tough climbs but a great ride overall BS but whatever. Some technical terrain and limited alternate lines. I imagine if you go further it gets better, but the first part is for families with small kids who want to ride bikes or older folks getting their heart rate up. Segment 6 of the Colorado Trail is one of the biggest and one of the most epic mountain bike rides I have ever done. by s platte Did this over Labor Day weekend and the streams were all dried up. 6mi Another interesting note for segment one of the Colorado Trail: When riding through the rugged, densely forested, remote western portion of the trail, we barely saw any wildlife. 233.93 m Down, 19.9 mi If you're getting tired, just don't do … Trails Mountain Bike 5,821 Trails E-Bike 1,287 Trails Hike 6,433 Trails Trail Running 6,416 Trails Horse 1,044 Trails Dirtbike 551 Trails Observed Trials 13 Trails ATV/ORV/OHV 306 Trails Snowmobile 18 Trails Snowshoe 89 Trails Downhill Ski 238 Trails Backcountry Ski 42 Trails Nordic Ski 91 This is a great section of trail minus the 6 mile ride up the canyon road. 767' Down Segment 8 of the Colorado trail is fairly easy to access and is very well maintained. 1h 15m, 18mi 908.2 m Down, 10.2 mi 1h 03m, Great ride! The trail is in great condition. 13.3 km Thruhikers beware, the creek is dry so if you are depending on it for a water source, don't. 20mi, Create Recommended Route or The Colorado Trail Race (CTR) is known as one of the hardest, if not the hardest and most scenic bikepacking routes in the entire United States. Two downed trees just like July 3 but still a very beautiful place! Trail was in great condition. The terrain is not very technical and very flowy. Beautiful sweeping trail and and awesome view of the 10-Mile range follows. 454.81 m Up Learned a valuable lesson about riding in the cold..eat something to stay fueled up • A nice 500’ climb passes the Blair Witch trail and tops out at an old fenceline. 17mi, Slightly muddy. For parking and additional info on this segment of the Colorado Trail visit: http://www.coloradotrail.org/waterton.html 2h 45m, From canyon entrance to Lenny's Rest and back. It’s wonderful that so many people got outside during the 2020 pandemic, I just wish they had treated our public lands better. Trail is in great shape, but you still have to start from South Platte trailhead or Indian Creek trailhead. • This is about an injury or accident It's "only" 16miles by the way, not 18, but I didn't mind since the pavement was killing me! The trail winds through nearly 500 miles of the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountains drawing hikers from around the world and is open to hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. 17.6mi — Colorado Trail: The Entire MTB Route - IMBA EPIC; Description This 17.2-mile segment of the Colorado Trail is arguably the finest segment of the entire Colorado Trail. — 13.6mi, Made it to the Big Horn stop with Brody! 1h 30m, Rode to the high point and back. Segment 7 of the Colorado trail showcases a little over five and a half miles of single-track above tree line, and all of it is above 11,400 feet. It opens up with great views but there are a … It was a beautiful trail. Turned around at sharp switchback on way down after bench. Lots of mountain bikers but everyone was soooo nice. That portion is a 2 lane dirt road maintained by Denver Water & closed to public vehicles. 449.33 m Down. On day one, Sunday, we had originally planned to hike from the trailhead to a campsite noted in the guidebook from The Colorado Mountain Club at 11.8 miles into Segment One. - Lost Creek Wilderness Boundary - Wellington Lake Rd. 16.5 km If you're getting tired, just don't do the last descent or you're fully commited to the whole thing. Most of the hike features cover and allows you to see the recovering burn scar from the 1996 Buffalo Creek fire as well as beautiful views of Raleigh Peak and the river valley. https://www.thevirtualsherpa.com/colorado-trail-segment-1-hike-information Trail, Colorado Trail: The Entire MTB Route - IMBA EPIC, USFS - Pike National Forest - South Platte Ranger District, improvements Blacktop was tough, great trail, nice river and wildlife. With two major climbs bringing you above 11,000 feet and Georgia pass being just a few hundred feet shy of 12,000 feet, you will find yourself in an exclusive group of people that can complete this on a bike, the longest segment of the Colorado Trail. On average it takes 1 hour2 minutes to complete this trail. For Segment 5 (Long Gulch Trailhead to Kenosha East Trailhead), bikes are not allowed beyond/east of the Rock Creek Road/NFSR 133 from the Rock Creek Trailhead. It was amazing! • Once on the single track trail, we loved the wooded walk. Worth honorable mention are the relatively low elevation CT Segments 1-3, Denver to Bailey, as they are seasonal exceptions. All clear, not muddy except for a few small sections. 2,993' Up Be ready to climb a lot! 15mi, Frigid day with temps at 20 and below, had the trail to ourselves. Good shade for a fair amount until we hit the unpaved road- which was brutal on a warm day and having been running on trails, the pavement was rather painful, but beautiful! 1,960' Up I did 3 segments in 3 days, and even with a pack on this isn't to difficult. It’s would have been great with a bike. One of the country’s premier long trails, stretching from Denver (technically, Littleton) to Durango, the Colorado Trail winds its way 486-miles from central to the southwestern corner of Colorado. Your FREE account works with all Adventure Projects sites. • Segment 1 — Waterton Canyon Trailhead to South Platte River Trailhead. 17.5mi, 4 large trees down on trail Note: This segment is mapped from the point where the Colorado Trail leaves Monarch Crest Trail to keep things clean on the map. It is probably different on the weekends. It can be done as an out and back if you're looking for some mileage. 13.6mi It can be done as an out and back if you're looking for some mileage. Uneven terrain with small rocks or roots. 6.4mi, Waterton - South Platte - Little Scraggy - Wellington Lake Rd. - 8.5 miles of road to Bailey This was a bridge crossing during the mtb ride on Colorado Trail segment 14. 1h 13m. 24.5 km The Colorado Trail can be a life-changing experience if you let it! The trail is easy and while the climb is steady, it’s not steep. 1,474' Down We did this in reverse so we could bring our dogs. — There is a fresh tree fall across the trail at about mile 12.5 just north of the high point. 16mi 19316 Goddard Ranch Ct. 16.7mi, Still a bit wet and muddy in spots, but great shape overall. 30 or so Big Horn sheep on the trail coming down. Colorado Trail Segment 4 was our favorite of the CT so far, until we hiked segment 5. 820.62 m Down, 15.2 mi No water at the campground or from lenny’s rest to south platte—so, come prepared :). South Platte Ranger District, Pike National Forest 597.11 m Down, 8.2 mi Will return! The trail begins at Waterton Canyon and follows a gravel road for the first seven miles. Description This is one of the more difficult segments of the Colorado Trail. 2,692' Down Very steep. 1,492' Up Portions of the Colorado Trail are off limits to bikes so you'll need to detour around each of the 6 designated wilderness areas. 13.3mi 2,980' Down after the first 6 miles the difficulty does increase, be prepared for some very hot areas during the summer, I recommend you start VERY early. 25.5mi, Great out and back ride once you get past the 6 mile service road Once you leave the Monarch Crest Trail, things start to get interesting. For now, the hike is through miles of open and exposed terrain but as the vegetation grows back, this segment of the Colorado Trail will change drastically. There is very limited water and over seven continuous miles of trail above treeline. You have to bike up Waterton Canyon to get there but once you hit the Colorado Trail you are virtually alone. Absolutely amazing trail, well maintained throughout. — Continue East along the river to the trailhead. We ran this in reverse going east. The Sluice, in late August. • Spam? 3h 15m, Out and back - turned around at 10mi mark; very steep and rocky in sections An Adventure Projects staff member will review this and take an appropriate action, but we generally don't reply. No description for Colorado Trail (Seg 6.1 - Kenosha Pass) trail has been added yet! http://www.coloradotrail.org/. Colorado Mountain Bike Association opened Segment 4, a.k.a. 18.9 km Technical terrain with no alternate lines. “ Section of the Colorado Trail that's sandwiched on both sides by the Lost Creek Wilderness. Beautiful area! But after hiking up Waterton Canyon Road in just two hours and making Lenny's Rest through a very muggy, heavily forested area in another hour, we made it to this campsite at 11:30 AM. During the 2017 Colorado Trail Race the average amount of H.A.B (Hike-A-Bike) was about 70 miles. — The Colorado Trail is a long-distance trail extending for 486 miles from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango in Colorado. Thanks to diligent trail adopters and volunteers, this segment, although rugged and lengthy, is one of the highlights of the famous Colorado Trail.As you can see from the pictures below, it is also quite beautiful. Mostly sightseeing and enjoying the ride. Note this for water refills. 2h 35m, 12.6mi 820.65 m Up • 303-275-5610 2:45 moving time plus lots of rest time! 453.47 m Down, 11.7 mi We chose to split the segment into 2 days, if you are looking to do the same beware that after mile 10 it’s slim pickings for established campsights. We started at the end of this segment at the South Platte River and hiked up the 2.5 miles to the first peak/ridge (approx 1100 feet of elevation gain). which marks the end of segment 1 of the Colorado Trail and the beginning of segment 2. Description For the first portion of this section of the Colorado Trail, you'll follow Waterton Canyon, which is the gateway to the CT. We started at indian creek campground and met up with the colorado trail at lenny’s rest. Minimal ice and postholing. Two downed trees between miles 10.6 and 11. 21.8mi, This trail starts as 6+ miles through Waterton Canyon. No water for about 8 miles if you do it in reverse so something to keep in mind. Our hike of on this segment of the Colorado Trail was filled with snow and graupel showers, thundersnow and poor visibility. Trail X Factors: Without a doubt the biggest x factor on Colorado Trail segment 2 is the burn area created by the Buffalo Creek fire of 1996.Although this fire was 23 years ago (at the time of this blog posting), the area is still recovering. 2h 11m, Went to the Lenny's Rest bench then headed back down. Mountain Biking Colorado Trail Add a review #1 of 1,349 mountain bike trails in Colorado #2 in the world. If you were to complete the race in seven days, one day of the seven would be HAB! We were glad to have the final rest stop at the end to doctor our feet and use the facilities one more time. 1,488' Down About 1.5 miles past Reynolds park, turn left onto CR 96 toward the old town of South Platte. We camped at mile 9 and it was a good spot. Conditions are very good. 237.1 m Up While other portions of the trail end up being remote, this section offers easy access and beautiful views of the South Platte. Very muddy, but they enjoyed it. Loved that the last four miles is downhill because we needed to beat sunset. — Something else? We saw the mountain goats after sunup (look up). 1h 47m, Didn't go all the way to the top but made it just passed the dam into the Colorado trail single track entrance. — Gentle switchbacks. The trail is easy and whil 52.7mi, Rode with friends from out of town. 33.3 km We are local to the area but this was our first 2020 hike on this trail due to the incredibly crowded conditions this summer. By the way, the wait was worth it— we were the only people on this segment of the trail— no other hikers and no mountain bikers. Another review said that there aren’t campsites after mile 10 but we saw campsites throughout the entire segment. We turned around 1.5 miles in. 16mi Colorado Trail: Segment 1 is a 29.0 kilometer moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Littleton, Colorado that features a river and is rated as difficult. This is one the best trails for mountain biking. 1,472' Up That equals 13% of the total distance. Colorado Trail: The Entire MTB Route - IMBA EPIC; Description There is a large parking lot on Platte River Rd. We camped 5 miles in and had a great time other than our dog ripping our tent...gotta have something go wrong or else it's not a true backpacking trip right? • MTB/RC Musings Tuesday, May 27, 2008. Being a jerk / offensive? 597.35 m Up Not too much work for a great view of Pike’s. Perusing the Colorado Trail Ninth Edition, the official guidebook of the Colorado Trail Foundation (CTF, 2016), I noticed that for Segment 1, the elevation gain is 2,830’ while the elevation loss is 2,239’ feet, the highest elevation for this section is 7,517’. 1 small patch of snow and a little wet on the rock garden climb by the stream. Colorado Trail: Segment 1 ist ein 18 Meilen langer, moderat besuchter Streckenabschnitt in der Nähe von Littleton, Colorado. 2,692' Up It had been a couple of years since I had ridden either this segment or Indian Creek Loop, so I wanted to try and hit them both. It shares the route with the overlapping Continental Divide Trail as the pair runs along an east-west axis from Spring Creek Pass (east) to the Wager Gulch Saddle (west). The ride starts at the Ranger Station as it goes up and up. The road parallels the South Platte River as it works its way gently up the canyon. Er führt entlang eines Flusses, durch schönen Wald — 15.7mi, Dry in the canyon, muddy in spots climbing to the cutoff and beyond. There was some blowover in mile 12. 32mi, First tough ride. I had my 7 year old with me and we go slow, which was tough on a hot day with no shade on pavement. 3h 27m, 13mi Still a really fun ride though and 2 others. Went up to Larry's rest and back. 7 miles on the road until you hit the trail and can start camping. Downed trees towards S. Platte, but nothing not doable. Unfortunately the heavy use shows early on when doing the trail this direction, with litter and areas of foliage beaten down. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/colorado-trail-segment-1 The two trails overlap to the north. 19mi The Colorado Trail is one of the premier, long distance bikepacking trails in the US. We saw the newly downed tree mentioned by another reviewer but it was cleared off the trail. 24mi, Just went to the dam and back. 2h 45m, 21.2mi Morrison, CO 80465 This is a great section of trail minus the 6 mile ride up the canyon road. This trail can also begin at Waterton Canyon. Please explain. NOT OKAY! The first 6 miles on the road are quite easy, if your in shape. — 3954 feet in 31.84 miles (16 out and back) 9mi, Dry all the way. Segment 1 of the Colorado Trail is easily accessible, located only 30 minutes from downtown Denver. One of the more scenic sections of the CT that requires minimal effort to experience a little taste of the backcountry. Would definitely recommend. Moderately steep. Amazing singletrack, killer views, and lung busting elevation - what more could you ask for? The MTB version of this route will start on designated bike paths and a little bit of singletrack that border the Front Range Urban Corridor, before catapulting you into the Rocky Mountains via Segment 1 of the Colorado Trail. • 912.25 m Up Beautiful! 2h 48m, Went till the snow was too much to ride through. 22mi • 32mi, did parking lot to 2nd dam rest area Taking other people's content (text, photos, etc) without permission is a copyright violation and There is no overnight parking at the Waterton Canyon trailhead so that’s an obstacle If you’re backpacking. Cross the large iron bridge over the Platte River and begin by heading south along the river for a brief stent before heading west over a short section of shale. The trail dramatically rises and falls with an average elevation of 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and tops out above 13,000 feet (3,962 meters), just below Coney Summit. the trail is well maintained and offers some good views after the first 10 or so miles. • • There was some fall color, but mostly in miles 9-14. My 14yo and i did this in just under 11 hours and we were glad it wasn’t difficult all the way through. Two trees down blocking the trail just a mile or two shy of the peak elevation. 1h 53m, rode a majority of this segment, maybe about 10.5 miles in from the waterton canyon trailhead. Great trail! The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from April until September. — It travels through the incredible Colorado Rocky Mountains amongst peaks, glacial lakes, creeks, and a spectacular array of ecosystems. Sure, I am not sad about starting the road through Waterton Canyon in the dark, but once you start to parallel the river, it’s a nice walk for a road. Lots of shaded parts, great views after the switchbacks. It's a 1.3-mile mountain-biker only trail. 1,959' Down Colorado Trail (Segment 1) + Indian Creek Loop I was able to get out to the first segment of the Colorado Trail on Saturday. 32.0 km Colorado Trail (Seg 6.1 - Kenosha Pass) is a 6 mile popular blue singletrack scenic trail located near Park County Colorado. Southern Terminus (South Platte Trailhead) - From Denver drive South on US 285 past Conifer, then turn left onto CR 97 (Foxton Road. — Will use the Rox Loop back next time since it has dried out up top — JULY, AUGUST, and SEPTEMBER add up to the season for distance travel on The Colorado Trail, due mainly to snowpack at high elevations. This multi-use trail can be used both directions. After tackling segment 4 and a bit of 5 in one day, we camped for the night and woke up to colder temperatures and nasty weather. — Great ride for training and scenery Submit one here. The trailhead to segment 1 is closed atm due to Covid19. From end to end, it is 13 miles long with 4000 feet of climbing and 3500 feet of descending. All in all a wild and wonderful trail. Steep. 3h 45m, 32mi Waterton Canyon Indian Creek Mountain Bike Trail, Fountain Valley Trail and Aurora Rampart Reservoir, http://www.coloradotrail.org/waterton.html. Land Manager: USFS - Pike National Forest - South Platte Ranger District, 20.7 mi • 778' Up We started at the end of this segment at the South Platte River and hiked up the 2.5 miles to the first peak/ridge (approx 1100 feet of elevation gain). Awesome Day! 448.68 m Up The creek is totally dry so don’t plan to find any water. 25mi Lots of shade in this segment. We lucked out, and weather was amazing! When I told a friend that I wanted to hike the whole Colorado Trail (he is an experienced through-hiker) he said, “Well, the first three segments are boring!” I didn’t find this to be the case with segment 1. The trail, starting at Hotel Draw, continues south to gradually climb to treeline. I went in the morning on a Monday. — It’s a paved road for the first few miles. Hiking the Colorado Trail: Segment 1 and 2 I am blessed to live within a 30-minute drive of the Colorado Trail. Would be awesome to break it up into two days also. Great ridge line. 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