3 Ways To Hike the New 300-Mile Northern Colorado Trail

The Colorado Trail covers a lot of ground—567 miles from Denver to Durango, to be exact—but not a single inch of it runs through northern Colorado, which means serious thru-hikers often miss out on the beauty of the region. Loveland’s Kevin Silvernale wants to remedy that oversight. In 2023, he began plotting a long-distance path—linking existing trails and roads—from Estes Park to Glenwood Springs, and he named the roughly 300-mile, three-week-long trek the Northern Colorado Trail (NCT).

This February, he launched a website (which features helpful maps) for the route, with the hope that intrepid hikers will strike out on the footpath once the snow melts (probably in mid-June). Of course, not everyone has three weeks of vacation time, so Silvernale offered to highlight three sections of the NCT that will fit any schedule.

1. Dunraven Trailhead to Stormy Peaks Trailhead

• Distance: 14.5 miles, one way
• Trailhead: Dunraven

Start at the Dunraven trailhead, where there are (blessedly) 23 parking spots and several vault toilets. Follow the babbling North Fork of the Big Thompson River, pass through the Comanche Peak Wilderness, and breach the northern reaches of Rocky Mountain National Park. (Don’t worry: A day pass isn’t required to hike here.)

Once inside the park, connect with Stormy Peaks Trail and ascend to the 12,148-foot Stormy Peaks Pass, a perch that affords slack-jawed hikers views of the often-snowcapped Mummy Range. “On the descent to the Stormy Peaks trailhead [where you’ll leave a car], the trail stays above the valley much longer than it does on the Dunraven side,” Silvernale says, “offering ever-changing scenery and some truly amazing views as it drops into the Pingree Park area.”

2. Grizzly-Helena Trailhead to Dumont Trailhead

• Distance: 45.5 miles, one way
• Trailhead: Grizzly-Helena

Done as a two- or three-night backpacking trip (leave a car at each trailhead), this section of the NCT winds through the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness via the Grizzly-Helena, Bear Creek, Gold Creek, and Wyoming (part of the Continental Divide Trail) routes.

Along the way, you’ll find dispersed campsites that are rich with mountain and water views. “The campsites near Gold Creek, about 10 miles in, are particularly scenic,” Silvernale says. At 25 miles in, sites sit directly on the Continental Divide. On your final night, take shelter around the 35-mile mark, where you can pitch a tent near Lake Elmo or Fishhook Lake.

3. Stillwater Trailhead to the Devil’s Causeway

• Distance: 6.2 miles, out and back
• Trailhead: Stillwater

The trail leading to the famous Devil’s Causeway—a three-foot-wide, 50-foot-long land bridge with 60- to 80-foot drops on either side—begins by following the north shore of Stillwater Reservoir in the Flat Tops Wilderness before crossing a brook. “Once you pass the stream,” Silvernale says, “the trail skirts a hillside covered in wild strawberry plants perfect for picking from July through September.”

From there, the trail climbs toward the saddle just below your destination: the Devil’s Causeway. At the saddle, hikers are rewarded with views of sweeping valleys, two sizable and serene alpine lakes, and the Chinese Wall, a 22-mile-long, 1,000-foot-high limestone escarpment. Take note of your foot placements as you go; those mental snapshots will make the way back much easier.

Read More: The 50 Best Hikes in Colorado