Next up in my series of trail reviews is the Arapahoe Pass Trail, which we backpacked on June 21-22nd. Jerry and I went together with one of our friends for a quick overnight adventure.

Getting a permit

This trail is in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, which requires a permit based on the zone you’re planning to camp in. Information on getting permits is available online through Recreation.gov. Make sure you check the map of backcountry zones to get a permit for the right area. We were able to get permits a couple of days in advance for the Neva backcountry zone.

Note: this trail is high up in elevation, meaning that lots of areas are covered in snow well into the summer months. Always check trail conditions online before heading out (AllTrails may have recent trail reviews, and the area’s website usually has good info). Just because you can reserve a permit for a backcountry zone does not mean that it has sites ready for camping.

Getting there

The road out to the Fourth of July Trailhead is not for the weak of heart (or weak of stomach). Be prepared to drive for about 5 miles over a narrow dirt road full of potholes. This road is roughly the quality of a ski resort parking lot in April (if you know, you know).

The road is also only about one car wide, so be on the lookout for other cars, and be prepared to back up and/or pull over to let them through. There’s a bus that runs from Eldora high school to the Hessie Trailhead (which is on the way to the Fourth of July Trailhead) – but to be honest, I’m not sure my stomach would have survived that trip on a bus (I get carsick easily).

I strongly suspect this road gets awful quickly if it’s raining – so be prepared for all conditions, and cancel your trip if you’re worried about getting stuck on the road.

We arrived at the trailhead mid-afternoon, and there were several parking spots available. However, the Hessie Trailhead had almost no spots – so plan accordingly.

The route

Once we found a place to park, we grabbed our backpacks and hit the trail. This trailhead starts at a high elevation, and then goes up gently. The elevation gain was pretty manageable, but we definitely were feeling the starting elevation, which is over 10,000 feet.

The first part of this trail is very well maintained, with walkways over the streams and wet areas. It quickly becomes more rugged though, meaning there were lots of small stream crossings, and there were several times when the trail was a small stream. It was all very manageable, and there was plenty of clean, flowing water available. We even crossed a waterfall, which was a little nerve-racking, but we survived the experience. Again, if it’s rained recently in the region, proceed with caution.

Some general advice for waterfall crossings: wait until you’re the only person crossing (that way you can pick your speed), move slowly, and aim for 3 points of contact at all times. Make sure a point of contact is very secure before moving another point of contact. If you don’t feel comfortable making the crossing, don’t – it’s not worth the risk.

On our way back through this waterfall, there was even more water, and there was a group of people watching the crossing. Apparently, someone had fallen moments before we got there. He seemed to be ok, though, and we saw him hiking out later that day. It was extra nerve-wracking to have all of those people watching me cross the waterfall though…

The hike was absolutely beautiful, with stunning mountain views throughout the valley. When we got to the top (just a few miles in), there were a number of campsites relatively near the trail. Typically, these are too close to the trail for camping, but because of the snow cover, we were allowed to camp closer than usual to the trail. Remember to always check the regulations before heading out into an area.

A ranger checked in with us to make sure we had the correct permit, and she shared some information about the area with us (wildlife, snow cover, etc.).

The night

I’ll admit I didn’t really sleep at all that night…we’d pitched our tent right next to some trees, and after the Porcupine Incident of 2024 (one day, I’ll write a post on this), I’ll admit that every noise kept me awake, even though I knew that the sound was just the tent on the trees. Oh well.

I did use my new, warmer sleeping bag liner for the first time, and it was glorious. This might be the most comfortable I’ve ever been temperature-wise while camping. I swear it got into the high 30s that night (the guys said it stayed in the 40s, but I don’t believe them), and I was warm and comfortable the whole time. If you’re like me and get very cold at night, invest in a nice liner – trust me, it’s a game changer.

The hike to the continental divide

In the morning, we decided to do a little day hike. Our first stop was the now-abandoned Fourth of July mine. It was pretty cool to see the old mining equipment and imagine what life might have been like back then.

We were high enough up that we could walk to the continental divide. We partly did this because we wanted to see the other side of the mountains (we were hiking to a saddle point, more or less), and also because I think it’s cool to hike to the continental divide. I’ve only ever done this once before – and it was worth it then too.

The views were unreal. I wasn’t feeling too great that morning (I generally don’t do well at elevation, but I refuse to admit it), so I sat and enjoyed the views while Jerry and our friend went and explored the area a bit. There was pretty heavy snow cover, so they were a bit limited in what they were able to do. We didn’t take spikes for this trip, which turned out to be ok, but I could definitely imagine needing spikes if you wanted to go further into the backcountry or higher in elevation.

The return journey

After our little day hike, we returned to our campsite, packed up, and headed back down the mountain. The trip down was, as expected, much easier, but much wetter. After our 5 mile journey on the rough dirt road, we headed back to Littleton, with an obligatory post-trip stop at a brewery in Golden.

I really enjoyed this trail and would highly recommend it. It was short enough to be doable, even though it felt reasonably challenging. We were able to camp in a protected area with lots of trees, and we were able to easily get above the treeline to more exposed area with better views (the best of both worlds!). Given the elevation, this is not a good first backpacking trip route, but it is a good one for someone with a few trips under their belt.