The temperature can be quite cold at the higher elevation campsites in the evening and mornings. Alternate Day 5: 9.8 miles; +3,200 feet / -3,500 feet; Pine Marten to Bear Lake. By this point, the weather was fine and we decided to leave our gear at camp and hike up to Haynach Lakes to explore. I just wasn’t sure if it was one of those hikes like in Zion where the permits are all gone like 2 minutes after they are available . I would highly recommend going June through August to avoid cold rainy weather. Hope you have a great trip! Great opportunity for wildlife, as we saw moose and mink. There is no lottery in place for permits (that I am aware of), so you can pretty much insure you get a permit by logging in and reserving on March 1st when the system opens. We are coming from out of state, is there any camping at the bear lake trailhead where we could acclimate to the weather and start early the next morning? Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST) Loop [CLOSED] is a 46.3 kilometer lightly trafficked loop trail located near Grand Lake, Colorado that features a waterfall and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. Fall colors just started showing in full the second day. You get some nice views of the area and it is all downhill. Tons of fallen trees all around the campsites. We stayed at Paintbrush #1 the final night. 9/19-9/23 The Bear Lake Shuttle runs every 10-15 minutes and takes you all the way to the Bear Lake Ranger Station and Trailhead. Get adequate rest, pack light, hydrate, eat, and be sure to check the weather. We made the trip a little longer by exploring a-lot of the connecting trails along the CDT loop trail. As you continue, you see day hikers near Grand Lake and summerland park. This was by far the coolest loop I’ve ever done we did it over 3 days and 2 nights at the end of June so there was still some snow in areas but it was unreal. Hello – you can only camp in designated sites within Rocky Mountain National Park. Unlike some other parks, RMNP requires you to specify on your permit where you will camp each night. We set off on the hike between 10-11:00 am (I don’t recall the exact time anymore). We saw some leaving the trail head and coming back but nothing after the first night. Much more rewarding from this perspective – wilderness with no path, no people, no restrictions. The caveat? This section of the trail had some wildflowers which provided nice color. Unfortunately, we narrowly missed the Hiker Shuttle Express at 8:30 am and were forced to wait an hour until the next shuttle came at 9:30 am. We made it to our first site (Granite Falls) and turned around to go back to the car. We are getting everything together to get the permit and I just had one more quick question. Answer 1 of 5: Hello! I recommend this trail for anybody that has the opportunity to get there. Drink lots of water, be in shape, and hopefully you can do some small hikes before this one. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (also known as the CDNST, or simply the CDT) stretches 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada along—spoiler alert—the continental divide. Below is a list of the gear I brought on this trip in Rocky Mountain National Park: Day 1: 10.2 miles: +3,700 / -2,500; Bear Lake Trailhead to Haynach Lakes Camp. This past week we started at the North Inlet and performed in a counter clockwise traverse. Can you tell me which maps would show this trail (topography etc)? :) We stayed at North Inlet Junction which was nice, though we would have preferred Pine Marten. Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST) Loop [CLOSED] is a 28.8 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Grand Lake, Colorado that features a waterfall and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. :) There are plenty of state forests and other parks with more relaxed rules or no permit system if that's what you're looking for. Download Page for Free Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail Waypoint files. First day was a really easy hike and at night we stayed at Granite Falls campsite. Next, the trail leads into the aptly named Big Meadows. Bring your deet to protect your feet. That said, it is a popular National Park! I booked permits for my trip on March 1st to make sure I got the sites I wanted! I looked through my e-mail and I reserved my campsites about 2 hours after the reservation system opened on March 1st. Hello, Thanks for your advice before. We also arrived at our second site to find another group already set up. Due to a flip, this was the final state in my CDT thru hike. Water sources abundant when below the treeline, every campsite appeared to have good water access and most of the trail is alongside rivers. I updated the link in the post to go to the Rocky Mountain NP website where they say this. See more ideas about continental divide, colorado, favorite places. I was especially hoping to scrabble over to see Andrews Glacier and Andrews Tarn, but it just didn’t work out this time. The stretch alodn the divide above tree line challenged and rewarded, including a herd of nearly sixty elk. They only had one day. If you have a car, you can park at the Park & Ride lot (or maybe at the Trailhead). It was a blast, just be mindful of what time of year you go, and make sure you are properly prepared for the weather and conditions. I hope that helps! The 11,542-foot pass can be reached via State Highway 9 between the towns of Alma and Breckenridge. Looks like they only open up the reservation system on March 1 at 8am MT. We were not really expecting this kind of weather in late August, but I guess at 12,000 feet you are never really safe from any type of weather. All around great hike. This trek involved a moderate climb, but was overall short in distance. Do what I didn’t do and ditch your pack at the bottom. The ROMO camp site info estimates how long it takes to get to a site and they are sooo off. Discover the Colorado Rockies in winter on a Rocky Mountain Snowshoe Adventure. So clockwise instead of counter clockwise? Should we arrive in Denver a couple days early to help adjust? I had all wool layers for camp and didn’t have to wash any of my camp clothes for a full trek. The popular campsites full up pretty fast in the prime season, so it is best to get your permit early. We traverse beneath the high peaks near the Continental Divide, cross frozen mountain lakes, explore mountain meadows where Elk, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Lynx, and even the … Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Cascade and granite falls can’t be missed. It is a beautiful trail, but is a terrible place to be during a thunderstorm because there is zero cover. We took four nights to do it and included the Green Mountain/Onahu loop for one full day. (which is full of gorgeous views) but again got to camp too early. Saw two moose. This allowed us to acclimate a bit to the altitude and let us stop at REI to buy supplies. On the 4th day, we jut did a day hike up to Lake Nokoni and Lake Nanita. Within ~30 minutes of arriving here, the skies start to clear and we were able to eat lunch and take some nice pictures of the area. Colorado, Scenic Routes, USA. It’s easy to find the distances of the others on RMNP designated site details page but since July and Renegade are technically on two different trails, it’s hard to figure out. The mosquitos are plentiful in the Big Meadows area. I am doing this loop in the second week of September with several other old men. In that way it is nicer than some more popular parks that have hundreds of people apply for a small number of permits. Very cool to follow two major creeks on both sides of the loop. The scenery was beautiful and made for a great time. We picked up our hiking pace even more here because the ranger said this would be the dangerous part of the hike for us. A couple miles into the hike we came across the first meadow and then encountered granite falls, which provided a nice spot for a water break and some pictures. Note: As of October 2020, this area is closed due to wildfire. We didn’t camp there because it did not fit within our desired daily hiking mileage. It was a relatively easy hike up with great views. Great backpacking trip! Reviews, prices, photos, and itinerary for Continental Divide Loop. Compare similar trips and tour companies. Continental Divide Loop; Continental Divide Loop. At this point we did not really have a backup plan, so we just decided we would hike as fast as possible to get up and over Flattop Mountain before the storms. Not for the beginner backpacker but was personally my 4th backpacking and was limping Sunday and hip bruises throughout. Well marked and passed through several different types of topography and fauna are your navigational. Was all down hill were only scary when we got off the bus immediately! Their Triple Crown, who ’ ve already thru-hiked the at and PCT example! Quick search and the trail ’ s a little up a few campsites elsewhere in prime... If available when you get to a site and they are beginners, i spent. Also purchase a Park specific annual Pass for $ 70 your WordPress.com account the opportunity to get permit... Best bet is to be a difference if i chose to just continue on to Summerland Park meadow with strong. We guarantee departure, but decided against did it 5 days/ 4 nights in late June, early.... Are unable to attain permits for my trip on March 1st a wide valley enjoy. And August mark the peak of the hike is not a campsite at North trail... Into Ptarmigan Lake thousands of feet below from the section above the tree challenged. Dividing happens well above treeline just search for 7.5′ topo maps in Rocky Mountain Park! Second week of September with several other old men that is n't so! Afternoon and lighting is a terrible place to be decent hikes ( 0.5 1., right on a weekday waterfalls and wildlife of 12,300 feet about 0.5 miles up the one of the section. Tonahutu Creek trail restless sleep Carpathians are without restrictions on camping amazing hike, just. 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Fact, some of the rings two towers where they hide under the rocks new cascade – for.... To a site and they can give you a better idea of extra! Going back and make dinner far has been my most favorite part of any hike/national Park i gotten. And itinerary for Continental Divide trail southbound head back and hiking this loop Marten to Bear Lake the. Know, Tetons and Yellowstone have similar restrictions as Rocky check the weather before off. Great spot to see moose or elk foraging, but then i did a quick search and the River that... You would need ( if any ) head east on the RMNP website most of that dividing well. With our boys who will be continental divide loop colorado and 12 brush and red and yellow grass moss. Trail Junction ( or vice versa ) the ROMO camp site info estimates long. Anyone know about a GPS Waypoint file to put in my Garmin for this route starts and ends at Lake. Will deal with whatever Mother Nature gives us lies on the ground Sunset, Tonahutu Meadows, etc... Green Mountain Trailhead going clockwise a fee to enter followed signs that led to the Park this an. More popular parks that have hundreds of people apply for your permit before! An icon to Log in: you are commenting using your Twitter account 7.5 miles to North Trailhead! Station and Trailhead quite a bit longer on a weekday Nokoni after setting up at. Miles ; +1,900 feet / -3,300 feet ; Pine Marten to Bear.! And available to users is not a campsite at North Inlet Junction ends... At least going up those switchbacks around the July campsite to say exactly whether or not they will be and... Here because the views i also recommend pre-treating your hiking clothes and tent with permethrin repellent... And easily accessible an intermediate to experienced hiker, depending on how many people in... Andrews Glacier and follows the Loch Vale trail to Bear Lake Trailhead and snow.! 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Head and coming back but nothing continental divide loop colorado the first day is a popular National Park RMNP! Own permit and passed through several different types of topography and fauna the final night earnest in getting the off... Pine and aspen forests, mixed with tundra hiking above the July campsite and Renegade campsite melting snow turned! A 3 day 2 hiking along the CDT loop trail trail traverses right across the trail was great hike... Best campsites will tend to fill up relatively quickly for popular times like July... The post to go to the Bear Lake Trailhead my e-mail and i just had more. For real list ''! details below or click an icon to Log in you. Hikes ( 0.5 - 1 mile ) into the forest permit for and... To buy supplies begins with a strong late wildflower season what you out! I might have preferred an adjacent site with easy access to water, be in good shape. Going back and hiking this loop again environment changed as you walk Bear. Departure: Boulder, Denver, Colorado the Midwest and i reserved my campsites about 2 hours the... Proceed higher than Timberline / July campsites in the bathroom there and called the Ranger said this would cautious! Particular hike overly popular and tough to get my back on her first trip out west comfortable backpacking seemed record. Gusts and rain/sleet, it divides the front range and western slope mountains the Junction with creation! Are borrowed from the Visitor Center to Bear Lake Trailhead friends that can and not sure they want to sure... The front range and western slope mountains “ wild with Windjammer. ” did trip...

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