treeline?

Who: Two 65-year-old seasoned hikers from sea level. Completed CT sections 28-21 two years prior.

Gear: 

Durston Kakwa55. Excellent pack. size small.  The waste buckle was uncomfortable.  I lost room to tighten so the pack kept slipping. I needed to add padding to the shoulders. Great pack. lightweight with ultra 200. But even a small one is too big.

Durston X-Mid Pro 2. is a Magnificent tent.  easy to set up in wind and rain.  super comfortable. downside is the condensation. But with a good towel and a morning wipe down. no problem. super lightweight. a keeper.

Patagonia 18-30 sleeping bag. Tried and true. years old and still fabulous. 39oz.

Topo Athletic Terraventure 4p with Sole wide performance inserts.  Fabulous. I’m a trail runner convert. it was dried out when they needed to. toe caps peeled back after 40 miles. they replaced them. I Will continue with Topo trail runners. On trail consensus is to try the ultraventures.

Stoko Athletic all-in-one compression tights and knee brace.  Outstanding. Adjustable Dyneema cables throughout to maintain total support. Much more durable than anticipated. wore every day.

Outdoor Herbivore and Radix food.  5 vegan snacks a day. Radix is amazing.

No need for a bear can. ursack or hung food. Not a single animal in sight. Except for many many dogs.

Total pack weight. 17 to 24 lbs.

Logistics and Day-to-Day

Arrive in Denver AM.
Afternoon to Frisco via Shuttle $65/person
Acclimate in Frisco extra day

(mileage below are estimates)

Day 1: The first section was closed due to fire. 
Early transport from Frisco to Clear Creek Reservoir trailhead 
To Frenchman creek~11 miles
4 miles 13% grade to 11,635 to top of ridge
Pine Creek 6.6 miles
Morrison 9.8 Miles @ 11,569 
plenty of water along the way
Acclimation extremely tough

Day 2: Frenchman Creek to Silver creek pass harvard lakes
go past trailhead
~10 miles
Attempted to go over pass @ 11,860
couldn’t make it. a minor case of altitude sickness 
camped 300 ft below the pass in the trees to the left of the trail

Day 3: Silver Creek to Dry Creek
Climb to 11,860 to the top of the pass
2.6 miles flat/downhill to 11,000 to Silver Creek wilderness boundary
6.2 miles downhill under 10,000
9.7 to Maxwell Creek
11.9 to Dry Creek
~12 Miles/9 Miles downhill/flat
Camp 2 miles Just before Mount Princeton Hot Springs

Day 4: dry creek to browns creek
Get up early.
3-5 ish to Mount Princeton hot springs
Nasty hot road walk. No fun
Big Breakfast 
First Resupply at the front desk
Left a lot of food in the hiker boxRelaxed on the lawn and left around noon.
More awful road walk in the heat
Got a lift from Trail Angel Thunderbird
Pleasant walk flat walk with a little bit of a climb.
Massive stomach upset and all that goes with it.
Nice campsites at browns creek.
took a wrong turn (left instead of right) coming out of camp.
Added two miles to the day.
Saw some llamas.
~15 miles 

Day 5: Brown's creek to Cree Creek
~14-15 miles
Mostly rolling terrain
Under 10,000
Lots of water
Lots of rain. Walked through it. 
Needed to get within striking distance of Monarch Crest.
Cree Creek has some nice campsites past the second water feature.

Day 6: Cree Creek to Monarch Pass
watch out for mountain bikes coming down from the pass all day
Hard day ahead Water up. No water till monarch crest. so they say!
actually, plenty of water everywhere in springs coming down the mountain going up.Ascent to top of ridge. Took the new route. 3 miles of switchbacks but avoids the mountain bikes.
From the top, you can see the old route has campsites below the final climb to the pass. NOBO turn to Collegiate West.
Camp at 12,000 Feet
Extraordinary wind gusts and storms all night.  Durston X-mid was outstanding
Camped between two 150 ft mounds. windy and safe

Day 7: monarch to hunt lake
Get up early 
1.5 miles to Monarch Crest @ (11,312)
Re-supply 2 
Monarch staff weren’t very nice.
cooked food was awful
Left lots of stuff there in the hiker room. didn't want to carry it or all of the extra food
Not a great hike for most till the ascent to Mount Baldy
Spent too much time walking around Monarch ski resort. UGH
Cairn marks the trail
climb to 12,535
Mount Baldy Ascent was the first real treat of the hike.
Water in two miles @ Hunt Lake~12 miles

Day 8: hunt to tunnel lake
alpine historical signs
Lots of info on the trains and such
5 mile climb to 12,000
Down 2.7 to Alpine tunnel th
Up 2 to second historical signs or further
Lots of water the rest of the way
pass Hancock lake
Camp Somewhere near the alpine tunnel on the side of the trail.
Only one real campsite. the rest of them are next to the trails or on it.
~12 Miles

Day 9: tunnel lake to beyond woodchopper creek
This was a beautiful crazy day. Lots of great hiking.
up 3 miles continue up to 12310
then a 3.5-mile climb to 12,850
11-12 Miles
hiking at 12,000+
Find camping near woodchopper creek instead, we went over the next pass and got slammed with the weather. No flat surfaces to tent up. got soaked.
Mostly all rocks. Beware of the no camping zone as well. go further if you can.

Day 10: woodchopper creek to South Cottonwood pass
great high-altitude hiking. 4 passes over 12k. No camping anywhere along the way. 
Re-supply 3 at Cottonwood Pass (hwy 50) at mile 125.6 12,126
Nero.

Day 11: Zero. Went to Buena Vista.  
good food. good beer. louzy whisky.
Stayed at the Inn. No desk, no people. Fancy.

Day 12: South Cottonwood pass  to past Illinois Creek
Lost track of miles.
We took the old route (blue). Should have take the new route (red)
Dirt bikes destroyed this trail.
Camped just around the corner heading toward Lake Ann Pass.
Lots of sites plenty of water in a broad meadow.

Day 13: Illinois Creek over Lake Ann pass to well past Hewitt Gulch4 mile 1,500ft climb to Lake Ann pass 12,590
Great climb. Beautiful view. Hang out here and enjoy.
To the left of the pass as you go over the pass. there’s a stack of rocks.
Beware. Lots of toilet paper florettes there.
Then a long 8 miles downhill and flat.
make the turn at Sheep Gulch, Great Campsites at Zonkers Glitch about a 1/4 mile on the left going nobo (on far out)

Day 14: Ascend Hope Pass
Get early start
3 Mile 2,000 ascent to 12,530
Pretty easy
Stop at pass and hang out for a few hours. 
Have breakfast.
Very pleasant.
Hike out to Interlaken 

Transport back to Denver. Fly home next day.

Weather

Stormed every day but two.  Starting between 2 and 3.  Usually, quit around 5 and then picked up again after the evening. High winds every night above the tree line.

Navigation

Created the route in All Trails. Exported to GPX and uploaded to Garmin min 2. Used Farout for daily trail info.  Lots of water where they said there wasn’t any.

Re-supply

1: Mount Princeton Hot Springs
2: Monarch Crest
3: South Cottonwood pass via Trail Angel (paid $85)

Summary

A surprisingly easy hike after two days of acclimation. Two days of acclimation on the east side under a humid canopy sucked.  But a pleasant forest walk for the rest of it.  The west side really delivered. Great technical climbs. Beautiful passes. Some challenging hiking, weather, and tent set-ups.

Good times, lots of laughs, interesting people.