Guidebooks:
The official guidebook published by the Colorado Mountain Club is:
Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook (7th Ed.)
Most hikers carry the much smaller databook, which contains information about camping, water sources, and trail distances:
The Colorado Trail Databook (4th Ed.)
Maps:
The official guidebook contains basic maps, but the quality is poor. If you leave the trail, these maps won't help you find it again. There are two choices for higher quality maps:
National Geographic Trails Illustrated
The Colorado Trail 2008 Map Book
Options for Resupplying:
1. Hitchhiking into towns
Most thru hikers resupply by hitchhiking into town to buy food or pick up their mail drops. Paul Magnanti's website has a detailed description of resupply locations and the best way to reach them.
2. Leaving food caches
An alternative approach for the Colorado Trail is to plan and leave food caches ahead of time. We packed eight bear cans with food and supplies, and left these in four locations, spaced about six hiking days apart. There are pros and cons to this method. It saves you from spending days hitchhiking, but it requires more planning, many bear cans, and hundreds of miles in the car. If you take this method, please note that it is not okay to leave a bunch of flimsy Rubbermade bins in the forest. Bears will find your food and eat it. All.
Additional Resources:
Paul Magnanti's Colorado Trail End-to-End Guide
The Colorado Trail Foundation
Our Itinerary:
| Date | Distance (miles) | Total (miles) | Segment Numbers | Route and Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1 | 16.8 | 16.8 | 1 | Waterton Canyon trailhead to the South Platte River |
| August 2 | 16.6 | 33.4 | 2, 3 | Buffalo Creek burn area |
| August 3 | 16.3 | 49.7 | 3, 4 | Lost Creek Wilderness Area |
| August 4 | 22.3 | 72.0 | 4, 5 | Lost Creek Wilderness Area and Kenosha Pass |
| August 5 | 17.1 | 89.1 | 6 | Georgia Pass |
| August 6 | 15.4 | 104.5 | 6 | Summit County and Breckenridge |
| August 7 | 18.1 | 122.6 | 7, 8 | Tenmile Range and Copper Mountain Ski Resort |
| August 8 | 16.4 | 139.0 | 8 | Searle Pass, Kokomo Pass, and Camp Hale |
| August 9 | 18.5 | 157.5 | 8, 9, 10 | Tennessee Pass and Holy Cross Wilderness Area |
| August 10 | 14.9 | 172.4 | 10, 11 | Mount Massive Wilderness Area |
| August 11 | 12.8 | 185.2 | 11 | Mount Massive Wilderness Area and Twin Lakes |
| August 12 | 17.0 | 202.2 | 11, 12 | Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area |
| August 13 | 20.7 | 222.9 | 12, 13 | Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area |
| August 14 | 15.6 | 238.5 | 13, 14 | Princeton Hot Springs and Chalk Cliffs |
| August 15 | 19.0 | 257.5 | 14, 15 | Mount Shavano Trailhead |
| August 16 | 20.9 | 278.4 | 15, 16 | Fooses Creek and Marshall Pass |
| August 17 | 18.2 | 296.6 | 16, 17 | Cows |
| August 18 | 21.6 | 318.2 | 17, 18, 19 | Lujan Pass trail angel and more cows |
| August 19 | 19.3 | 337.5 | 19, 20 | La Garita Wilderness Area |
| August 20 | 17.9 | 355.4 | 20, 21 | La Garita Wilderness Area |
| August 21 | 19.6 | 375.0 | 21, 22, 23 | Spring Creek Pass and beginning of many miles above treeline |
| August 22 | 17.4 | 392.4 | 23, 24 | Spectacular re-route to Stony Pass |
| August 23 | 19.4 | 411.8 | 24, 25 | Weminuche Wilderness Area |
| August 24 | 16.4 | 428.2 | 25 | Little Molas Lake and San Juan Mountains |
| August 25 | 17.8 | 446 | 25, 26, 27 | San Juan Mountains |
| August 26 | 24.7 | 470.7 | 27, 28 | San Juan Mountains |
| August 27 | 14.4 | 485.1 | 28 | Durango |