A Taste of The Colorado and Continental Divide Trails near Lake City, Colorado

 

         The Colorado Trail (CT) meanders through The Colorado foothills and mountains for 486 miles from Denver to Durango.  Over its length it shares the same path as the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) for 234 of those miles.

         I've hiked in Colorado for decades but had never spent any time on either The CT or The CDT.   During a recent vacation to Lake City, CO my husband Tim and I made up for lost time by sampling both trails simultaneously. 

         Seventeen miles southeast of Lake City The CT/CDT crosses Colorado Highway 149 at Spring Creek Pass.  A large parking lot, picnic area and restroom make this an appealing spot to begin a hike in either direction on the trail.   

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Segment 21 of the CT—San Luis Pass to Spring Creek Pass.

         Tim and I hiked a few miles of this trail in the "opposite" direction (Spring Creek Pass to San Luis Pass) to an area just above treeline.    This 14.8 mile segment is one of the most remote on the entire Colorado Trail.  

A rest stop above treeline on The CT/CDT.

Annie rests on an uphill section of Segment 21 of The Colorado Trail.

We always dress Annie in her day-glo orange vest during hunting season.

 

The section of trail above shows beetle-killed spruce trees. Unfortunately much of the high-altitude forest has been destroyed by climate-change enabled beetle-kill. 

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Segment 22 of the CT—Spring Creek Pass to Carson Saddle.

          This 17.2 mile segment of trail spends most of its time above treeline with sweeping mountain views, and reaches the high point of The Colorado Trail (13,271') at mile 15.6.  Tim and I hiked a few miles one-way to an alpine meadow which provided a glorious setting for a lunch stop.

This meadow is a perfect place to plant your poles

and sit down for lunch.

Our public lands are mostly multiple-use.  We passed this shepherd and his flock while hiking on Segment 22 of The Colorado Trail.

The view across the valley—returning to Spring Creek Pass from our alpine meadow 

lunch stop.

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          If you have an appetite for adventure, satiate it by adding all, or part, of these high-elevation trails to your menu.

Silver Street, Lake City, CO on a late September morning.

         The town of Lake City has been designated an Official CDT Gateway Town and offers free shuttle service to and from Spring Creek Pass.  In the quaint mountain town you'll find lodging, showers, two grocery stores, a brew pub, and various eateries.