Maroon-Bells July 22ish

[Jim C]

I’m planning to hike the Capital Creek Circuit in the Maroon Bells area, around July 22. I’m coming from Georgia, and I’ve been to Colorado several times, including around this same time last year.

I’ve been keeping an eye on snow levels, and though I’ve still got just under a month to go, I wonder if I should be concerned.

Will the main worry just be more bugs, or is there a chance that some of the passes might still be snowed over in late July? I’ve got experience in the Rockies, but never had to deal with snowy passes.

Am I needlessly worried?

[Shae S]

@jimothy Hey Jim. I live on the front range and have a good view of the mountains. We have been getting a lot of rain here down low and some snow up high as recently as 2 days ago. I was up pretty high on the continental divide basically a year ago and there was still a tiny bit of snow left. However i think we are slated to get a heat wave here soon. I think you should be fine in late July but Colorado always has its own way of doing things lol

[Matt]

I suspect you might find large patches of snow, but by late July, you should be able to safely cross over them or go around.  No need to worry.  Just be wary.  Enjoy the hike!

[Jim C]

Thank you, Shae and Matt. I’ll continue keeping an eye on things, but it’s reassuring to hear we should be able to carry on our trip as planned.

[Jim C]

I’m in Colorado now, about a week away from my planned start of this trip. Talking to some locals, and looking at reports on the web (Maroon Bells Shuttles, AllTrails), I’m getting concerned I may need to pick another route. Those reports aren’t from the exact route we planned to hike, but from the general area and are within a few days.

I’ve still got a week for snow to melt, but how much? And more melt means more challenging creek crossings (and more bugs and mud, but we can cope with that).

Anyone have any thoughts on this route? Or suggestions for alternatives within, say, 4-5 hours of Colorado Springs or Denver that will have less snow (not necessarily in the Maroon Bells area)? I’ve been hoping to have some hikes that get above the timber line, but if we have to stay lower to keep things safe, I can compromise.

Edit: I could also extend my search radius beyond 4-5 hours, if there’s a great hike a bit beyond that.

[Seth R]

I have no answers on alternatives. If you are on Facebook you should look at the Four Pass group. I just saw a picture from today where Buckskin Pass has about a 75 foot hanging cornice.

[Jim C]

Seth, thanks for letting me know about the Facebook group.

Based on that and other reports, it looks like Maroon Bells is out and I’ve been eying alternatives. It seems Sangre de Cristo and Lost Creek Wilderness are viable options. Mosquitos are looking like a problem, but not snow.

Right now, I’m mostly looking at the Venable-Comanche loop in Sangre de Cristo. It’s 16 miles, making it a two day trip, but at the halfway point, there are some other trails we can add on as out-and-backs to extend our trip. I also see two possible loop add-ons, one shirt and one longer, but the longer one at least follows a valley, and we’d rather stay high (plus the many creek crossing might be an issue if the creeks are high and fast).

I’m still finalizing my plans, and if anyone has additional suggestions, I’m interested in hearing them.

 

[Jenny A]

Two weekends ago, the mosquitoes in Lost Creek Wilderness were beyond irritating, at least in some portions.  I will not venture back there for awhile.  Sangres should be nice.

[Author]

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