Description
The Colorado Trail is often started at its north terminus in Waterton Canyon just outside of Denver. When traveling from north to south the trail follows the South Platte River and quickly climbs into the Lost Creek Wilderness. From here the trail crosses into Holy Cross Wilderness near Leadville. The trail then skirts the eastern slope of the Sawatch Range and passes beneath Mount Elbert, the highest mountain in Colorado. Next comes the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness with its multiple 14ers before finally joining with the Collegiate Loop near Monarch Pass. The Colorado Trail from Monarch to Durango is then picked up on the south Topographic Map Guide. Each page is centered on the trail and overlaps with adjacent pages so there is little chance of getting lost. Along the bottom of each page is a trail profile that shows the distance between passes and trail access points. The map and trail profile provide a step by step visual guide to hiking the trail, mile by rugged mile.