Colorado Trail Trail resupply points???

[handlebar]

.....And, going south(towards Durango) of TL on the CT a short distance you'll come to legal places to camp.

Including a few places on the beach just a bit before the trail starts to climb at the junction with the CDT/western route of CT. Camped there on soft, sandy beach and took a dip in the lake.

[Dogwood]

Including a few places on the beach just a bit before the trail starts to climb at the junction with the CDT/western route of CT. Camped there on soft, sandy beach and took a dip in the lake.

You too? Wasn't sure if the camping on the beach was legal so hesitated to rec that. I cowboyed on the beach in howling wind light snow conditions. I loved it.

[cdewsa4747]

I don't see a lot of info about Mt Princeton Hot Springs here. I'm looking to resupply food at that spot for the long trek all the way to Silverton (180 miles). I can survive on 3-4 snickers bars (as an example) each day. Would I be able to stock up about 60 bars (or similar foods) at Mt Princeton?

[Dogwood]

I would NOT plan on buying enough trail food at PHS to do the 180 miles to Silverton. Maybe, you could squeeze 5 days of trail food from there on a buy as you go approach but IMHO that's maxing it out unless you are willing to do a heavy not UL trailfood resupply. They told me, after I asked NICELY, even though I wasn't a guest there, they would hold a resupply box at the front desk for a CT hiker. I would call them first confirming this. Good buffets with the possibility of taking some food to the trail ordered at the restaurant to supplement the bought at the, what amounts to a campstore, grub.

[cdewsa4747]

I would NOT plan on buying enough trail food at PHS to do the 180 miles to Silverton. Maybe, you could squeeze 5 days of trail food from there on a buy as you go approach but IMHO that's maxing it out unless you are willing to do a heavy not UL trailfood resupply. They told me, after I asked NICELY, even though I wasn't a guest there, they would hold a resupply box at the front desk for a CT hiker. I would call them first confirming this. Good buffets with the possibility of taking some food to the trail ordered at the restaurant to supplement the bought at the, what amounts to a campstore, grub.

Thanks for the reply, Dogwood. Can you give me a little more detailed of a description of what food and how much food was at that Mt Princeton general store when you went?

Ideally I would like to stay at the Mt Princeton resort for two nights. I'd pig out at the restaurant but stock up on trail food.

[Coffee]

Yogis guide indicates that Mt Princeton accepts mail drops via usps or ups, no charge.

[lonehiker]

If you are going to stay two nights at Mt Princeton resort, why don't you hitch into Buena Vista and re-supply there. Or, as mentioned earlier, do a maildrop direct to the resort.

[Drybones]

I went on line this morning to order the CT guide book, it was $12.95, shipping was $7.68. I just couldn't bring myself to pay $7.68 for something that will fit in my shirt pocket, guess I'm funny, I would have paid $16.00 for the guide and $4.63 to ship it.

[cdewsa4747]

Yogis guide indicates that Mt Princeton accepts mail drops via usps or ups, no charge.

If you are going to stay two nights at Mt Princeton resort, why don't you hitch into Buena Vista and re-supply there. Or, as mentioned earlier, do a maildrop direct to the resort.

I'm not much of a hitchin' guy or for mail drops. I just don't trust people and don't want to rely on them.

Maybe I should stop at a motel in Twin Lakes instead of Mt Princeton. It would be cheaper and there will be a larger food supply. Then it would be a lighter resupply needed when I pass Mt Princeton. Mag's website says Twin Lakes is 1-3 miles off the trail. Can someone give me a more detailed description of the walk to Twin Lakes off the normal CT route?

[Dogwood]

"I'm not much of a hitchin' guy or for mail drops. I just don't trust people and don't want to rely on them."

At some pt on a thru hike, and certainly in LIFE, we wind up having to rely on each other.

"Maybe I should stop at a motel in Twin Lakes instead of Mt Princeton. It would be cheaper and there will be a larger food supply."

I don't know about that! Cheaper perhaps(there's a FS camping area not far north of TL, there's also a STEEP short cut use trail between the CT and TL I prolly shouldn't even be mentioning) but not a larger food supply in TL! Most CTers and CDTers send a box to TL. I supplemented(not full resupply) twice at PHS both on a CDT SOBO and CT NOBO hikes as well as using TL for food resupplying. You are still foggy about your resupply logistics. Give it some more thought. You have other resupply options both n and s of PHS.

http://www.pmags.com/colorado-trail-end-to-end-guide-2

"Then it would be a lighter resupply needed when I pass Mt Princeton."

That's certainly a viable consideration and certainly so for someone like me - an ULer - which even if I wasn't an ULer I'd still want to do to break up my trail food wt hauls - particularly on the CT.

"Mag's website says Twin Lakes is 1-3 miles off the trail. Can someone give me a more detailed description of the walk to Twin Lakes off the normal CT route?"

It's an easy walk on a paved road w/ lake views or on trail next to the road w/ a possibility of getting a hitch. Stop by the dam site if its open. Kinda neat exhibits.

[Dogwood]

PHS store is like a glorified small campground store near the front entrance. PHS has a wealthier overall clientel though than most campgrounds and the stuff the store stocks and sells reflects some of this. It's not a hoity toity nose up in the air type atmosphere though. PHS has been very kind to me even though I never booked a room. MAYBE, PHS behavior towards me reflects my conscientiousness and respect for PHS?

[StubbleJumper]

I'm not much of a hitchin' guy or for mail drops. I just don't trust people and don't want to rely on them.

Maybe I should stop at a motel in Twin Lakes instead of Mt Princeton. It would be cheaper and there will be a larger food supply. Then it would be a lighter resupply needed when I pass Mt Princeton. Mag's website says Twin Lakes is 1-3 miles off the trail. Can someone give me a more detailed description of the walk to Twin Lakes off the normal CT route?

Stopping at Twin Lakes is a no-brainer. You can follow a spur trail to a gravel road down to the town, and it's like 1 mile off the trail. There's a little store that had some food when I was there in 2011, but it was mostly potato chips, chocolate bars, bread, and maybe a bit of mac and cheese. I understand that there are new owners so maybe the selection is better now. However, IMO your best bet is to send a mail-drop from Breckenridge to the store at Twin with 4 or 5 days of food which will be enough to get you to Buena or to Salida.

The store at Mt Princeton had chips, chocolate bars and perhaps a bit more in 2011, but IMO it really wasn't good for a full re-supply. Sending a re-supply box there would probably work quite well because it's right on the trail.

IMO, it is unrealistic to haul the 180 miles from Mt. Princeton to Silverton. If you hike 20 miles per day, that's 9 days; if you hike 15 miles per day, that's 12 days. In my experience, you need to plan for at least 2 pounds of food per day, so that means you'd be carrying 18 to 24 pounds of food. Personally, that's not my idea of fun. A stop in Buena, Salida, Gunnison, or Lake City would make for an easier hike.

[handlebar]

+1 on a resupply stop in both Salida and Lake City. The Simple Hostel in Salida and Ravens Rest Hostel in Lake City are great for a nero/zero and there's good resupply in both towns.

[cdewsa4747]

Thanks for the replies guys. It's helped me get a better understanding of what's on the route.

Without hitching or mail drops, it seems to make more sense to hike the trail in sections over different periods. I like the idea of doing two round trips from Frisco to Twin Lakes this summer. Load up with food in Frisco, then stay two nights at Twin Lakes Inn - resting, indulging at diners, and supplementing the initial food load by buying at the general store.