The Colorado Trail: San Luis Pass to Spring Creek Pass

The Colorado Trail: San Luis Pass to Spring Creek Pass

You’ll get lots of exercise on the first 8 miles of this segment; hiking down into and climbing out of the various Mineral Creek drainages (East, Middle, and West). And you’ll end up at almost the same altitude you started, but you will have gained roughly 2,500 feet of vertical. On the bright side, you’ll get some great views and have the possibility of some really nice campsites. A word of caution about the Mineral Creek drainages — each has a trail that comes out of the north to join the CT. While the CT may follow each of them for a short distance, if you find yourself proceeding in a northerly direction along the bottom of a drainage for over 15 minutes, consider that you might have missed a turnoff. The CT stays as close to the Divide as reasonably possible. In order to compensate for all the climbing in the first 8 miles, the 3-mile hike across Snow Mesa is flat. The last 2 miles are a 1,400-foot descent to Spring Creek Pass and the end of this segment.

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