Colorado Trail Segment 2 Hike Information & Review

Colorado Trail Segment 2 Hike Trail Guide

November 5, 2019 The Virtual Sherpa Comments 0 Comment

Colorado Trail Segment 2 is the second segment of the Colorado Trail that stretches from Littleton, Colorado to Durango, Colorado. This segment is popular with day hikers, backpackers and mountain bikers and is one of the most heavily trafficked segments of the Colorado Trail. Colorado Trail Segment 2 is 11.5 miles long and 2,482 ft of elevation gain. Much of segment 2 works through the Buffalo Creek fire burn zone.

Colorado Trail Segment 2 Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Colorado Trail Segment 2

Colorado Trail Segment 2 Hike Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)

Distance: 11.45 miles – One Way

Elevation Start: 6,121 ft

Highest Point: 7,955 ft

Total Elevation Gain: 2,608 ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 4-6 Hours (One Way)

Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?

Class: Class 1

Season: March – December (Expect snow outside of this period)

Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Colorado Trail Segment 2

Trailhead: South Platte River or Little Scraggy Trailhead

Getting Here: Both parking areas on Colorado Trail Segment 2 are accessible to all vehicle types.

To South Platte River

From Sedalia or points west – take CO67 for 13.1 miles until you reach Pine Creek Rd on your right. Continue on for 3.1 miles until you reach North Platte River Rd. Pass through the tiny town of Twin Cedars and drive for 3.8 miles to reach the trailhead on your left. Look for a small bridge to start segment 2 but Colorado Trail Segment 2 is on the right hand side of the road across from the parking lot. If you are coming from Conifer or points north – take South Foxton road for 8.1 miles until you reach W Platte River Rd (a sharp left). Take W Platte River Rd which does turn to dirt eventually, for 6.2 miles until you reach the TH on your right. You can enter Colorado Trail Trailhead: South Platte River into your favorite navigational device.

To Little Scraggy

Take 285 to Pine Junction and turn left on Jefferson County Rd 126 (Pine Valley Road) and continue through the towns of Pine and Buffalo Creek. From Pine Junction, the trailhead is 16.8 miles on the left. Once you are near the trailhead, look for FS Rd 550, take this for .1 miles to reach the parking area.

Fees: None at start of Colorado Trail Segment 2, $7 fee if parking at Little Scraggy TH

Parking: Both ends of Segment 2 of the Colorado Trail offer easy parking. Both parking areas have non-plumbing bathrooms and signs about the Colorado Trail. Parking at Little Scraggy TH can get busy on weekends, but in most cases will not fill up.

Summary

Camping: Camping options along Colorado Trail Segment 2 are fairly plentiful from start to finish. The best spots, in my opinion, would be about halfway in where you have good tree coverage and are far enough away from any major roads. If you camp towards the end of segment 2 expect very little coverage from the elements and no sources of water to drink from.

Dogs: Colorado Trail Segment 2 is dog friendly but offers no sources of water and lots of exposed hiking in the sun. This area is also heavily used by mountain bikers. I would recommend keeping your dog on a leash for this hike.

Make it a Loop: The Colorado Trail Segment 2 is an out and back hike with the option to add more hiking at Little Scraggy TH. You can also continue to Segment 3 of the Colorado Trail.

Trail X Factors: Without a doubt the biggest x factor on Colorado Trail segment 2 is the burn area created by the Buffalo Creek fire of 1996. Although this fire was 23 years ago (at the time of this blog posting), the area is still recovering. For now, the hike is through miles of open and exposed terrain but as the vegetation grows back, this segment of the Colorado Trail will change drastically.

Mick’s Tip: Whether you are day hiking alone or through hiking with your dog, be sure to have plenty of water on Colorado Trail segment 2 as there are no sources along the way. Since 90% of the hike is without shade, it can get extremely hot during the summer months. If you are through hiking, be sure to save this segment for earlier in the day, later in the day or on a cooler day.

Best Views: It might have been the snow, but the best views on segment 2 in my opinion where in the burn zone itself towards the start of the hike. You had almost 360 degree foothill views and we could see for miles. The runner up was certainly around the 6 mile marker where we had fantastic views of 14,000 foot Pikes Peak.

Colorado Trail Segment 2 Hike Route

Gear Needed

Osprey Atmos 65 Backpack

Optional: Hiking Poles

Jackie’s Gear:

Backpack

Juno’s Gear

Bowls

Colorado Trail Books:

Full Version

Pocket Guide
*Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

Our Trip to Colorado Trail Segment 2: October 2019

2019 was a funny year for Colorado weather. Winter overtook spring, summer lasted for about 3 weeks and fall was overtaken by winter after only 2-3 weeks. Essentially, it felt like we lived north of the wall. After a snowstorm dropped 14 inches of snow where we lived earlier in the week, Jackie and I wanted to get a few more segments of hiking of the Colorado Trail before winter completely took over. The original plan was to hike Colorado Trail segment 2 one day, camp, then hike Colorado Trail segment 3 the next but yet another winter storm caused us to pivot and hike both segments in one day. This write-up will just focus on Colorado Trail segment 2.

What they don’t tell you about segment hiking the Colorado Trail is that there are a TON of logistics to figure out when you are dealing with leaving a car at the start and end of each segment. After a lengthy drive dropping off our end vehicle, we arrived to the South Platte River TH of Colorado Trail segment 2 around 7:40AM. It was 24 degrees out and all of the snow I was hoping had melted from the previous days was sticking around. I was really worried about the snow over the course of the day because it could slow us down significantly. After a quick filming, we hit the trail and found out immediately that we were the first ones on the trail that day. Juno was in heaven pouncing through the snow and sticking her entire head into any pile deep enough. Meanwhile, Jackie and I were breaking trail through the 5 inches of sugar snow.

The first part of Colorado Trail segment 2 worked up the steep canyon and to the burn areas above. The hiking was steep, shaded and cold. When we finally arrived to the top of the canyon the sun was out and it made a huge difference in the hiking conditions. We shed a few layers and began hiking through the massive burn area created by the Buffalo Creek Fire of 1996. I was not expecting much, but it was downright beautiful. Views in all directions and the snow made everything look so majestic. The snow that I was so worried about was not covering most of the trail and the consistency was super light so it was easy to hike through even when it did cover our path.

We hiked by ourselves for a very long time through rolling hills, pockets of trees and into some remote residential areas. Right around 6 miles we crossed our first road of the Colorado Trail and had some tremendous views of Pikes Peak in the distance. After soaking in these beautiful views, we ran into our first people of the day: a group of hunters on a hill above the trail. We continued hiking through the massive burn scar where the trail was a bit muddy from the melting snow. Juno was a DISASTER at this point of the day, mud and dirt all over her fur. She was going to need a bath and spoiler alert: she was not going to like it.

After hiking for just over 4 hours and 8-9 miles, we finally started running into some other people. First a mountain biker, than a trail runner and finally other hikers. It was evident we were nearing the end of the Colorado Trail segment 2. The day started chilly but was quickly warming up with the sun unblocked by clouds. We stopped to shed a few layers, drank some water and gave Juno some snacks. All three of us enjoyed the break, but knew we had a long day ahead of us still so we continued hiking.

The last part of Colorado Trail segment 2 was really anticlimactic, boring and somewhat confusing. We reached a few road crossings and finally an out of service forest road which we hiked down for the last mile. Jackie insisted that this was part of segment 2 but I was not so sure. It turned out she was right and we reached Little Scraggy TH after about 5 hours of hiking. This area was super busy with hikers and mountain bikers, a night and day difference from the start of Colorado Trail segment 2. We rested up a bit, filmed and hit the trail again for the next segment of the Colorado Trail.

Overall, Jackie, Juno and myself really enjoyed this segment of the Colorado Trail. We all liked it much more than segment 1 because the terrain was more varied, the views far superior and overall it was much more secluded. This would be a great day hike or area to mountain bike in for the entire family.