Posted on 02/11/2025 6:05:33 PM PST by nickcarraway
The new Northern Colorado trail connects hundreds of routes around the Rocky Mountains National Park and other wilderness areas
Fancy a challenge? Hikers in Colorado can now embark on a 292-mile route through stunning Rocky Mountains wilderness.
The new ‘Northern Colorado Trail’, connects hundreds of routes in the Rocky Mountains National Park, Rawah wilderness area, and Flattops wilderness area. The route begins in Estes Park, in Larimer County, and culminates in the mountain city of Glenwood Springs.
The hike takes up to a few weeks to complete, depending on your skill level and experience. Along the way, hikers be able to use public facilities and pass through a few towns, although wild camping is required.
The route was mapped by Colorado native Kevin Silvernale, an experienced hiker who's trekked all over the United States. After completing the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, Silvernale sought a lengthy trail a little closer to home.
Latest Videos From advnture Over several weeks, he used GPS and maps to connect routes across Northern Colorado. The majority of the journey is on existing trails, with a few sections on roadways.
"The reaction has been very positive, impressively positive, with many people suggesting that they will possibly do it this year,” Silvernale told Community Radio for Northern Colorado.
“So with that traction and momentum, more and more will pile on, and there will actually be a good hiking community out there."
If you're considering a seriously long hike like the Northern Colorado Trail, get yourself a trustworthy pair of hiking boots.
We recommend the TX5 Gore-Tex boots from La Sportiva for multi-day hikes. This trustworthy pair is made from Nubuck leather and features an Ortholite Approach footbed to keep your feet pain-free after weeks of walking in the wilderness.
Colorado boasts almost 40,000 miles worth of hiking trails, including the iconic Colorado trail, which takes trekkers 486 miles from Durango to the Waterton Canyon near Denver.
It's also home to the Rocky Mountains National Park, a breathtaking expanse of North American wilderness spanning 415 square miles / 1,075km2.
More than four and a half million people visit the park every year, to camp among its towering peaks and hike its picturesque trails. You can check out our expert guide to the very best hikes in the Rocky Mountains National Park here.
Will Symons developed his love of the outdoors as a student, exploring every inch of Sussex’s South Downs national park and wild swimming off the Brighton seafront. Now a Staff Writer for Advnture, Will previously worked as a freelance journalist and writer, covering everything from cricket to ancient history. Like most Advnture staff, Will’s time is rarely spent indoors, he can often be found hiking, wild swimming or playing cricket.
And they were never seen or heard from again...
How would a basic hiker hike such a trail. I’ve seen pictures of people, who claim to have hiked the Appalachian trail who don’t look like Grizzly Adams or have End of the world survival skills.
So, how Would somebody like myself hike this sort of trail/ I can do a day or two on my own, but probably not much more than that.
If they built a trail is it, by definition, still a wilderness?
Well, I think if you started gradually going further on every trip, you could do it.
Even wildernesses untouched by humans have trails that animals use.
The only way I could do it, at my skill level, would be in bits and pieces. Where I walk between the points of where I could park my car and walk forward and back over time until I completed the trail.
I was just wondering if they dig up roots and berries and drink from streams from their endeavour?
Use Beet Juice or Beet Kvass and Natto.
On the actual trails you might have to check a local plant guide.
More like freeze dried meals.
Cheese and trail mix is my usual choice when I go to Jasper. Very compact and I can drink straight from the streams.
Cheese dries nicely and stays edible.
Haven’t seen details on this one, but the long trails typically have way stations where you pick up food, etc. that you or a helper has put there. I assume there are lockers that open with a code. These are off the trail itself where roads are nearby. My BiL does the 200+ Muir Trail that ends (or begins) at the summit of Mt Whitney.
I hiked for a couple days in Estes Park with a dear friend.
What a wonderful experience!
Don’t do it when winter is coming or they might not find you until next spring. Happened to an acquaintance of mine.
Got in the park for free as a Veteran. Did the Gem Lake Trail, Bear Lake Loop, drove around a lot of the rest and stayed in an Estes Park motel. That was plenty.
Bookmark
And how many minutes before an idiot dies?
Death in Grand Canyon, fascinating book chronicles every death since man first entered. Very well researched and written. Learned a lot about survival and stupidity
David Paulides won’t be lacking material for a new book.
Well one has to start.
Planning
Training
Talk to experience back packers.
Up until I ended up with heart problems at 64.
I went on trips like this once year to every couple of years.
They can be very rewarding.
I would suggest doing a couple of week long ones to get your gear and mind sorted.
300 miles would have taken be 20 to 30 days depending.
Wolves hardly ever kill their prey out right.
Any good handgun well sort them out quickly.
I always carried on wilderness trips.
The assortment of light weight handguns now day is wonderful.
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