Hi all,
Just dreaming of trips to do and thought this would be a great "Four Corners Loop." I was wondering if anybody has done something like this before? That is, the northern New Mexico, South San Juan, Weminuche on the CDT. Finding a way over to Arches from, say, Silverton, CO, hasn't been figured out yet. Westbound on the Hayduke all the way to the Grand Canyon. Jump on the Arizona Trail down to the Grand Enchantment Trail back to the CDT in the Mogollon's in NM.
As for getting off the CDT near Silverton, I was thinking of hiking over towards Telluride, then heading northwest over the Uncompahgre Mesa to Gateway, CO. Then I'd jump in a packraft, do the lower Delores to the CO River all the way to Moab. I'd probably keep packrafting down the flatwater CO into Canyonlands and start hiking the HDT at Indian Creek.
For me, this route is still in it's infancy, so I haven't figured out any mileages or decided where to start, when to start, and which direction to go. I was thinking start in August at Cumbres Pass on the CDT and go north/counter-clockwise into fall on the HDT and end up down south by December?

Thoughts? Concerns? Condolences?

I'm sure all you neurotic adventurers have some thoughts about this. I wanna hear 'em!!!

Cheers, PapaBeer

--
"In the first place you can't see anything from a car; you've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail you'll see something, maybe."
-Edward Abbey

That would be a very fun route. Going over the Unc and floating down to Canyonlands would be a great way to go.

Skurka did something somewhat similar at the end of his Great Western Loop, linking the CDT to the AZT and then going north.

Not quite Silverton but Jason Lichtner ("Trauma") hiked from Durango CO to Las Vegas NV, via what looks like Mesa Verde (from his websites photo album). The highway from Durango to Cortez or Dove Creek seems bounded by private land, though there's FS land is a bit further north than that. Similarly south of Cortez there's a couple of reservations (Ute and Navajo Nation) that require backpacking permits IIRC.

EDIT for brevity: If packrafting doesn't work, maybe hike from FS land north of Dove Ck, CO to the BLM and FS land east of Canyonlands around Monticello UT.

Edited by hknewman on 02/14/2011 20:42:23 MST.

It sounds awesome! Go for it!

I know two people who have been dreaming/planning on the same loop. One *might* try it starting this spring.

Not sure on the connection between the Hayduke Trail and the CDT. When I looked into it, I found some possibilities. First, Trauma's trip, mentioned before should be checked out.
Then there is a AZT to GDT map on postholer.com, but I'm not sure where that data is from. Contacting him might be helpful. Also, I've wondered about using a bit of the Kokopelli Trail. I hear that it's bone dry, and leaves from Loma.. which is out of the way. You could take the Gunnison Spur of the CDT, back towards where you live. How would you get from Gunnison to Loma? That routing isn't straight at all...

Anyone know about the AZT to GDT? Has it been done?

Sounds epic!!

Edited by Found on 02/14/2011 20:32:35 MST.

OK, quick searching is learning more.


Ben Mayberry, a member here is starting the AZT to GDT soon. I think he's on the Florida Trail right now. his website: http://benmayberry.net/adventures/azt-to-gdt


"Section 3: Arches National Park to Continental Divide National Scenic Trail connection

The third section of the AZT to GDT Route is essentially intended to be a 220-mile long connector between the Hayduke and Continental Divide trails; a means to bridging the gap between the two trails more than an end in itself. While it fulfills that purpose efficiently, it also offers additional exploration of eastern Utah and southwestern Colorado.

From the eastern terminus of the HT the AZT to GDT Route travels by more of Arches NP’s famous geologic features and eventually exits the Park at what is perhaps its most iconic feature: Delicate Arch. It then sets out on a cross country trajectory for the mouth of the Dolores River, crossing the Colorado River for the fourth and final time in the process. Upon reaching the Dolores River the route heads upstream and follows the Dolores River until reaching the small river-rafting town of Gateway, CO. At this point the trail climbs out of the red rock landscape it has traversed for hundreds of miles and climbs to the Uncompahgre Plateau, a large uplift of the Colorado Plateau that reaches elevations up to 10,000 feet. The AZT to GDT Route follows the plateau along its northwest-southeast orientation all the way to the Dallas Divide, a mountain pass between the Uncompahgre Plateau and the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. It then climbs into the Sneffels Range of the northern San Juan Mountains before intersecting with the Continental Divide Trail near Silverton, CO.

Even though geologic boundaries are never exact, the Dallas Divide can be considered the point that the AZT to GDT Route leaves behind the Colorado Plateau and begins following the Continental Divide of North America, a geological handrail that it will follow all the way to its northern terminus in the Canadian Rockies."

Ben's on twitter:
http://twitter.com/benomayberry

more info:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=38158&skip_to_post=323022#323022

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Edited by Found on 02/14/2011 21:48:14 MST.