Colorado Trail

This article is about the hiking trail. For the classic cowboy song, see The Colorado Trail (song).
Colorado Trail
Length486 mi (782 km)[1]
LocationColorado, United States
Trailheads
UseHiking, biking and horseback riding
Highest point12 mi (19 km) south of Lake City[3], 13,271 ft (4,045 m)
Lowest pointMouth of Waterton Canyon (Denver terminus), 5,500 ft (1,700 m)
DifficultyModerate to strenuous
SeasonPrimarily July–September
SightsRocky Mountains
HazardsSevere weather
Websitehttp://www.coloradotrail.org

The Colorado Trail is a long-distance trail running for 486 miles (782 km) from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango in Colorado, United States. Its highest point is 13,271 feet (4,045 m) above sea level, and most of the trail is above 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Despite its high elevation, the trail often dips below the alpine timberline to provide refuge from the exposed, storm-prone regions above.

The Colorado Trail was built and is currently maintained by the non-profit Colorado Trail Foundation and the United States Forest Service, and was connected in 1987.

  1. ^ The Colorado Trail (8th ed.). Golden, Colorado: Colorado Mountain Club Press. 2011. p. 9.
  2. ^ "Coney Benchmark". SummitPost.
  3. ^ More precisely, a 0.25 mi (0.40 km) south from Coney Benchmark,[2] a 13er along the Continental Divide.