Colorado Trail: Segment 4

Rolling Creek to Long Gulch Trailhead

Quick Hits

• Location: North Fork Trailhead

• Difficulty: Intermediate

• Route Type: Point to Point (Backpacking)

• Distance: 17.1 miles

• Elevation

  • Start: 8,260 ft

  • Total Gain: 4,557 ft

  • Highest Point: 10,968 ft

• Pacing: 9 hours 42 mins

• Hiked: June

Notes

Segment 4 of the CT is my favorite hike so far. We started our day in a thick grove of Aspen trees, some of the biggest I’ve seen.

Once we climbed into the hills there were still pockets of snow at higher elevation.

The lingering snow melt turned parts of the trail into a seasonal creek.

Leaving the trees of Lost Creek Wilderness we came to a huge meadow with sweeping views.

We followed this unusually straight meadow for 6 miles chasing the sun to the horizon.

After passing on several “tent-able” options we discovered this gem of a campsite. A flat spot on soft ground back in the trees with a fire pit, log benches, and a sunset view over the meadow. Perfection.

In the morning we were rewarded with an overlook towards Kenosha Pass (Segment 5) and the Ten Mile Range (Segment 6). More miles to come!