Water Silverton To lake City

[bamboo bob]

After an aborted postholing and near drowning in late June my wife and I will be back in September to do a piece of NOBO CDT. Yes we could have skipped north but being a linear person is one of my many faults. I noticed on Guthook and other sources there are long stretches with not much water. In other seasons snow melt makes water not much of a concern but I was concerned about september. Is water much of an issue? There's a lake 10 miles north on Stoney Pass. Is there water at or near the Yurt? We're old and slow and could use some advice. We thought maybe September will be cold but we wont have to worry about lightning so much.

[San Juan Ron]

You probably have already done the hike, but there is plenty of water. There is water near the CDT/CT around 1 mile east of Stony Pass, several lakes near the trail at Cataract Ridge, and a creek around .25 south (downhill) from the Yurt. There are also several other small and seasonal creeks in the area. Ron

[Dogwood]

There was water at the steam just a little south of the yurt where you can still see the yurt a bit uphill in Sept two yrs ago flowing decently across the CT. There is a CS there in some evergreens too where I had to camp as the yurt as already FULLY occupied by hunters who had paid reservations. So much for the yurt being there for hikers. It's a nice spacious yurt inside. Folks at the yurt, if they be hunters, would have drinking water, and whatever else, too.


There is a small lake on Snow Mesa - very exposed - the CT goes by I've camped at too.

[Dogwood]

"There is water near the CDT/CT around 1 mile east(south?) of Stony Pass." Yes, again in a rather exposed location at several tiny watering holes not far from where the CDT/CT diverge with the CT heading down to Elk Creek and up to Molas Pass..

[Venchka]

"There is water near the CDT/CT around 1 mile east(south?) of Stony Pass." Yes, again in a rather exposed location at several tiny watering holes not far from where the CDT/CT diverge with the CT heading down to Elk Creek and up to Molas Pass..

Thanks. I plan to be there ~50 weeks from now.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[Venchka]

"There is water near the CDT/CT around 1 mile east(south?) of Stony Pass." Yes, again in a rather exposed location at several tiny watering holes not far from where the CDT/CT diverge with the CT heading down to Elk Creek and up to Molas Pass..

Thanks. I plan to be there ~50 weeks from now.
You also confirmed that the CT does follow Elk Creek. That makes sense to connect with the train.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[Dogwood]

I'm not sure what BB was speaking about when he asked about water between Silverton and Lake City ON THE CDT. Although I suppose you could get into Silverton off the CDT via the jeep road across Stony Pass and possibly other ways, which I don't know about, Silverton is, from what I know, usually associated with a CT resupply point not a common CDT resupply point. There is also Silverthorne CO which services both the CDT and CT and again diverge just outside of Silverthorne, and which I've seen more than one CDT/CT hiker confusing with Silverton.

[San Juan Ron]

There are at least eight reliable water stops (and several more seasonal sources) between the CT/CDT convergence above the Elk Creek drainage to Spring Creek (149 south of Lake City). This nearly 40M stretch going NE from the Elk Creek drainage:
1.2M small lakes
2.3M small ponds
5.4M cross stream
8.8M small pond
12.4M creek
16.6M Cataract Lakes
21.1M small stream
28.0M Ruby Creek
30.8M stream by Yurt
39.5M finish at 149/Lake City (water across road)
Since the CT and CDT share several hundreds of miles in Colorado, you might want to buy the small CT datebook next year which gives you excellent trail info (water stops, etc.). Ron

[Venchka]

Ron,
Looking at Caltopo maps I can easily find the CT-CDT confluence at the head of Elk Creek. When I follow the CDT to Spring Creek pass, the CT is not mentioned. Are they the same trail in that section?
Thanks for all of your help! It is always great to get hard facts from "boots on the ground", or are they trail runners?

Wayne

[San Juan Ron]

They are the SAME trail. One in the same. Ron

[Venchka]

Thank you. Like getting a two-fer. Grinning.

Wayne

[bamboo bob]

Thanks everyone. There were really no water issues, just that Guthook doesn't mention them.

[bearcreek]

+1 on the CT Databook for additional water info.

[lonehiker]

Thanks everyone. There were really no water issues, just that Guthook doesn't mention them.

That is the problem with relying on an App. If it isn't mentioned in the App, it doesn't exist...