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Colorado Trail Backpacking: Sections 25 - 28
Segments 25 to 28 make up the final 74 miles of the Colorado Trail. Beginning from Molas Pass above Silverton, CO we’ll take in countless, dense wildflower displays, rushing mountain creeks and panoramic views of the entire San Juan Mountain range. These 74 miles over 7 days can be done by reasonably fit person and even doable as a family.
Day 0: Arrive to Durango and stay in a hotel. We will meet in the evening to do a gear check and ensure that you're packed and ready for the trip.
Day 1: Hike away Molas Pass at nearly 11,000 feet and the start of Segment 25. After a gentle climb, we’ll make a long, visually stunning traverse around the headwaters of Lime Creek. The wildflowers in this section are famous for their brilliance. Tonight’s camp is near an alpine lake.
Day 2: Today we start out with a short climb to our highpoint of our 7 days as we crest Rolling Pass. From Rolling Pass we have a 360-degree view of the South Mineral Creek drainage, the Cascade Creek drainage and even views to distant Engineer Mountain. After a descent and ascent in and out of the Cascade Creek drainage we’ll reach our second night’s camp near Celebration Lake. Resupply.
Day 3: Today is punctuated by a rolling climb to Blackhawk Pass, our second highest point of the trip. Early on our ascent to Blackhawk Pass we’ll break out into the Silver Creek drainage…a natural amphitheatre, which makes any visitor feel small. We’ll end the day walking almost exclusively downhill into a lush pine forest. Resupply.
Day 4: Day four begins our transition from the Engineer and Twilight Mountain areas to the La Plata Mountains that tower above Durango. The hiking in this Segment (we’re beginning Segment 27 now) has relatively little elevation gain and loss for the first part and awards us with great views of the Hermosa Creek drainage and distant views of the Weminuche Wilderness. Our camp tonight is special as we must haul water to it beforehand due to the lack of natural water sources.
Day 5: Today’s hike is one of the hidden gem sections of the entire Colorado Trail – Indian Trail Ridge. Indian Trail Ridge marks our real entry into the La Plata Mountain sub-range. This section has lots of ups and downs…rolling over alpine tundra and through partial scree fields. To our left (east) is the Animas River Valley and the distant Weminuche Wilderness…to our right (west) are the jagged peaks of the La Plata’s. Resupply.
Day 6: Day six is the start of Segment 28, the final Segment of the nearly 500-mile long Colorado Trail. Starting at Kennebec Pass, we descend 5000 feet into the town of Durango over two days. Today we spend the majority of our time next to rushing Junction Creek, walled in by a steep canyon.
Day 7: From our final camp we continue toward Durango and begin to really feel the change in eco-zones. After a westerly-facing contour through aspen groves we almost instantly enter the beginnings of high desert Ponderosa pines and soon after, scrub oak. Nearing the end of our day, we’ll stop for a breather at Gudy’s Rest – an overlook and bench dedicated to Gudy Gaskill, a key figure in the connection of the Colorado Trail.
Trip Cost Includes: Backpacking and climbing guides for the duration of the trip. All group technical equipment required for the climbs. Tents, food (breakfasts & dinners), cooking gear, and transportation to and from the trail.
Not Included: Hotel costs before, during, or after the courses. 3% land use surcharge, $3 Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue card (required), trip cancellation insurance, personal climbing/camping equipment and gear, or guide gratuities.
Prerequisites: Participants should have previous backpacking or camping experience. Rock climbing experience is not required, but if you have never rock climbed we do recommend a half day of climbing with us in Durango prior to your trip to the Grenadiers.
Registration and Cancellation: You will need to fill out our Domestic Registration Form, cancellation policy agreement, and liability waiver, and send it to us with a 50% deposit. Balance is due on the first day of the course. Please click on our Registration link to access the required forms.
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