Colorado Trail Day 0: Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Inger and I are in Denver, Colorado, getting ready for a new adventure! This time, we’re hitting the Rocky Mountains to hike the Colorado Trail, or CT for short. Most major trails here in the U.S. have an abbreviation in their name.
The CT spans 485 miles (782 km) and runs between the cities of Denver and Durango, both in Colorado. The trail crosses the Rockies, mostly staying between 10,000 and 13,000 feet (3000 and 4000 meters) above sea level, with its highest point reaching 13,250 feet (4040 meters).
The trailheads in Denver and Durango are at 5,480 feet (1670 meters) and 6,990 feet (2130 meters), respectively. Interestingly, the CT isn’t far from popular ski resorts like Vail and Aspen.
We’re planning to take 5 to 6 weeks to complete the hike. We’ve got plenty of time and won’t be heading home until late September/early October. Our goal is to take it easy, though that’s often easier said than done!
In Denver, we’ve been making our final preparations for the trip. This includes stocking up on food, gas, our own water bottles, and supplementing various gear. We’ve been going from store to store to get everything sorted.
In the U.S., there’s a fantastic outdoor retail chain called REI that carries pretty much everything you need for outdoor activities. Of course, they have a store in Denver, conveniently located at the base of the Rocky Mountains. We spent several hours there today.
We’ve had great experiences hiking in the U.S., and I’ve previously raved—sincerely and without restraint—about the thoughtfulness and helpfulness we’ve encountered as hikers here. It’s truly amazing. We even experienced it while planning this trip before we left home.
Today, at REI, we met Amy, an employee who hiked the CT a few years ago. We got to chatting, and she ended by telling us to feel free to contact her if we needed any help during our hike, and she gave us her phone number!
That’s just how it is here. We only seem to meet friendly and helpful people. They’re called Trail Angels.
Tomorrow morning at 7 AM, another Trail Angel is picking us up at our hotel to drive us to the Colorado Trail trailhead.
Let the adventure begin! Happy Trails!
