According to the Colorado Trail Foundation, approximately 500 people complete the Colorado Trail annually, and their thru-hikes average between 4 to 6 weeks. I was on the shorter end of this timeframe, with my thru-hike lasting a total of 28 days.
This hiking pace meant I only averaged about 17.25 miles per day. This pace sounds pretty easy compared to my other long-distance hikes. Nevertheless, the vertical gain/loss and the high elevation in Colorado made this hike plenty challenging.
The table below contains my mileage for each day of my hike, where I stopped to each night (I tried to re-use existing campsites whenever possible), and relevant notes about that leg of the trail. Scroll down to the bottom to see a few fun metrics and a photo of my trail family!
| Day | End Point | Distance Hiked | Total Miles | Resupply Towns | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Platte River TH | 16.2 | 16.2 | Started at Northern Terminus | |
| 2 | Buffalo Creek | 19.4 | 35.6 | ||
| 3 | Gate at saddle | 18.6 | 54.2 | Dry campsite | |
| 4 | Guernsey Creek | 19.5 | 73.7 | ||
| 5 | Swan River | 15.8 | 89.4 | Merged with the CDT | |
| 6 | Gold Hill TH | 13 | 102.4 | Frisco | Hotel stay |
| 7 | Guller Creek | 21.2 | 123.6 | Brief stop at Copper Mountain resort | |
| 8 | Tennessee Pass TH | 18.2 | 141.8 | Leadville | Hostel stay |
| 9 | Rock Creek | 19.5 | 161.3 | ||
| 10 | Willis Gulch | 17.3 | CW 4.2 | Twin Lakes | Collegiate West begins |
| 11 | Lake Ann | 14.2 | CW 18.4 | Collegiate West | |
| 12 | Mineral Basin | 21.6 | CW 40 | Collegiate West; Dry campsite | |
| 13 | Alpine Tunnel TH | 16.5 | CW 56 | Collegiate West; Campsite 0.5 off-trail | |
| 14 | Monarch Pass | 19.7 | CW 76.7 | Salida | Collegiate West; Hotel stay |
| 15 | Salida | 0 | n/a | Salida | Zero Day in Salida |
| 16 | Near Windy Peak | 17 | 272.7 | Collegiate West ends; Dry campsite | |
| 17 | W. Sheep Creek Trail | 19.9 | 292.6 | Dry campsite | |
| 18 | Monchego Park | 20.8 | 313.4 | Dry campsite | |
| 19 | Eddiesville TH | 15.6 | 329 | ||
| 20 | Middle Mineral Creek | 16.4 | 345.4 | Detour over San Luis Peak (14er) | |
| 21 | Spring Creek TH | 10.7 | 356.1 | Lake City | RV park campsite |
| 22 | Lost Trail Creek | 18.9 | 375 | High Point on the Colorado Trail | |
| 23 | Old Miners Cabin | 22 | 397 | Split from the CDT | |
| 24 | Little Molas Lake | 13.6 | 410.6 | Silverton | |
| 25 | Barlow Creek | 21.3 | 431.9 | ||
| 26 | Scenic Overlook | 21.7 | 453.4 | Campsite 0.2 off-trail; Dry camp | |
| 27 | Junction Creek Trail | 20.4 | 473.4 | Dry campsite | |
| 28 | Durango | 9.6 | 483.0 | Durango | Southern Terminus |
As you look at my 28-day itinerary, you’ll notice several interesting trends and details about how I hiked the Colorado Trail.
- My mileage average was 17.25 miles/day. However, once you exclude my ‘zero day’ in Salida, my overall mileage average increases to nearly 18 miles/day.
- My shortest day of hiking was day 28, where I only had 9.6 miles left before the trail’s southern terminus.
- My longest mileage day on the Colorado Trail was 22 miles.
- I hiked 20+ miles on seven different days – or exactly 25% of my hike.
- All of my short days (< 15 miles) coincide with town stops, where I wanted to maximize my time in those towns to resupply and do town chores.
- I made 6 resupply stops during my time on trail. However, I also did two separate 100-mile food carries (Denver-Frisco and Salida-Lake City).
- I dry camped for 25% of this hike, and had two 14-mile long waterless stretches (on days 17 & 27)
- I took one detour off trail to summit a 14er – San Luis Peak at 14,022′ – and I had a wonderful weather window that allowed me to hike the Collegiate West alternate between Lake City and Salida.
In the end, I was extremely happy with my Colorado Trail hiking experience. Although I intended a solo hike on this trail, I fell into a fantastic trail family almost from day one. I allowed that happy accident to shape how many miles I hiked, but I genuinely enjoyed the camaraderie and companionship that came with sharing the ups and downs of the journey with some awesome people.
If you’d like to read more about my Colorado Trail hike, check out the following links.