Colorado Trail Resupply

imported
#1

Here are a few questions I got regarding the Colorado trail…

My friend and I are planning a thru hike of the Colorado trail and we’re given your name as a source of information. We are having trouble figuring
out where to resupply our trip beginning in Denver. Both of us are strong hikers and wish to finish in thirty days. First, is this feasible and second if so how should we go about our resupply? Any wisdom you could provide would be perfect.

Leif

#2

480/30 = 16mpd, which is not difficult to do on the CT. however, making 16mpd and hiking 14ers is a drag. if you are not from CO, you’ll want to hike a 14er or two. it is part of the CT experience. consider than when planning your schedule.

in terms of resupply:

  1. jefferson - easy hitch from kenosha pass, small store, enough food to get to breckenridge
  2. breckenridge - bus stop on CT, grocery stores
  3. leadville - hitch in from TN. Pass or Twin Lakes, grocery store
  4. buena vista - difficult hitch on 306 into town on a week day, no problem on a weekend
  5. salida - walmarts, safeways, cheap motels, etc. can be a difficult hitch on US 50 as cars go very fast thru here
  6. gunnison? don’t bother. there isn’t much traffic and it is some 30 - 50 miles off trail.
  7. lake city - the worst hitching for me in 5000+ miles, i waited 1.5 hours heading in and had to walk a few miles on the road heading out. mail your self food, the store was small.
  8. creede (is the alternative to lake city) - you can walk into creede, and many 4wd’ers share the same path, they’ll gladly offer rides. i didn’t go to creede, no comment on resupply options.
  9. silverton - mail your self some food, there isn’t much here and it is rather expensive.

d-low

#3

HI, I agree with the guy above me !.. :slight_smile: We hiked in 97 and did’nt have a problem with hitching or resupplying as we went. breck was a wierd stop. There seemed to be ALOT of well dressed folks who did’nt approve of our scruffy appearance. Oh well. We did’nt go into Creede but I wish we had. I hope you go… I hear cool place. Becare of the weather… it changes QUICK… Yappy…:slight_smile:

Sarah Dooley

#4

i’d agree that breck was full of yuppies, but still HIGHLY recommend it. it’s a great place to spend a rest day, but be warned! limit youself to one rest day there because it will suck you in! there are showers at the rec center ($6.00 steep yes, but worth it!) the waterfront is a great place to lounge too, and there is even a bar called “The Brown” with a ping-pong table. everyone i met there was awesome and really helpful. the supermarket there is huge too. also, don’t skip the crepe stand! i slept in the woods just up from the parking lot of the ski resort and eventhough i am guessing this isn’t legal, i had no trouble at all and did it for two nights. also, the busses are free and you can go over to frisco for some all you can eat pizza and PBR for $5.00! (i’m sorry but i forget the name of the place, the is also a pizza place that has sick deals on pizza everyday in the afternoon.)

the busses came in handy when i tried hiking the pass into copper mtn. i encountered more than waist deep snow and lost the trail so i hiked back to frisco (ended being a 20 mile day and i ended up practically right back where i started from!)and took the free buss to copper and still got there that night!

i only hiked as far as salida, but my least favorite place was leadville. i know people like this place, but i couldn’t hitch a ride for the life of me, (and the people at twin lakes said i was the cleanest hiker they have ever seen!)and once i got into town the people were really wierd, except for the people at the post office who were awesome!

when you’re at twin lakes check out the restaurant at the windspirit. it’s a small family owned place and the people there are wonderful! they opened the place up for me after they had closed once i told them i was a thru-hiker and i ate like a king! not much for resupply there though. a small general store is pretty much it.

have fun!

scott

scott

#5

Thanks guys for this info! More! More!

I am still a little overwhelmed by the idea of putting together an itinerary and town-stops for my July trek. I don’t know what my daily mileage will be and I don’t know what to tell my family. They don’t like the idea of me just calling in once in a while. They want to know when they should panic if they don’t hear from me for a while. :frowning:

Seraphina

#6

If they don’t hear from you every 2 days to start worrying, and if they don’t hear from you in 4 days to stop worrying cause you’ve been eaten by a bear. :eek:

Jumble Jowls