Colorado - September - Ideas?

[royalusa]

We may have the opportunity to spend some time in CO this coming September. Thinking of making a "base camp" at friends homes in Fort Collins and/or Silverthorne. We'd like to head out and do some 2-4 day hikes (loops preferable) within an hour of these "base camps". We'd like to chose options that give us the highest elevation.

Any recommendations on specific trails?

[Coffee]

I would recommend the Colorado Trail from the Gold Hill Trailhead outside Breckenridge to Tennessee Pass near Leadville (Segments 7 and 8). This would be around 38 miles and cover the ten mile range, Searle Pass, Kokomo Pass, and Camp Hale. I found it very easy to hitch to Leadville. From there you can take the Summit County public bus back to Frisco and on to Silverthorne.

You could also hike Segment 6 of the Colorado Trail from Kenosha Pass to Gold Hill Trailhead, a distance of about 33 miles and including Georgia Pass. Georgia Pass had no visibility when I was there but it is supposed to be one of the best passes.

If you are willing to drive further, check out parts of the CT Collegiate West. My favorite was Cottonwood Pass to Tincup Pass Road, about 17 miles. However, I'm not sure how shuttle logistics would work in that remote area.

[handlebar]

Depends on how much time you have. Summit County (where Silverthorne is) has good, free bus service. Check out the Summit Stage web site. You can use the bus to complete a number of nice loops. You can take the bus to Copper Mtn Ski Resort and hike north on one of the alternate routes of the CDT over you could hike the N from Copper Mtn over Uneva and Eccles Passes then head down toward Silverthorne and take the Summit Stage to where you parked your car. That will take you over two high passes in as many days. If you want it a little longer you could start at the Summit Stage bus stop near Gold Hill TH and hike over the Ten Mile Range to Copper then continue as above. Alternately, you want something a little longer, you can start at Silverthorne and hike up over Ptarmigan Pass (on the same CDT alternate) then cross over to Jones Pass where you intersect the "official" CDT route. Hike south on the CDT taking a side trip to summit Greys and/or Torreys Peak (Fourteeners) to Georgia Pass where the CDT and Colorado Trail join then continue on the CDT/CT down to the Gold Hill TH where you can catch the bus back to Silverthorne. These are at fairly high altitude, so coming from GA, beware of Acute Mountain Sickness and acclimatize. The entire loop from Copper to GoldHill thru Silverthorne took me from 7AM June 27 until 11:30AM July 4 though I stopped at 2pm one afternoon when I was driven off the Divide by thunderstorms. I found these routes to be more scenic than the route from Gold Hill to Tennessee Pass. YMMV.

[royalusa]

Excellent ideas. Thanks and keep them coming. We may be out there for a month or so, so time is in our favor, though I imagine by late September we may be running into snow at the higher elevations?

[garlic08]

Some excellent ideas above to get you going. From Ft Collins, you'll have pretty good access to Rocky Mt NP, the Red Feather Lakes, and Never Summer Wilderness areas. Mags knows more about those areas, I think--maybe he'll chime in.

I really like the Gore Range, where Handlebar suggests Uneva and Eccles Passes. It's real Rocky Mt scenery, but since there are no 14ers, fewer hikers go there.

September is usually one of my favorite times out here--the summer monsoon is gone and you start getting aspen colors. But, and a big but, the first decent snow often comes in late September--but not always. You won't be seeing any winter snow pack yet, but there might be one storm that could really change your plans. If it comes, there's good warning.

[Mags]

Check out the Rawah Wilderness ~ 1.5 hrs outside of Ft. Collins. No 14ers, no major long distance trails, a bit further from major metro areas (other than Ft. Collins) much less day use vs other places in Colorado. Amazing ridge walks (esp if you go off-trail), lakes and scenery. One of my favorites.

If you are willing to cross the WYO border, the Medicine Bows (Snowy Range) outside of Laramie (literally just up the hwy from Ft. Collins and not far at all. Laramie is about 1 hr away) is a smaller area, but some great hiking/backpacking for a weekend. Again, amazing scenery with a lot less people vs the increasingly crowded Colorado areas (esp if you don't go Labor Day Weekend) Check out the old territorial prison in Laramie (http://www.wyomingterritorialprison.com/) after your trip for a fun, and inexpensive, post-hike jaunt. You will actually go by it to/from the Snowy Range.

The Rawah Wilderness are actually part of the Medicine Bows FWIW. Shows you how close Laramie and Ft. Collins is overall.


Some quick pics to whet the appetite:

Rawahs

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3886/14586385899_7f03d49bd9.jpg

http://www.pmags.com/gallery2/d/23249-1/image019.jpg?g2_GALLERYSID=0e5b33ac3c64c5ba8674466 0aa9f51b0

Snowy Range:

http://pmags2.jzapin.com/gallery2/d/23317-1/image018.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7358/9665814893_8a99ccb1bc.jpg

[royalusa]

Wow, great input. Thanks all! And Mags, with those pictures, we just may have to extend our time out there!