Early June Trip – CO or NM?

[David M]

Trying to focus my planning for week I have available with my 16 and 14 year old.  I’ve been reading a lot of trip reports and digesting other feedback from this group.  I’d appreciate some additional feedback.

Here is my current trip criteria:

• Our best trip week will be first week in June (6/3-6/10) (hopefully the kids can get jobs after)
• Target is ~60 miles at 10-12 miles per day
• I’ve extended our reach – I’m open to driving max 8 hours from an airport, but hopefully less
• Thinking either fly into Denver or Albuquerque depending on destination
• I’d appreciate input in 3 areas – (1. Good area for this type of trip; 2. Massive Snow risk this time of year; 3. Wildfire risk this time of year)

Current thoughts on locations:

• Northern areas of the Pecos Wilderness – lots of people said Pecos is a great area to go, but there were several flags raised about fire risk.  I’m thinking maybe the Trucas Peaks, Jicarilla, Trampas, or Jicarita areas.
• Connect some routes in the Columbine-Hondo, Wheeler, maybe Latir wilderness areas
  Spanish Peaks was recommended, but I see mostly 1-2 day trips – if there are loops/lollipops, I’m open.
• Lost Creek Wilderness
• Any others?  Or is this early in June just a bad idea in this area of the country?
  Thanks again!

[Luke Schmidt]

I liked the Pecos in 2013. Apparently a lot of it burned. You could check the fire history on websites like Caltopo.
Either could work. Just have maps available for multiple routes.

Based on my experience I would be very confident you could hike somewhere in Lost Creek. Maybe you would have to skip some of the highest spots on a high snow year but i think you could get pretty much anywhere you wanted to go. When i was there in 08 I hiked the CT to Kenosha Pass. Some snow drifts but no big deal. Beautiful views across South Park. In 09 I hiked over alpine areas in late May. I think it was a lower snow year.

Fires could start anywhere in summer. Just have a backup plan.

If it was me, I’d probably plan on LCW with a lower elevation backup. It gets you a lot of wilderness mileage without being too high. But you get some great scenery of higher elevation areas if you plan a good route.

[Dan]

60 miles is a lot for the Lost Creek Wilderness, it’s not super big.  But snowpack is likely to be the bigger problem unless we have a very dry and warm Spring. There will be valleys that are hikeable, but passes not so much. You will have to get lucky. And even if you get lucky, the wilderness is ho-hum by Colorado standards. It’s mainly a place to go for Fall color close to the Front Range.

Being very honest here, I would not bother coming all the way to Colorado for an early June hike, the parts of the state that make the trip worthwhile will not generally be accessible.

[Luke Schmidt]

You might be right Dan but i don’t think the Pecos is much better for mileage. They can do a non wilderness part of the CT to add miles or do side quests.

I’ve done plenty of June trips from New Mexico to Alaska. It can be done you just can’t go everywhere. One option would be to check traffic cams over Kenosha pass last minute.

[Dan]

I agree with you, Luke, and I’m not familiar with the Pecos so they may not be much better in terms of distance. If the OP comes, he can find somewhere to go, and I’m sure he will have fun with his boys.

Like you, I almost always do trips in June, but I don’t expect much from them, and if my access is limited, I’m not disappointed. At this point I’m generally exploring the same dozen wilderness areas repeatedly, so it gives me an opportunity to see them in different ways. I just wanted to give the OP my subjective opinion on the context. He is not likely to experience the things that make the Colorado Rockies so spectacular.

Of course, June isn’t here yet, and he might get lucky. The snowpack is enormous in the northern part of the state, but pretty average elsewhere. So if the rest of the season happens to be dry and warm, and there are no big April dumps in the southern part of the state, he might even be able to go somewhere special like the Sangre de Cristos.

[Kimberly Wersal]

Actually, southwestern Colorado is well above normal snowpack, around 135%, but more snow coming now. Southeastern Colorado is below normal. Might be worth checking the snowpack for northern New Mexico to see how things are shaping up there. Of course a dry April and May could change all that.

[Chris K]

As another CO Front Range person, I agree with Dan. The scenic high country that makes Colorado famous is best visited July – September (summer). But spring has its own beauty. It comes at the cost of a little extra challenge in the form of lingering snow and mosquitos, through less dramatic lower elevation landscapes. But those challenges can add to an experience and are defined more by your expectations going in. It just depending on what kind of experience you’re up for.

Dan’s other point is also valid – the LCW isn’t huge. But you could string together a two-loop figure-eight that comes close to the mileage you’re looking for. Logistics and accessibility are really straightforward.

Caveat: I haven’t done either of these, but two more alternate ideas that are plug-and-play:

Trans-Catalina trail on Catalina Island

more of a front country camping experience but could be attractive for other reasons

Zion Traverse

permits and heat but via an undeniably dramatic western landscape

[Chris K]

Another alternative is Denali NP.

[Dondo .]

Lost Creek Wilderness in early June is a crap shoot.  You might get lucky or you might not.  But you can pull off a longer trip there if conditions are right.

In the Complete Guide to Colorado’s Wilderness Areas, Mark Pearson describes what he calls the Giant Loop: “The route, for example, could start at Goose Creek Trailhead and circle north counterclockwise around the wilderness via the Goose Creek, Rolling Creek, Colorado, Payne Gulch, Brook-McCurdy, Craig Park, and Hankins Pass trails to join up with Goose Creek again.”  It’s listed as an 80 mile loop.

I agree that Lost Creek doesn’t have the classic alpine beauty that Colorado is known for.  But then again, it has a beauty all it’s own.

[Chris K]

+1 Dondo

[David M]

Thanks guys for the feedback and advice.  I get to hit up Zion over spring break in a few weeks with the whole family.  Might not get overnighters in but will get a lot of day hikes.

I’ll check into the routes you suggested and maybe break the trip into 2 smaller trips if the mileage isn’t there.

Denali looks amazing – farther than I want to go this year, but maybe next summer.

Dave

[Jason]

Hopping on the bandwagon for this thread.

I have an upcoming family trip the first week of June, also looking for some route recommendations…but with slightly different inputs/variables –

• Trip length of 3-4 days
• Manageable terrain for my 11 and 13 year old kids
• Some killer views that are very different from our midwest hiking experiences
• Travel time of < 6 hours from Denver
• Out and backs are fine, but a loop would be preferred

I realize distance will vary greatly with elevation gain and loss.  For context we did a section hike on the Superior Trail last summer, our longest day was 13 miles with ~2500′ of elevation gained and lost.  That was a really tough day for them, we added 5 miles to our day due to a hiker bridge being out.  Mandated campsites meant we needed to get to the next stopping point.  I’d prefer to keep things a little more manageable for them on this trip.

Thanks in advance!

[Luke Schmidt]

Jason, Lost Creek Wilderness might work. Check with Forest Service or locals. I believe that got a lot more snow compared to the year I did it Memorial Day. But I assume the low elevation area would work. Order a Trails Illustrated map and start dreaming. You might still have snow up high. South facing slopes will have less.

[David M]

Hey Jason – we made the leap and booked flights for Denver for the first week in June.  I took the advice of having multiple options that we can get to based on actual snow levels when we arrive plus fire risks.  We have our top 2 routes planned for the Pecos Wilderness NM and for Lost Creek WA.   My final backup is a few days at Great Sand Dunes.

I’ve been obsessively watching snow levels on CalTopo for the last 2 weeks – snow seems to be receding enough that the routes look promising.  Looks like LCW got re-covered in snow a few days ago but seems to be receding again.  Just hoping the lower areas of Pecos don’t dry out too fast.

my 14 year old daughter will be joining us now too.  Let me know how your planning goes!

[Jason]

Well…Colorado weather changed our plans. Forest Service rangers said the snow conditions at LCW could be pretty challenging, and rain hung in the forecast for both that area and Great Sand Dunes for the entire week.

We ended up heading west and spending the majority of our time in the Moab area, hitting both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. Both had lots of availability for drop in trips, plenty of forest service campsites nearby for car camping, and even some backcountry availability that fit our window. If you haven’t hit the backcountry at Canyonlands for an overnight I’d throw it on your must do list. The scenery to effort ratio was outstanding.

[Terran Terran]

Probably a good choice.

Quite often you can take a break in the evenings and let the storm pass.

Last week wasn’t bad. The snow levels are still  high though.

It stormed all night last night. I imagine Lost Creek got it pretty good.

[David M]

Thanks for the update Jason.  We ended up going to the Pecos WA – bad weather in the events but much better weather than we thought we might get and I think better than what LCW received.

What were the temps like at Canyonlands and Arches.  I’m guessing the same week will work for me next year and I’d like to have less weather worries.

[Jason]

Temps were HOT during the day, close to 90*F in Moab.  Overnight lows were around 50/55*F.  We lucked out and had mid 70’s and overcast for our hike into Canyonlands, that definitely helped keep my kids happier!  You do have to use wagbags and carry 100% of the water you need into the backcountry there.  I ended up with ~3 gallons in my backpack for the hike in, I was happy it was a short one!  We planned on about 5 liters of water per person for our time in the backcountry (just shy of 24 hours), that was about right on.

We did drive through some pea sized hail on our way into the park, as well as waited out some pretty substantial rains both in and around Moab.  Thankfully it all moved on pretty quickly though, 30-45 minutes later it was clear again.

Hopefully you guys had a good trip as well!

[nunatak]

I’ve been overnighting in the backcountry around Leadville for a month now without skis, up to 14k’+.

The snow is soft, deep and wet after 10 am, but the rewards are plenty worth it. Trails are useful to 11.5k’ after which it’s better to just find the bare spots and link them. Ridges are good mostly. Typical off trail spring travel is the rule.

Spring trips

[Dondo .]

I know that this is a bit late for David M and Jason, but for others planning a trip to Lost Creek, the Goose Creek> McCurdy Park> Brookside-McCurdy>Hankins pass loop is now snow free.  The elevations are 8,215  to about 11,000.  I went the longer way around because the approach to Lake Park from the north normally holds snow a bit later in the season.  But a couple of backpackers who came that way told me there was very little snow.  Another pair of hikers I met at the intersection of the McCurdy Park and Brookside-McCurdy trail told me they had come along the Brookside-McCurdy trail from Lost Park.  No snow there either.  They were doing the 28 mile loop popularized by All Trails.   As a side note, the last seven miles of the Lost Park road is now closed, so if you approach the loop from that direction, add 14 miles of road walking to your calculations.  Or you can approach it from the Goose Creek trailhead as another couple of backpackers I met told me they did.

Now is a chance to see Lost Creek as you’ve never seen it.  The unusual monsoon season has turned it into Waterworld.  Lots of rain, thunderstorms and hail.  Creeks are as high as I’ve ever seen them and new streams have formed where none existed.  If you prefer sunshine, it looks like this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday provide you a window.  After that, the monsoon continues.

 

 

 

 

[Dan]

Indeed, I was planning to do that loop starting tomorrow, from the Goose Creek TH. So I appreciate the trip report, @Dondo, and I will probably take the Lake Park cut-off. Good for an early season shake-off-the-rust trip with a relatively short drive.

I had been planning to do a Sangre de Cristos trip out of Crestone, and it seems plausible, but the weather looks crappy tomorrow and very windy after that, so I decided to push that back.

[Dondo .]

Have a great time, Dan!  Lost Creek weather for the next few days looks relatively mild.  Some mosquitoes are out but not many and none at the higher elevations.  If your dogs are going with you, hope they have their dog paddle down because there is one creek crossing that came up to my upper thighs.

[Dan]

It rained a little on Saturday, but the other days were perfect. The creeks are definitely running very high, and maybe you are taller than me, @Dondo, because that water crossing was hip-deep for me. :-)

Max is a strong swimmer though, so no problem there. It would have been a challenge for Zelda, but sadly we lost her in April. She was in my thoughts very often during this first trip without her … so many memories.

For those who have patiently followed this thread, I’ll reward you with a few photos, because … what’s a thread without photos. The Lost Creek Wilderness doesn’t give you spectacular alpine scenery, but it’s very accessible (and crowded) and good for early or late season trips because of the relatively low elevations. I think these photos give a reasonable sense of the appeal of the wilderness, mixed pine/aspen forest and interesting rock formations. The terrain is very rolling as you move from drainage to drainage and gulch to gulch. Obviously, I took advantage of good viewpoints, but you are frequently hiking in the trees.

[Dondo .]

Dan, so sorry to hear of the passing of Zelda.  Judging from the photos in your BPL trip reports, it appears that she had a very high quality of life, even in her final year.

Max looks like he’s having a good time.  I could be reading into this, but in the last photo, he seems to be smiling.

[Dan]

Many thanks, @Dondo. Zelda was 10, but still very strong and athletic, so we were looking forward to another season of backpacking, but in March we learned she had a large mass in her abdomen, and she didn’t have much time after that. Max is just a happy, friendly boy, and he’s a pretty good trail dog as long as it isn’t too warm.

[Author]

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