Hi everyone,

A friend and I are thinking about taking a road trip to Colorado for a 5 day/4 night backpacking trip. We'd like to do a loop. What are your favorite spots? Thanks.

Mike

Edited by mikemike on 07/20/2012 09:06:02 MDT.

I think asking for 4 day loop hike is a bit vague since no one knows how many miles you want to do. I would clarify with the type of trip of you would prefer. Do you want to hang out on a couple of days and enjoy scenery, do you want a lot of miles, do you want to bag some peaks, is a loop required etc... anything would help.

One of the top Backpack trips in Colorado is the 4-Pass Loop in the Maroon Bells Wilderness, however, it wouldn't meet your 4-5 day criteria unless you were also going to take your time and maybe bag some peaks as well or fish.

RMNP has some loops you could construct that would meet larger mileage requirements but of course there is Red Tape involved with permits to obtain etc..

Another possibility if the loop wasn't an absolute requirement is to do a multi section hike of the Colorado Trail, particularly the sections in the San Juan mountains.

http://www.pmags.com/backpacking-loops-%E2%80%93-mags-favorites

Paul Magnanti would be a great person to ask

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/profile.html?u=PaulMags

As sated above, let us know what kind of loop you have in mind, miles you want to hike, etc. Plenty of options!

We'd like to hike something in the 35-40 mile range, lots of elevation change isn't a problem, and a loop would be preferred. Something with abundant water would be appreciated and good views. Thanks.

Edited by mikemike on 07/20/2012 12:19:58 MDT.

Hi Anna,

Thanks for the link. The Lost Creek Wilderness sounds good.

I don't think LCW is a good option this year. The LCW is a little lower in elevation than some other areas and is affected even more by the hot dry conditions we have had.

What about the Holy Cross Wilderness Area? What areas have been most affected by the forest fires?

The forest fires have mainly affected the immediate Front Range and for the most part have passed. Holy Cross Wilderness would be a good option though I haven't done any backpack loops there, just climbed Mt. of the Holy Cross.

Disclaimer: That area is very rugged wilderness and high elevation. I would hesitate to recommend that area unless you have done thorough research and know what you are getting into. There have been a number of incidents (people lost and worse) in that area in the last 10 years.

Maybe 4 pass loop out of Apsen/Snowmass can be done.

Thanks everyone. I think I have enough leads to narrow them down.