Colorado Trail Segment 21 Hike Guide
Colorado Trail Segment 21 is one of the most beautiful portions that the Colorado Trail has on its 480+ miles. This segment is 14.8 miles with 3,116ft of climbing. Although that does not seem like much, almost this entire segment is rollers with constant elevation gain and loss. CT Segment 21 starts at San Luis Pass and ends at paved Spring Creek Pass. The most unique part of this segment is a 3.3 mile stretch of flat hiking on a Snow Mesa. This portion of the CT is absolutely not one where you want to be with any sort of hot or bad weather.
Colorado Trail Segment 21 Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Colorado Trail Segments 20 & 21
Colorado Trail Segment 21 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 14.8 Miles One Way
Elevation Start: 11,944ft
High Point: 12,785ft
Total Elevation Gain: 3,116ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 6-8 Hours One Way
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult What does this mean?
Class: Class 1- What does this mean?
Season: June – November (early spring or Fall is best to avoid hot temps)
Directions to Colorado Trail Segment 21
Trailhead: San Luis Pass & Spring Creek Pass
Getting Here: Start Trailhead (San Luis Pass): From the town of Creede, take Forest Road 503 for 7.5 miles. If you have a high clearance 4×4 you can drive an additional 1.5 miles to the top parking area (very small). From here hike 1 mile to San Luis Pass.
End Trailhead (Spring Creek Pass): Spring Creek Pass is located in between Creede and Lake City so to not assume where you are coming from, simply follow the map below. This segment access is paved.
Parking: For San Luis Pass, there is no parking – just several small areas to park miles away from the pass itself. However, Spring Creek Pass is a great spot to park with 20+ spots and a non-plumbing bathroom. There is also water access directly at the end of Segment 21 before you walk across the highway.
Summary
Dogs: Colorado Trail Segment 21 is dog friendly with lots of water sources along the way. Be sure to hit the Snow Mesa earlier or later in the day to avoid the hot temperatures and no shade.
Camping: Hands down the best camping area on this hike are the beaver ponds near Mineral Creek at mile 3.9. Before and after this area there are limited camping options and none of them have water except for a few spots at the pond near the start of the Snow Mesa.
Access to Water: CT Segment 21 has plentiful water sources, even later in the season. Sources are great at mile 2, 2.7,3.9 and then again during the 9-11 mile span. At the end of the segment there is a GREAT water source that you will absolutely want to take advantage of because Segment 22 starts off very dry.
Trail X Factors: Snow Mesa
The Snow Mesa is a very exposed and mostly flat section of Segment 21 that lasts about 3.3 miles. You will absolutely want good weather here because there is nowhere to go if a storm rolls in. In addition, hit this portion of the trail during the early morning or later afternoon to avoid the strong rays of the sun.
Hike Tip(s): Pace yourself accordingly on this segment. Even though 3,100ft does not look like much, almost this entire hike is gaining and losing elevation. Your legs rarely get a break so pace yourself accordingly and don’t underestimate these miles.
Best Views: The entire thing. This was one of the best segments for us during the first 21 on the Colorado Trail, it’s simply beautiful.
Colorado Trail Segments 20 & 21 Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Osprey Atmos 65 Backpack
- Hiking Shoes: https://amzn.to/2Xuvz8U or https://amzn.to/3EcWLh4
- OR Hiking Boots
- Garmin inReach
- Water Filter OR UV Pen
- Headlamp
- Optional: Tent
- Optional: Sleeping Pad
- Optional: Sleeping Bag
- Optional: Cook Kit
- Optional: Stove
- Optional: Hiking Poles
Jackie’s Gear:
Juno’s Gear
Colorado Trail Books:
- Full Version
- Pocket Guide
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to Colorado Trail Segment 20: September 2021
After finishing segment 20 , we continued our weekend of hiking on segment 21. We hiked about 4 miles in before camping near the beaver ponds. The night was uneventful until a massive male moose started walking through the area. He was making all kinds of noise and it certainly raised all of our anxiety for a bit.
The next morning we continued climbing up and down on this segment until we reached the Snow Mesa. The smoke in the air paired with the direct sunlight made for a tough finish but the views along the way were A+. Finishing these two segments concluded our Colorado Trail hiking season in 2021 but left us so excited to continue in 2022.
