For a couple of years we were fortunate to live in Salida, Colorado and were able to hike a few segments of the Colorado Trail. The Colorado Trail is 446* miles long and runs from Waterton Canyon State Park, just outside of Denver, all the way across the state almost to Durango, CO.
Section 14 was a natural one to take our senior dog Lulu Belle on, as it was close to home and allowed us to pick and choose the best weather window and have natural bail-out spots in case our old girl ran out of steam.
Getting There
One early morning in mid August, we drove up toward Buena Vista, (pronounced Bewna Vista by the locals for some odd reason), on US-285, turning off on CR-162 just before the Chalk Creek RV campground. From there we drove past Mt. Princeton Hot springs (which is an awesome place to take a break for a couple days if you’re hiking the Colorado Trail), then parked our truck at the Chalk Creek trailhead before hitting the trail.
There’s always the option of doing any section of the Colorado Trail in the opposite direction as other hikers, which simply means you may have to put in more work – or less – depending on altitude gain. On this section of the CO trail, the altitude gain is just over 4,000′.
Please note that our post and description of our hike does not in any way substitute for a route map. You must obtain a map and guidebook before venturing on any segment of the Colorado trail.
An Uphill Climb From Chalk Creek Trailhead
Leaving Chalk Creek Trailhead, you cut across CR-290 and then begin a steep ascent which lasts for a about a mile. At this point in our journey, Lulu Belle was a young 12 years old and still going strong. Her latest vet checkup had shown that she was still in excellent condition, thanks to consistent exercise, a good diet and regular glucosamine supplements. We’d bought a doggy backpack online and thought that it might help if she carried a bit of her dry food for the trip. Later, we realized this was a huge mistake and one we’ll never repeat.
LuluBelle chugged up the hill, practically pulling us upward and starting to walk on her hind feet as she used to do when she was eager to get a better look at something. At the “summit”, we were rewarded with a wonderful view of Chalk Creek and Mt. Princeton Hot Springs far below us. From this point, the trail wound downward and through open meadow country before returning to an occasional uphill climb that brought us to Little Browns Creek.
We had chosen to take with us one gallon of water per person and dog, along with a MSR water filter. The temperature that day was running much warmer than normal and Lulu Belle was going through her water at a much faster rate than we’d anticipated. At Little Browns Creek, we were able to use the filter to top off our containers and have enough water to cook our Mountain House dehydrated dinners without depleting our stores.
A very important note: Always verify where there are sources of water before relying on one that your guidebook or map indicates will “be there”, since many times conditions change and water sources dry up. We’ve learned the hard way not to trust maps for water sources.
Melissa and Lulu Belle on the Colorado Trail
We Camp For The Night
Although we were less than halfway to the end of section 14, we decide to camp for the night and then get a fresh start bright and early. I set up our tent, refilled our water bladders from the creek and Melissa cooked a delicious shrimp curry (always better when you’re famished), on the jet boil stove. We soaked our feet in the cool stream for a bit (of course downstream of where other hikers were filling their bottles), and read books on our phones for a bit before crashing out for the night.
At about midnight I awoke for a call of nature and happened to see the International Space Station fly over. At this altitude the skies are so clear that it seemed to be flying a few thousand feet – not hundreds of miles – overhead as it shone more brightly than any star in the sky. I fell asleep again, only to be woken by the sound of some kind of animal around two in the morning. We had stowed all of our gear on a line hung over a limb and out of reach of bears, but some creature had nonetheless come around looking for food.
Crunching Noises in The Woods
Whatever it was it left us alone, and as the crunching sounds coming from the forest around us subsided, I once again drifted off to sleep.
Just as the sun was coming up, I got up and made a pot of coffee, which for us is a must-have item. As I was just finishing my first cup, a hiker making an early start was coming down the trail a couple hundred yards away, and Lulu Belle, being Lulu Belle, had to talk about it.
Whenever she’s uncertain of a possible pending threat might be, she tends to bark out a soft “woof” every half-minute or so just to be on the safe side. I heard the hiker shout, “Shut up you – expletive – dog”, and feeling that this was a bit much for a couple of innocent barks, I called back: “Hey, you too, buddy” before just letting it go. The poor soul probably just hadn’t yet had his morning coffee.
Our Big Mistake With Lulu’s Backpack
We had to wake Lulu Belle, who was still dozing on and off while we prepared breakfast, which is very unlike her. As we roused her from her corner of the tent, she struggled to get up – something we’d never seen before. What we realized then – way too late -is that just like people backpacks, doggie ones also need to be sized correctly for their bodies.
The one we’d chosen, along with how we’d loaded the two pounds of food into it, was too close to her hips – the weight and positioning of the burden causing her muscles to tire and ache. We immediately took her backpack and attached it to one of ours, and set off on the trail at a very slow pace.
After about a mile, Lulu’s gait had returned to normal, though we made sure from this point in the hike to take frequent breaks every half mile or so. Had she shown any discomfort, we could have called one of our neighbors in Salida to come and pick her up at the Mt. Shavano trailhead.
The rest of our hike was very enjoyable. The trail winds through some very nice sections of aspen at the base of Mt. Shavano which can be especially lovely as the trees turn colors later in the year. We eventually came to where the Colorado Trail crosses Highway 50, just west of the little community of Maysville. From there we hitched a ride back down to our home outside of Poncha Springs where our other car was located and drove out to get our truck at the Chalk Creek Trailhead.
Some Tips For Taking Your Dog On The Colorado Trail
It can be a real challenge to take your furry friend the entire length of the Colorado trail and I probably wouldn’t recommend it for any older dog. If, however, you can take it section by section, as we did, then it has the potential to be enjoyable both for dog and human. For whichever section that you choose to hike, make sure that you carry ample water for both you and your dog.
Try to avoid letting them drink from streams, since the presence of giardia bacteria is quite common in Colorado mountain streams.
Also take plenty of food and don’t assume that they will eat the same rations that they do at home. Just like humans, the extra calories they burn on the trail will need to be replaced.
Also, letting your dog off leash is never a good idea on the Colorado Trail. There are horseback riders, mountain bikers riding at full throttle (and not expecting a dog to cross their path), as well as numerous species of animals that may be disturbed by your dog. A lightweight but strong leash with a secure clip is a really good idea, since after several miles you will feel the extra couple of ounces from a heavier one.
Another good item to have, that we now always take along, are lighted LED dog collars. These come in both rechargeable and battery models. For camping and hiking we prefer the ones that use small 3.5 volt batteries, as these tend to last for longer and don’t rely on charging. By leaving the lighted collar on all night, we can always see where our pooches are, and well as have a little extra ambient light in the tent to help us find our way.
We hope that you and your puppers can get out and hike a bit of the Colorado trail yourselves soon!
Note: Dogs are allowed on the Colorado Trail except for six miles of Segment 1. The “no dogs” section begins at the northern end of the Trail at Waterton Canyon and extends to where the trail leaves the gravel road along the South Platte River and once again turns into singletrack.
* There are actually 567 miles of the Colorado Trail, as some sections diverge and run alternate routes.
