Suggestion Colorado Rockies 3 day beginner trek?

Well, I'm not an expert but I just got back from there. You can look in the Wild Basin area for quite a few options. There are many campsites available that I saw.

We went up to Thunder Lake – a 7 mile up hill hike. Beware though – there was a lot of snow higher up and it made the trail pretty hard to follow. There was also a lot of snow up there and finding a campsite was challenging to say the least. Campsites at lower elevation than that were dry.

Also, the bridge at Ouzel falls is washed out. To get to the other side, you'll have to take an alternate route through the various campsites a little lower and skirt around the falls entirely.

Thanks, Ash. Yeah, thats actually a good reminder for me to look into how last years flooding (and this years) may have affected any trails I'm looking at. I know there was a huge amount of damage to trails in RMNP, but I'll have to look into other wilderness areas as well. Thanks!

By the end of July, hopefully, the snow will be melted out.

If your friend is coming from lower elevations, take at least one day to acclimate first.

Then, try to keep the mileage low. Perhaps no more than 5-7 MPD at the most. Esp since you indicated one person is new to backpacking.

A classic loop is this one not far from Denver (1.5 hrs way; the crowds aren't as bad as places with 14ers). At 15 miles, about right for a casual 3 day trip for someone coming from lower elevation. Have an easy first day.

http://www.streech.com/guidetrails/eaglesmere-lakecataract-lake-loop-eagles-nest-wilderness-co-trip-co-012/

The scenery is rather lovely.

After the trip, stop in the nearby Dam Brewery in Dillon for some post-trail pub and grub.
http://www.dambrewery.com/

If your friends are willing to get some elevation, i've done a variation of this loop, and its very scenic. takes you up on the continental divide. my variation took me over the saddle from betty lake to skyscraper reservoir. When i did it, i took a first timer with me, and he loved it. Its not the easiest, but its very pretty and lower mileage than the 4 pass.

http://www.protrails.com/trail/331/indian-peaks-wilderness-area-king-lake-high-lonesome-devils-thumb-lake-loop/Trail_Map

Thanks for the suggestions Paul and Ted! Those both look like great options. I want to limit her to around 6 – 8 miles a day (depending on the elevation gain/loss) so these are realistic for sure. They're actually coming from Tahoe, so thankfully I don't need to worry about them acclimating!

Thought, I'd reply to this to let you know we ended up doing the Eaglesmere Lakes loop! Thanks so much for that suggestion – perfect balance of miles and scenery for a beginner. The Gore Range Trail is definitely now on my list.

Erica