Colorado Trail Segment 1 Hike Trail Guide

Colorado Trail Segment 1 is the first 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. Although Colorado Trail Segment 1 is 16.7 miles long, it has relatively little elevation gain, making it a long day hike for those hikers who are capable of putting in the miles. Colorado Trail Segment 1 starts in Waterton Canyon which does not allow dogs in an effort to protect local bighorn sheep. Colorado Trail Segment 1 is the only segment that is not dog friendly.

Colorado Trail Segment Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Colorado Trail Segment 1

Colorado Trail Segment 1 Hike Rating: ★★ (2/5 Stars)

Distance: 16.7 Miles (One Way)

Elevation Start: 5,519 ft

Highest Point: 7,500 ft

Total Elevation Gain: 2,293 ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 7-9 Hours

Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?

Class: Class 1

Season: April – November (Expect snow outside of this period)

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Directions to Colorado Trail Segment 1

Trailhead: Waterton Canyon or South Platte River

Getting Here: Both parking areas on Colorado Trail segment 1 are accessible to all vehicle types. 

To Waterton Canyon

There are a ton of ways to get to Waterton Canyon so it’s best to just enter it into your navigational device. 

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 1 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. 

Fees: None

Parking: Both ends of Segment 1 of the Colorado Trail offer easy parking. Waterton Canyon will usually get crowded on weekends, but the lot is so massive I would find it hard to imagine having trouble finding a spot. At the other end of the segment, hiking is much less popular and the lot is also very large. Both areas have non-plumbing bathrooms and if you start at Waterton Canyon, there are several other bathrooms along the way until you reach mile 6 of the first segment. 

Summary

Camping: Camping along the Colorado Trail is probably the most popular with through hikers and those just looking for a spot to backpack near Denver. Starting at Waterton Canyon, there is no camping allowed until you reach mile 7 or so with poor spots to camp until you reach mile 10-11 or so. Starting on the other end, there are several spots to camp near the trailhead. After that, you will need to hike 2-3 miles before the next spots present themselves. In general, Colorado Trail Segment 1 offers a wide variety of camping options from start to finish. 

Dogs: Colorado Trail Segment 1 is not dog friendly for the first 7 miles if you are starting at Waterton Canyon. In fact, it is the only segment of the Colorado Trail that is not dog friendly from start to finish. If you start at the South Platte River end, you could bring your dog along until you reach that same mile marker. Neither end offers poop bags for your dog. 

Make it a Loop: The Colorado Trail Segment 1 is an out and back hike. There are ways to hike through Roxborough State Park to extend your hike, but at best, would make this a lollipop loop. 

Trail X Factors: Colorado Trail segment 1 is without a doubt one of the busiest sections of the entire 480+ mile hike. This section is extremely popular with mountain bikers, segment hikers and daily recreational users so do not expect any seclusion until you are at least 7 miles into the trail. As I have mentioned before, this is the only segment that is not dog friendly from start to finish. 

Mick’s Tip: If you are through hiking the Colorado trail, be sure to be hydrated and have lots of water from mile 7 through the end of segment 1 (mile 16.7). Several resources mention seasonal water along the way, but I found all to be dried up when we were hiking it. Granted, this could not be the case for you, but best to be safe then dehydrated. In addition, when hiking this segment, be sure to be aware of your surroundings. Colorado Trail segment 1 is extremely popular with mountain bikers and many sections of the trail are very narrow and hard to see far in advance. The last thing you would want is to be run over or caught off guard by a biker. 

Best Views: I will be the first to admit that I am very jaded by the views in this area of Colorado. Living in the area with mountain views from my house takes away some of the “wow” moments that others experience in Colorado Trail Segment 1. Having said that, I found the views in Waterton Canyon to be great, especially if you are lucky enough to see a bighorn sheep. After that, the views, in my opinion, are kind of blah until you reach mile 12-13 when you get great aerial views into the valleys and foothills to your west. Overall, our favorite spot was near the 13 mile marker when you get tremendous landscape views in almost all directions. 

Colorado Trail Segment 1 Hike Route

Gear Needed

• Men’s Trail Runners
• Women’s Trail Runners
• La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
• La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
• Backpack
• Food & Water
• Optional: Garmin inReach
• Optional: Hiking Poles
• Optional: Headlamp
• Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
• Optional: Camera and Lens
• Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
• *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 1: October 2019

The Colorado Trail is a hike that has been on my bucket list for a long time. On our first wedding anniversary, Jackie surprised me with an awesome gift: a bunch of books and maps about the trail but even better: telling me that she wanted to hike the entire thing with me! While through hiking would be so awesome, my job would never allow me to take 4-5 weeks off, so we decided to segment hike it instead. Segment hiking the trail would make things a little tricky logistically but allows us to hike at our own pace when we had free time. Our plan was to hike the trail from east to west starting at Colorado Trail segment 1. Colorado Trail segment 1 is the only one that is not dog friendly so we had to leave poor Juno at home. 

Colorado Trail segment 1 starts at Waterton Canyon which is a popular spot for day recreation users to hike, run, bike and fish so when we arrived to the trailhead with our large daypacks on, we looked out of place for the first few miles. I am sure frequent visitors of Waterton Canyon are probably used to seeing much more decked out through hikers, but we still felt weird. The first 7 miles of Colorado Trail segment 1 worked through Waterton Canyon where we enjoyed shaded views of the canyon and South Platte River. Along the way we ran into a gobble of turkeys and then a herd of bighorn sheep both grazing in the early morning hours.

The miles were flat, shaded and crowded but overall an enjoyable start to the 486 mile Colorado Trail. After a few hours of hiking, we finally reached the end of the South Platte river and a large dam that controls the flow of the reservoir above. From here, the trail picked up some elevation and went from a larger dirt service road to a 4×4 road to a single track trail. A sign told us that it was now acceptable to have dogs and to camp along the trail. The narrow dirt trail worked up a series of switchbacks to reach its first landmark of the day: Lenny’s Bench. Here Jackie and I stopped to have some snacks and water reading about the history of Lenny.

After only a few minutes of resting, others seemed to have the same idea as we were joined by a mountain biker and two other hikes. Three people might as well have been 3,000 and I was ready to leave. We packed up our bags and continued hiking Colorado Trail segment 1. The trail lost a bit of elevation before what many call the first real climb of the Colorado trail working up about 1,200 ft over the next several miles. Even though it was early October and only mid 70s, the sun felt very warm and I began to sweat. We passed by a few spots that were supposed to have filterable water and I was glad that Jackie had packed so much extra because they were dried out for the season. Earlier in the hike, we passed several groups of mountain bikers but now the hiking was quiet and secluded. 

As we continued the steady ascent, it felt like we were always on the verge of having picturesque views, but a thin line of trees seemed to be in the way. Eventually, we reached the high point of the hike (around 12 miles in) and were rewarded with beautiful views of the foothills and surrounding area that we had been hiking in. We could even see the start of segment 2 of the Colorado Trail which has a ton of burned trees from a Buffalo Creek fire of 1996. We stopped to soak in more views, had a snack and re-hydrated a bit before continuing on. Towards this point of the 16.7 mile hike, I was ready to be done and we could even see our car just down in the valley. However, due to the nature of trail, we still had 3 miles of hiking to go. 

Jackie and I hiked down the series of switchbacks into the valley below and encountered a few more mountain bikers before finally reaching the South Platte River and the end of Colorado Trail segment 1. Although the miles were somewhat long for a day hike, the elevation gain over the course of the 16.7 was very little so neither one of us were super tired from the day of hiking. I will admit that I am very jaded by the views in this area of Colorado, especially since we live around segment 1, but I felt that the hike offered a nice variety of terrain, views and after the first bit of hiking, seclusion. I doubt that I would ever repeat this hike, but would definitely consider it for a long day of mountain biking in the future. 

Questions or comments about the hike to Colorado Trail Segment 1? Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram! 

Colorado Trail Segment 1 Virtual Trail Guide