The Colorado Trail: 75 Miles from Silverton to Durango
Day 33 – 10.3 Miles
We pulled ourselves out of Silverton just after noon with enough supplies for our final 75 miles of the Colorado Trail. We walked through a light rain for a couple hours and stopped after about ten miles of hiking near a herd of grazing sheep.
Day 34 – 18.1 Miles
We spent a long and beautiful day hiking along a ridge line passing countless wildflowers.
Day 35 – 20.4 Miles
We woke up with under 50 miles to get to Durango. We spent our whole day hiking eagerly with the finish line virtually in sight.
Day 36 – 20.8 Miles
Our final full day of hiking had arrived. We spent our morning on a high ridge line then began a long descent that would bring us to town. I found myself saying goodbye to the silly marmots, the colorful fields of wildflowers, the endless mountain views. Our remaining miles descended at a easy grade while we reminisced over the past month of hiking. Nearing camp, we spotted our first and only black bear on the Colorado Trail. It was just a cub, and we were glad we never saw mom.
Day 37 – 4.3 Miles
We awoke with under two hours of hiking left to bring us to the Durango trailhead. The morning walk flew by and that was that! We had completed the entire Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango. Between our miles on the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Colorado Trail, we have now walked over 5,000 miles together!
Overall
The Colorado Trail is incredible and a lovely length for a thru hike. It is equally as challenging as it is rewarding with mountain views as far as the eye can see, intricate cliff walls, waterfalls, caves, and fields of wildflowers in every shade. We completed the trail from July 5 – August 10. We took our time as we were not on a constricted time frame. This trail can definitely be completed within a month if needed. It is also very well setup for section hiking and is divided into 28 segments. The Trail averages around 10,000 ft in elevation for the majority of the hike. At such a high altitude, the weather can change rapidly. Most afternoons there was a storm.
Stats
- Miles Hiked: 474
- Number of Days: 37
- Number of 0 Mile Days: 5
- Overall Miles per Day: 12.8
- Miles per Day w/o 0’s: 14.8
- Most Miles in a Day: 23.9
- Highest Elevation: 13271 ft.
- Lowest Elevation: 5515 ft.
(Note: The Colorado Trail is 486 Miles. We missed 12 miles due to a wildfire trail closure near Breckenridge.)
Check out more stories from our hike here – Colorado Trail 2017
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