The Colorado Trail

Completely revised guide to the extraordinary Colorado Trail that stretches from Denver to Durango.

John Fielder llama-packed the 470 miles of the spectacular Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango. Here's your ticket to seeing the trail wind through the Colorado Rockies from home!

The answer to the question of why hike or bike a long trail like The Colorado Trail is as unique as the individual traveler. Yet there is a common theme to the answers. All whisper of adventure, challenge, and personal transformation. The voices here were collected with on-trail interviews with over 60 hikers and mountain bike riders.

The official--and bestselling--guidebook to one of North America's premier long-distance hiking trails

* The only Colorado Trail guide available for thru-hikers, day hikers, mountain bikers, trail runners, XC skiers, and horse people * 120 color pictures, 28 segment maps, elevation profiles, integrated GPS waypoints, town maps, and mountain bike detours of Wilderness areas * More than 50,000 copies sold The Colorado Trail (CT) is the premier scenic long trail in North America. It winds its way through endless fields of wildflowers to wind-swept mountain passes, from wild mountain rivers and streams to quiet trails through old growth forests. The CT crosses eight mountain ranges, seven National Forests, six Wilderness Areas, and five river systems. Starting near Denver at 5,500 feet and ending near Durango at 7,000 feet, the CT gains and loses almost 76,000 feet in elevation over 468 miles. This eighth edition of the official CT guide has all the information a thru-hiker needs to plan and complete his or her trek. New to this edition are updated GPS waypoints, maps, and rewritten descriptions for the 28 segments, as well as new photographs of spots along the segments. Each segment provides distance, elevation gain, and an overview; a list of trailhead and access points; maps needed; a list of supply points; services and accommodations; detailed trail descriptions; a map; and an elevation gain and loss chart. Additional town maps and mountain bike detour maps (around Wilderness Areas) have been added where applicable. An extensive introduction includes information on planning, supplying, safety, mountain biking, regulations, and backcountry ethics--plus chapters on Colorado Trail heritage, natural history, and geology. At the back of the book you will find a graphic summary of the trail, equipment list, ranger districts with contact information, bibliography, and index.

Described in this guide are 77 trails that range from short, easy day hikes to difficult backpacking adventures. The book covers areas in Arapaho, Roosevelt, White River, and Routt National Forests as well as Rocky Mountain National Park. Detailed information includes directions to trailheads, maps, trail length, elevation gains, difficulty, and much more.

Andrea Lani explores the complexities of hiking with a family after taking her three reluctant children and grouchy husband on a 489-mile trek from Denver to Durango, determined to reset her life and confront the history of environmental damage.

An account of the author's 2016 thru-hike of the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail.