Does anyone have any recommended side trips for taking. The guide book mentions Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive. Are these worth it, or would other trips be more rewarding with fewer peak-baggers? Thanks, Mike.
Mike
Side Trips - The Colorado Trail
system
#2
both are worth it. There’s an alternate that you can take that slightly lengthens the trail, but it is INcrededible!!! It goes up to Mt. Belford (14er), and then gives a chance for other very close 14ers (missouri, and something else). I think it’s called the Pine Valley Trail. It connects back w/the CT. I assume that it’s not on the CT because it’s a very stout climb. The CT segment it skips is mostly jeep roads. Trust me on this one -killer!
Check out my CT journal www.trailjournals.com/wookie for details.
One more thing: To avoid crowds, camp near the top an ascend 14ers VERY early (like before sunrise) to avoid massive (pun unintended) crowds.
Tha Wookie
system
#3
Tha Wookie is right about this being a very scenic side trip. Recently the CT was rerouted around Hope passs and is about 10 miles shorter, but just crosses the jeep road.
The CT and the CDT split at Twin Lakes and rejoin between Monarch and Marshall Passes. Resupply on the CDT is much more difficult but the trail may be more scenic.
A great compromise is to go west on the road, hike south up Missouri Gulch, climb 14er’s Belford and Oxford, then cross Elkhead Pass into the Missouri Basin, then rejoin the CT when it crosses Pine Creek.
Even better hikes than Massive and Elbert are to climb the east ridge on Yale or a hike up the east ridge of Harvard, tranverse to Columbia and down the south east ridge to rejoin the CT.
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