Towering cliffs, as well as small rock formations like this one, appearing through the trees are among the many highlights of Segment 3.
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The first section of the Collegiate West route is almost flat except for the several thousand foot climb over Hope Pass near the middle.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/CollegiateWe... #coloradotrail #collegiatewest #hiking #photography
No, not short. It's truly an epic journey.
A group of thirteen thousand foot peaks rise above a small saddle in the La Plata Mountains at the end of Segment 27.
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Segment 25 begins with a long climb to cross a twelve thousand foot saddle.
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A little over a year after the fire south of Twin Lakes in the middle of Segment 11, not much has changed, but the the trail is clear all the way through.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/Segment11 #coloradotrail #hiking #backpacking #scenery #photography
Water lilies in late July near the 11,718 foot high point on Segment 9.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/Segment9 #coloradotrail #hiking #backpacking #scenery #flowers #photography
Even though I had been mountain biking there for many years, the end of Segment 6 was so transformed by the removal of dead trees that I felt like I had taken a wrong turn.
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The burnt slopes of Raleigh Peak, which is in the middle of Segment 2, is visible during the long final descent at the end of Segment 1.
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Except for a short section that has become a bog during the hundred or so years since it was built, most of Segment 4 follows an old wagon road.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/Segment4 #coloradotrail #hiking #photography
During the climb to over 13,000 feet in Segment 22, trees and bushes slowly thin out, until eventually there is only grass.
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Fewer storms, cooler weather, eye popping colors make fall a good time to hike the Colorado Trail, especially Segment 2.
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On Segment 20, deep inside the La Garita Wilderness, during early summer.
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Segment 28 descends nearly a vertical mile through lush forests into Durango.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/Segment28 #coloradotrail #photography #hiking #mountainbiking
Well into summer, there can still be a lot of flowers and water on the first half of Segment 3, which is surprising considering that temperatures are often in the nineties.
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Looking south from Chalk Creek Pass, on Section 4 of the Collegiate West route.
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Nearing the end of Segment 6 in early spring, with the snow capped peaks of Segment 7 looming in the distance.
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Nearly a hundred years ago, the first half of Segment 1, that starts at Waterton, Colorado, was a railroad.
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Some parts of Segment 11 seem like nothing more than a casual stroll through the woods.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/Segment11 #coloradotrail #mountainbiking #hiking #photography
Raleigh Peak becomes visible at the top of the first climb on Segment 2, and because it is in the middle of the segment, it will be a reliable landmark throughout.
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Entering the Holy Cross Wilderness near the middle of Segment 9.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/Segment9 #coloradotrail #hiking #backpacking #scenery #photography
Looking down Bear Creek, past rows of thirteen thousand foot peaks, in the first half of Segment 25.
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During the long descent to Durango on Segment 28 the trail passes through multiple wet and dry zones with wildly varying vegetation.
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This is one of three Ptarmigans I met while hiking near the top of 12,956 foot Bald Mountain, on Section 5 of the Collegiate West route.
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While it certainly looked like fall on the western end of Segment 1, with temperatures close to eighty, it felt more like summer.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/Segment1 #coloradotrail #mountainbiking #hiking #photography
Segment 26 is the shortest segment on the Colorado Trail, at just under eleven miles, and it stays near the ridges of the Continental Divide for most of its length.
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This marmot had no problem with me stopping to look at the amazing scenery while mountain biking on Segment 26, but once I noticed it, one photo was all it would tolerate.
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If it had been only a few degrees cooler, there might have been snow instead of rain on Segment 5, but either way the fall colors would have been just as amazing.
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Looking north from the top of Cuba Gulch in the western half of Segment 23.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/Segment23 #coloradotrail #photography #hiking #mountainbiking
Descending below 12,000 feet after crossing the Tenmile Range on the west half of Segment 7.
colorado-trail.appspot.com/Segment7 #coloradotrail #hiking #mountainbiking #photography
