Hope Pass Colorado Hike Guide

Hope Pass is a 12,600ft mountain pass in the Sawatch Mountains of Central Colorado. Some know Hope Pass from the Colorado/Continental Divide Trails while others know it as the brutal section of the famous Leadville 100 Trail Run. However, on its own, Hope Pass is a beautiful spot to hike or trail run. The easiest way to start this hike is from the south at Sheep Gulch TH. However, if you wanted to start from the north that is certainly an option as well. Looking for an even bigger challenge? Try a Hope Pass double where you hike up and down both sides of this beautiful location.

Hope Pass Colorado Quick Facts

Hope Pass Colorado Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)

Distance: 5.2 Miles RT (Sheep Gulch) / 9.12 Miles RT From Willis Creek

Elevation Start: 9,879ft

Highest Elevation: 12,530ft

Total Elevation Gain: 2,600ft 

Estimated Time to Complete: 4-5 Hours RT

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult  What does this mean?

Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?

Season: May – November

Check the Weather Forecast – Using Open Summit provides the most data points to plan a safe hike

Directions to Hope Pass

Trailhead: Sheep Gulch OR Willis Gulch

Getting Here: Sheep Gulch: To access the trailhead, turn onto Chaffee County Road 390 (20 miles south of Leadville, 14.5 miles north of Buena Vista). Take 390 (starts off paved, turns into a well maintained dirt road) for 9.5 miles until you reach the signed trailhead on your right. Most vehicles should not have any issue accessing the trailhead with careful and slow driving on rougher sections of dirt road. 

Willis Gulch: From US24 in between Buena Vista and Leadville, take CO-82W for 11 miles. As you get through Twin Lakes, continue for 2 miles until you reach the trailhead on your left.

Parking: Sheep Gulch trailhead is relatively quiet, even on weekends. The lot is small, fitting about 5-10 cars with no restrooms. Willis Gulch is the busier of the two THs and does not have any restrooms but can fit about 20 or so cars.

Fee: Free at both locations

Summary

Dogs: This is a dog friendly hike but is very steep. 

Camping: Camping is not allowed at the Sheep Gulch trailhead and options on the hike itself are very limited due to the steep terrain. Your best bet would be to find a spot on CR390 on your drive in for Sheep Gulch and at and near the trailhead on your right near Willis Creek. CR390 is a popular spot to camp with four 14ers in the area so get there early on weekends. 

Make it a Loop: The options to extend a hike on Hope Pass are endless. First up is Mt Hope A or neighboring Quail Mountain. Looking for more? Head down the other side of Hope Pass and link up to the Colorado Trail or other trails in the area. It’s quite easy to make this a 10-15+ mile day if you really want to challenge yourself. 

Trail X Factors: South Side = Steep

In the Leadville running community, this approach up Hope Pass is known as the dark side. Its the shortest, but steepest way to gain this beautiful mountain pass. Pace yourself because there really is no warmup for this trail and the grade of steepness does not quit until well above treeline. Hiking poles and small steps will be your best friends on this hike. 

Hike Tip(s): When hiking Hope Pass, be sure to pick a good weather day. Almost this entire hike is exposed to the elements and a storm rolling in here could be really nasty (I have seen it happen a few times). Once you reach the top of Hope Pass, take some time to explore a bit and to look down to the North Side as it’s very beautiful there as well. 

If you wanted the easier of the two trailheads, Willis Gulch TH is your best bet. Although this has more mileage than the South Side, its far less steep.

Best Views: My favorite views on this one are looking south from the way up and top of Hope Pass and down into Twin Lakes to the North. This is a great spot to hike in the fall when foliage is at its peak as well. 

Hope Pass Hike Route From Sheep Gulch

This shows a double of Hope Pass but gives a good idea of options for starting on both ends. Note if you do start from the North – be sure to start at the Willis Gulch TH unless you like a lot of extra miles or stream crossings. 

Hope Pass Hike Route From Willis Creek

Gear Needed

• Men’s Trail Runners
• Women’s Trail Runners
• La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
• La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s)
• Backpack
• Food & Water
• Optional: Garmin inReach
• Optional: Hiking Poles
• 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.

My Trip to Hope Pass: June 2022

Training for the Leadville 100 – Hope Pass is arguably the most difficult portion of the race. Due to this, I spent a lot of time hiking and running this bad boy during 2022. Although starting from Sheep Gulch is the most direct and shortest hike – I think that overall the views from the North side, especially in the massive basin towards the top, are the most beautiful.  

It always surprises me how steep the hike up from Sheep Gulch is but it does usually end fairly quickly. Between a hike up Mt Hope, the Colorado Trail  and Leadville training I have been up Hope Pass many times. Although the hike up is never easy it’s always extremely beautiful and rewarding to reach that small rock pile at the top.