One source of constant frustration for me is that it’s hard to find reliable and recent info on trails. Depending on where you are, there’s a number of possible resources you can use (government websites, blogs, AllTrails reviews) but those sources tend to not include the practical information I want. In an effort to help other hikers, I’m going to try to capture some of the insights from the trail.

A friend and I did the first 9 miles of the Colorado Trail in mid-June 2025. This was my friend Allie’s first backpacking trip, so I’d picked a trail for us that wasn’t too hard (this turned out to not be the case, whoops) and not too far from Denver (in case we needed to turn around and head back). Luckily, there’s lots of great info on the CT online that helped with planning our route.

We parked at the Waterton Canyon parking lot. We arrived a little before 9, and took one of the only spots available (granted, it was a weekend, but still – I was surprised at how full the parking lot was). There’s a water faucet for drinking water at the very start of the trail.

The first 6 miles were through Waterton Canyon, which follows the South Platt River to Strontia Springs Reservoir. Note that you can’t swim in the reservoir, and access to the river is restricted, since this is a major water source for Denver. Always remember to check local rules and regulations before heading out. Note that if you do this route on AllTrails, it will look like the Reservoir is only about 5 miles in – this is a lie.

The 6 miles in are very exposed – so it was a hot hike in. Be prepared for this – and have a backup plan if you’re not up for the adventure. Allie and I are both native Texans – so while the heat was pretty rough on us, it was still tolerable. There are restrooms and covered picnic benches along the route.

At the end of the Canyon is a nice shaded picnic bench. We stopped here for a long break and lunch. Some bighorn sheep also joined the party.

Next, it started to get steep. We wandered above the reservoir, through some Denver city water facilities, and finally, we arrived at the official start of the Colorado Trail (CT).

It continued to get steeper from here, but it was also much more shaded, which made it feel easier. We were pretty worn out from the heat at this point, so the shade was a nice respite. There wasn’t much wildlife on the trail, and there were far fewer people than Waterton Canyon. We did encounter a couple of mountain bikers flying down the trail (so be sure to listen for the telltale clicking of bikes!).

A little over 9 miles in, there were several excellent campsites along a stream. It’s worth noting that this was the first stream we’d seen since the South Platte River – there’s another stream marked on the map, but it was dry at the time.

We picked a campsite walking distance from the water, pitched our tents, and went down to the stream to cool off and to enjoy a cold drink.

Unfortunately, we weren’t alone – as it started getting dark, a family came and took the campsite near us (it would have been nice if they’d chosen one of the sites a little farther away from us, but oh well). Fortunately, Allie and I were exhausted and we slept soundly.

The next day, we turned around and hiked back out. It was still extremely hot, which made the hike out similarly challenging. The Waterton Canyon portion of the trail is no joke – make sure you’re ready for a lot of heat and little to no shade. We met several hikers heading up to the CT, starting their adventure.

On the whole, I would like to do this again. The part of the CT that started above the Denver water facilities (the part in the mountain) was excellent. While there was a lot of elevation change, the trail itself wasn’t at a high elevation, so it was fairly manageable. We only did a little over 3 miles on it though, so I’m guessing high mileage days on the CT are not for the faint of heart.

This was my first time doing a section of a famous through hike, and I loved it! I’ll definitely be looking for other sections to do in the future (and Allie is thoroughly hooked on backpacking after her first trip – so she also wants to try another section of the CT!).