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My girlfriend and I are thinking of backpacking the 4-pass loop over Veterans Day weekend. Has anyone done it before, and if so, how long did it take you? I need to be back to Denver by noon on Sunday, do you think this is doable?

Thanks for the feedback!

That could be an interesting undertaking, if more snow falls between now and then. Also you're going to deal with some cold nights and short days. Hard to make a contingency plan, if you're dragging tail.

Did it in three days in early July this past summer, and if you guys were up early/moving fast you could possibly make that time frame. Where were you guys planning on setting up camp?

Are you open to other options? I think your itinerary is a little aggressive and doesn't leave much time to enjoy the scenery. Also, the 4 hour drive back to Denver on a holiday weekend makes for a very rushed weekend.

Thank you for the input. We are certainly open to other suggestions. Another thought is doing something in Indian Peaks.

In the IPW, the Pawnee-Buchanan loop would be comparable to 4 Passes. Much shorter drive to Denver. You want to watch the forecast of course - there's not much snow right now but that can change radically & quickly this time of year.

The Pawnee/Buchannan Loop is really nice too. I think it's slightly longer than the 4-Pass Loop, but you only go over two passes instead of four.

How long will it take really depends entirely on you. People regularly trail run either one of them in a day, and some will take 3-4 days to backpack them. I did the 4-Pass Loop in mid-September as an overnight, and didn't feel too rushed. But I do like to keep moving all day, I'm not into sitting around camp and do nothing. For Veterans Day weekend though, you'll have much less daylight than I had, and it will be colder. So it may be a little harder to get up early and move fast.

polar wrote:I did the 4-Pass Loop in mid-September as an overnight, and didn't feel too rushed. But I do like to keep moving all day, I'm not into sitting around camp and do nothing.

Same here. I like to keep moving and I did it in two days (one night). It all depends on the trail conditions, your condition, and how you like to spend your time. Of course, the Pawnee/Buchanan loop sounds pretty good, too.

Buchanan Pawnee loop could be interesting in a few spots. I got stopped about a quarter mile short of crater lake from the Monarch lake trailhead on a trail run due to some extreme dead fall a few weeks ago. There must have been a crazy wind event. Would not have wanted to tackle that with a full pack.

Don't over look the Lost Creek Wilderness. Lower elevation and tend to hold less snow. Might be a good place to keep in mind for a back up, if and hopefully we finally get some snow.

There is a substantial amount of new snow on Trailrider and Buckskin as of yesterday. It's doable with equipment, but it'd be a sufferfest for most people.

Thanks for the feedback, we have decided against the 4 pass loop and will most likely be doing the Pawnee/Buchannan Loop. With Lost Creek Wilderness as the backup.