Colorado Trail Segment 5 Hike Trail Guide

Colorado Trail Segment 5 is by far the most pretty of the first 5 segments of the 485 trail. Segment 5 is 14.6 miles long with 1,858 feet of elevation gain. The segment is mostly through open fields, rolling hills and ends on beautiful Kenosha Pass which is littered with Aspen Trees. As of June 2020, Colorado Trail Segment 5 is victim of serious tree fall across the trail from mile 3-5ish with a section in there that is really hard to navigate around and will kill quite a bit of time until cleared. 

Colorado Trail Segment 5 Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Colorado Trail Segment 5

Colorado Trail Segment 5 Rating: ★★★★ (⅘  Stars)

Distance: 14.6 Miles (One Way)

Elevation Start: 10,175ft 

Highest Point: 10,387ft  

Total Elevation Gain: 1,858ft 

Estimated Time to Complete: 5-8 Hours One Way

Difficulty: Moderate Difficulty System Explained

Class: Class 1 What does this mean?

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

Weather: Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Colorado Trail Segment 5

Trailhead: Long Gulch & Kenosha Pass

Getting Here: Start Trailhead (Long Gulch): Take 285 to Kenosha Pass and drive for 3.2 miles to reach Lost Park Road on your left. Follow this road for 11 miles and bear left (or park at the lower TH) for another .1 miles to reach the small parking area. The trail starts up the gully and shortly after intersects with the CT. Besides the last .1 miles, Long Gulch TH should be accessible to all vehicles but does travel on dirt roads.  

End Trailhead (Kenosha Pass): From Morrison, take US285 for 45 miles to reach Kenosha Pass. Segment 5 ends officially on the right side of the highway (west) but access to it is commonly gained on the right side by continuing to the bathrooms about .4 miles up the dirt road. This road is seasonal. The CT starts on the right side of the parking area across from the restrooms. 

Fees: There is no fee to hike segment 5 of the Colorado Trail. 

Parking: Long Gulch Trailhead has a small parking areas that can fit 10-20 cars at the most. Kenosha Pass however has plenty of parking options both along 285 itself and towards the bathrooms I mentioned above. Long Gulch does not have any restrooms while Kenosha Pass does on the east side of the pass. These bathrooms are seasonal, along with the road itself. 

Summary

Camping: While hiking Colorado Trail Segment 5, you will have plenty of options to camp along the way. You can camp near the start of the segment or continue about 3 miles for your next widespread options. There are one-off spots before that point. As of 2020, miles 3.5-4.5 have a TON of downed trees which making camping more difficult, but there is a great spot around mile 4.7 where we camped. After that point, there are ample spots to camp near Rock Creek and mile 8ish. As you get closer to Kenosha Pass, camping spots may be harder to come by, not due to options but due to crowds – especially during busier summer months.   

Access to Water: Colorado Trail Segment 5 has a great water source right off the bat in a stream you must cross. After this point, your next sources will not be for 3-5 miles in, but are usually pretty consistent. Rock Creek at mile 7.4 is your best bet for water until you reach the end of the segment where there is a water pump near the campground just off the trail. 

Make it a Loop: Colorado Trail Segment 5 is an out and back hike. 

Trail X Factors: Downed Trees 

As of June 2020, there are a number of downed trees that will delay your hiking on Colorado Trail Segment 5. The treefall starts around mile 3 and continues through mile 5 or so with some breaks in between. By far the worst section is mile 3.5-4.5 where you will be forced to navigate through piles of downed pine trees. We were able to navigate through this section by adding about 30-45 minutes to our typical pace but also had a leashed dog to help through this section. According to the Colorado Trail Foundation, trail maintenance in 2020 will not be the standard efforts due to COVID-19. This may be an issue for several months unless a good Samaritan with a chainsaw comes along.  *NOTE, my understanding is that these trees have been since cleaned up*

Hike Tip(s): If you are flexible on when you hike this segment, head to this segment in the fall. This trail is covered with beautiful aspen trees that will turn gold as they die for the season. Know that crowds FLOCK to Kenosha Pass each year to leaf peep, but you can enjoy your own slice of fall along the miles of more secluded hiking. While hiking Colorado Trail Segment 5, enjoy the views of the Sawatch range as you close out your hike as they are a preview of what is to come on future segments. 

Best Views: In my opinion, this is the most beautiful of the first 5 segments of the CT. The hiking starts off in thick forests, works through a marshy area with beautiful mountains in the distance and ends with miles and miles of hiking through high fields and spanning views. On a clear day with good weather, you really can’t go wrong on this segment. 

Colorado Trail Segment 5 Hike Route

Gear Needed

• Osprey Atmos 65 Backpack
• Hiking Shoes
• OR Hiking Boots
• Garmin inReach
• Water Filter OR UV Pen
• Headlamp
• Optional: Tent
• Optional: Sleeping Pad
• Optional: Sleeping Bag
• Optional: Cook Kit
• Optional: Hiking Poles

Jackie’s Gear:

• Backpack
• Puffy Jacket
• Rain Jacket
• Shirt
• Pants
• Socks
• Sleeping Bag

Juno’s Gear

• Harness
• Bag
• 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 5: May 2020

After tackling the first three segments of the Colorado Trail in 2019, Jackie and I were itching to continue our segment hiking of the CT in 2020. May brought us warmer than usual weather and allowed for the snow to melt out a bit early. Juno, Jackie and I hit the trail on Saturday morning with the plan to hike Segments 4&5 over two days. Colorado Trail Segment 4 was our favorite of the CT so far, until we hiked segment 5. After tackling segment 4 and a bit of 5 in one day, we camped for the night and woke up to colder temperatures and nasty weather. Our hike of on this segment of the Colorado Trail was filled with snow and graupel showers, thundersnow and poor visibility. Even with all the negatives, we finished the segment in good spirits and ready for segment 6! 

Colorado Trail Segment 5 Virtual Trail Guide

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