30-40 Mile Backpacking/Peakbagging Loop Recommendations

[zimmertr]

inb4 do you own research: I am! But I'm also overwhelmed and looking for a little human connection here. I'm also happy to trade PNW secrets for Colorado secrets by DM if you prefer.

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I'll be traveling to Denver for work in two weeks and will have Friday through Sunday free to explore the mountains. I'm hoping to put together a nice 30–40 mile backpacking trip to take advantage of the opportunity. Climbing a couple of 14ers would be fun, but my primary goal is just to experience some of Colorado's best scenery and wear myself out. Happy to drive 4-5 hours for the right place. But that will cut down on what I can do on Sunday since I'll have to be back in Denver by 7PM. Also, ideally a place where I don't have to deal with permits since those might be hard to obtain this late in the summer. I'm generally okay with crowds as long as I can find a flat place to toss down my Borah Bivy.

So far, the Crestones and Chicago Basin have caught my attention. The Crestones sound like they have some fun and engaging scrambling and Chicago Basin sounds really pretty. But I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the options since I've never researched Colorado's wilderness areas before.

If someone from Colorado asked me the same question about Washington, I'd probably recommend trips like the Buck Creek -> High Pass Loop, Northern Loop, Devil's Dome, Golden Lakes Loop, Rainbow -> McAlester Loop, Deer Park -> Cameron Pass Loop, etc.

From a skills perspective - I'm comfortable with fourth class, crosscountry navigation, chossy couloirs, basic mountaineering, moving at elevation, etc. And I'm usually happy with ~15 miles and ~6,000' vert a day but can do more when necessary. I ran a 50k this spring! Here's my Peakbagger: https://www.peakbagger.com/climber/clim ... ?cid=25279

Anyone have any recommendations? ChatGPT gave me this list, but I'd rather hear from a human than a dirty clanker.

[B_Wahl]

I don't have a crazy amount of experience but me and some friends did a backpacking trip to south colony lakes, climbed Humbolt but ultimately decided against the Crestones because of the difficulty and experience of a few members. That being said, the south colony lakes are an awesome place to backpack into (bring a fishing rod and license if you go). For sure a bit shorter than your goal, but with how engaging the Crestones are I don't think you will be too mad about that.

The San Juans are always stunning, and I think any fire affecting the Chicago basin is not too bad anymore when it comes to smoke, you also clearly have enough experience to bag all the peaks there. Only thing I would say is that drive from Denver (especially in a rental if that is the situation) could suck. Are you considering the train(if there are still tickets)?

Glad you asked here cause ai's list is questionable at best. Honestly for what you seem to be looking for I would stick with Chicago basin or the Crestones.

Good Luck!

[JerJerBinks]

The Capitol creek circuit is better and less traveled than the 4 pass loop. Alltrails puts it at 48 miles and 17000 feet. Probably need one more day than you have or even two.
Plus you'd need to be strategic without permits.

Chicago basin from Purgatory is maybe doable in that time frame. From Denver though? Probably not.

The Crestone group from South Colony Lakes is a good choice/ your best bet. Backpack in on Friday, Crestones on Saturday and maybe Humboldt and hightail it out on Sunday. You'll want to be fast on Sun. It will be memorable for sure. Not because the camping, it's camped out, but because these peaks are special. Do this one.

Venable and Commanche loop is a day hike. Don't camp there.

I've been hearing good things about the Zirkel Circle.

[ScreeScrambler]

You can make just about any hike from the east side of the Sangre de Cristo range into a multi-day backpacking trip by hiking on the rainbow trail. It's a long north/south trail that provides access to many of the drainages up to the spine of the range. You might try the COTREX application to see if you can make a decent loop, maybe something like rainbow trail to south brush creek trail, across the spine of the range to the venable trail, back down to rainbow trail.

for reference: https://trails.colorado.gov/routes/198168

To be very clear, there is a good bit of this route that i have not personally hiked - it just seemed like the kind of thing you're looking for. If you want do this, i suggest you spend some time researching each 13ers you'd go up and over to make sure there's no terrain here that will get you in trouble!

[seannunn]

If you are considering S. Colony Lakes, keep in mind that you are not allowed to park at the lower trailhead overnight, much less for several days.

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO