looking to go backpacking in Colorado need help

hi there

I live in the Houston TX area i have been backpacking for a few years now, but just here in Texas. I am looking at going on a trip in july 2012 to Colorado. I know i am starting early, but i am trying to find a great place to go. I am not really sure were to start looking and what all i need to do to start preparing. I have found many beautiful places. I was thinking i might try the Ice Lakes Trail in the San Juan Mountains, but i am up for any suggestions. There will be 3 people going including me. We are looking to go for 3 or 4 days. I personally have never been to Colorado and i have heard it is really pretty up there thats why we have pick Colorado, but i am up for any suggestions for a great place to hike to.

Thanks for the help Pat

Almost anywhere is Colorado will be way prettier than Houston. Just throw a dart at a map....

I live in Colorado. There are a lot of great trails here, but documentation is hard to find on many of them.

I'd suggest picking from segments of the Colorado Trail. You can buy the guide books and data books at http://www.coloradotrail.org/

Being from low altitude, I'd suggest segment 1 as a start. Given you only have 3 or 4 days, you could do the first 2 or 3 segments. Keep in mind, much of the Colorado Trail still had snow on it in July. Mostly in the higher altitudes.

If you want to take it easy (around 5 miles a day) segment 14 is my favorite, but I haven't seen all the segments.

I'm not familiar with the Ice Lakes Trail. If it's the one in Colorado's Incredible Back Country Trails, it's at 12,500 feet. Chances are at least one of you will have some problems with the altitude. The climb looks real difficult for people not used to higher altitude.

If you can, take an extra couple of days. I could take you on a lower altitude day hike about 50 miles from Pueblo to help you get acclimated without heavy packs. Then from there, you can go to segment 14 of the Colorado Trail. If you have your mind set on a high lake, I'd recommend Goodwin Lake which is about 5 miles SW of Westcliffe. I'm told there is real good fishing there. It's at about 11,200 feet. I've seldom seen other people there. There is plenty of water along the way so you won't have to pack to much. You can see a video here.

While still planning, I'd suggest buying Topo Explorer: Colorado. You can draw maps on it and it will give elevation changes. I use the following approximate scale.

up to 300 feet/mile: Easy
up to 700 feet/mile: Moderate
up to 1000 feet/mile: Difficult
up to 1500 feet/mile: Very Difficult
Anything more: Not for me except for distances under a mile.

Keep in mind, thunderstorms are common here after 1 to 2 pm. It pays to be off exposed areas before then. It also pays to get up and start hiking near sunrise as the best views are in the early morning.

Bring chapstick and start using it before your lips start to crack. Most people new to Colorado seem to have this problem. Drink a lot of water as it's easy to dehydrate. Many people who arrive without a tan tend to burn more easily.

Freezing night time temperatures are common here in July above about 9,000 feet.

My choices are somewhat biased based on what is close to me.

Thanks so much for the info. Im sure we can make a few more days available Being from low altitude / Sea level. I meant to say i would like to hike for 3 or 4 days. How many days you would yall say we would might need to get accumulated to be able to hike to a higher altitude and when would you suggest the best month would be to hike, but being from texas one of the guys has never seen snow so if possible i would like to see a little snow.

Thanks Pat

People here say to spend a day being sedentary in Denver or someplace with a similar altitude.

Then start with an easy hike at around 6 to 7,000 feet.

If you are in good shape, acclimation might take longer. It's highly individual, so be flexible.

I still have trouble above 11,000 feet even though I go high a lot. The best month is early August.(Big differences of opinion here.) In late July, you should be able to hike up to some snow patches around 11,000 feet, but that's highly variable in time and location.

Thanks guys this helps a ton.

Welcome from one Houstonian to another.

As for Colorado, are you planning or driving? If driving, then also consider the Chicago Basin area, though the altitude is high. If flying, consider going further north to get some lower altitudes and some pretty country. We just did the Winds with a group of 13 and though the elevation was still above 9,000', to get to that same level of scenery in Colorado one would probably have to be higher on average.

We took a hike to Comanche Lake near Westcliffe to give you an idea of what's out there.

The trail to the lake is 3.7 miles long, 2,596 feet up and only 59 feet down. (According to Topo Explorer.)

Keep in mind, videos make trails look flat and people look fat.

The next day, we went up another mile and 950 feet to get some views.

Here is a video: