Good 5-6 day section of CT?

[GBarron]

This is just a preliminary question, so no need for readers to worry overmuch about the best answer.

I'm toying with the idea of persuading my partners to section hike a s bit of the CT next August. I'm attracted by the scenery, the high elevations, the promise of well-posted trails, and the absence of bear canister requirements (unlike Cali.)

So we would be interested in a scenic, high, and adventurous section 160 km (100 miles) or so long, to be done in 5 or 6 days. We're not afraid of steep trails, isolation, inclement weather, or navigation.

Less interested in sections that require packing large amounts of water or sharing the trail with motorized vehicles (ATVs, dirtbikes, etc.).

A loop trail, not necessarily on the CT, that doesn't require a vehicle shuttle would also be very atrractive.

I've already downloaded GPS tracks of the entire trail and a digital topo map of Colorado. We have 70+ years of mountaineering experience between the three of us and hiked a 95 mile (150 km) section of the Great Divide Trail, gaining and losing about 6000m (20,000 ft) of elevation and crossing 11 mountain passes over 5 days last summer.

Any suggestions, especially from Coloradans, welcome!

[Coffee]

I would suggest hiking from Tennessee Pass to Monarch Pass via the Collegiate West for a few reasons: (1) You can climb Mt Massive and/or Mt Elbert along the way on relatively short side trips (seven miles each); (2) Break up the food carry by sending yourself a package to the friendly Twin Lakes General Store; (3) Hike the spectacular Collegiate West segment of the trail including Hope and Lake Ann passes as well as the excellent new 17 mile section south of Cottonwood Pass - my favorite part of the Colorado Trail - all above treeline and staying very close to the continental divide.

Also, the logistics are easy if you are relying on public transportation. You can reach Leadville from Denver by train/bus and acclimate for a day or two before starting out since Leadville is over 10,000 feet. Leadville Hostel offered a shuttle to Tennessee Pass for $10. It is possible to hitch from Monarch Pass to Salida or at least to Poncha Springs. And there is a bus from Salida to Denver.

It occurs to me that the TN pass to Monarch Pass segment is probably more than 100 miles (I don't have my data book at the moment). If you want a 80 mile hike, you can probably get a shuttle from Leadville to Twin Lakes and start from there.

Another great section of trail is heading toward Durango from Spring Creek Pass, accessed via Lake City or Creede. Or a shorter option would be from Molas Pass near Silverton to Durango, around 75 miles with easy access to Silverton via the (slow) Durango & Silverton Narrow gauge train.

[colorado_rob]

I'd suggest the San Juan's, either along the CT or a nice loop. I roughed out a "tour-de-needles-and-grenediers" (two of the finest little sub-ranges in the San Juan's) in an earlier thread, probably not quite long enough for you though, but lots of opportunities for expansion/side trips, here's a rough idea in low-rez, I think this is only 50 miles, but I can already think of many ways of making it 70-ish or even more. The only CT segment on this is the top E/W line on this map.

What you could do is go clockwise from Molas Pass, and when you get to Needleton, catch the cool, old fashioned steam-engine train ($72, a bit steep!) north back to Elk Park and head back up to Molas Pass. Or you could hike south from Needleton to Purgatory trailhead and hitch back to Silverton or Molas Pass, adding another 8-9 miles of hiking.

[hikeandbike5]

San juans for sure. Collegiate west is nice but is not ~100miles. I'd skip the tennessee pass to twin lakes section, it is pretty boring, imo.

[Coffee]

San Juans would be a great choice. I want to go back someday for the trip Colorado_Rob described.

[Cookerhiker]

You could simply hike the CT from Molas Pass (Silverton) to Durango, a distance of 75 miles. Use the Durango-Silverton Railroad to shuttle yourselves.

[OwenM]

Don't know about solitude in August, but you can also add mileage to the loop colorado_rob posted, still using the train as a shuttle. Check out my Needleton Loop thread below. I turned that 38.6 mile loop into >60 miles with some side trips, and thought it was a great introduction to the area. You can add more by staying on the Continental Divide Trail instead of coming down the Vallecito Creek Trail(just to the east of the map he posted), maybe hike out to places like the Window and Rio Grande Pyramid, then come back down the Rock Creek Trail to rejoin the loop. That's what I'll do if I go back there.

[bearcreek]

Following the CDT from Wolf Creek Pass to the train at Elk Creek via the CT is a fantastic hike. That would be about 87.5 miles. The CDT is not as well defined or marked as the CT so you would probably want to use a smartphone app or gps to help you navigate.

My favorite part the CT was already mentioned by Coffee - Spring Creek Pass to Durango, which is 129 miles. You would probably want to add 2-3 more days to your trip to make that work. The logistics of getting to Spring Creek Pass to start are a bit problematic.

[bearcreek]

Another awesome hike is to get on the CDT at the Gray's Peak Trailhead just off of I70, then hike the CDT south for 28 miles to Georgia Pass where you pick up the CT then continue along the coaligned route to Turquoise Lake. That would total 99 miles with fairly good logistics. Be aware that the CDT part of this hike gets fairly gnarly in places after summiting Grays Peak, a easy 14er. From the summit of Grays there is a spectacular but very exposed ridge traverse to Mt. Edwards (a Centennial).

[Cookerhiker]

Another awesome hike is to get on the CDT at the Gray's Peak Trailhead just off of I70, then hike the CDT south for 28 miles to Georgia Pass where you pick up the CT then continue along the coaligned route to Turquoise Lake. That would total 99 miles with fairly good logistics. Be aware that the CDT part of this hike gets fairly gnarly in places after summiting Grays Peak, a easy 14er. From the summit of Grays there is a spectacular but very exposed ridge traverse to Mt. Edwards (a Centennial).

Bear Creek's recommendation incorporates CT Segment 8 over Elk Ridge to Searle Pass and Kokomo Pass - my favorite portion of the entire CT.

[GBarron]

Thanks, everyone! I'll be spending lots of time this winter looking at maps and orienting myself to this info.