CO Trail Seg 13-15

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Author

Drew Smith

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Trail stats

Distance: 51.99 mi
Elevation gain: 14,902 ft
Technical difficulty: Moderate
Elevation loss: 13,376 ft
Max elevation: 12,021 ft
TrailRank: 26
Min elevation: 8,163 ft
Trail type: One Way

Time: 5 days 37 minutes
Coordinates: 13355
Uploaded: September 5, 2009
Recorded: August 2009

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near Alpine (historical), Colorado (United States)

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Trail photos

Itinerary description

August 2009. This stretch of the Trail covers the lower third of the Arkansas valley, roughly from Buena Vista to Marshall Pass. Starting at Cottonwood Creek (which is actually in the middle of Segment 13) it continues to skirt the base of the great 14'ers of the Collegiate and Sawatch Ranges: Mts Princeton, Antero, Tabeguache and Shavano. This end of the valley is a little lower and drier than the upper end of course, but the hiking is much the same, mostly through mixed forests of lodgepole, ponderosa and aspen, breaking out occasionally into lush creek valleys, or busting over ridges with views of the Divide and the Ark Valley. This stretch stays mostly between 8500 and 9500 feet. A highlight is the chance for a soak in Mt Princeton Hot Springs in the Chalk Cr Valley, which I gladly took advantage of. A lowlight is the amount of road that the trail follows in this area.
Once across US50, the landscape takes on a character that is distinctly different, and feels more like southern Colorado, though I'm not enough of a botanist or geologist to say exactly why. The trail also begins to follow a drainage, rather than traverse it, for the first time since Cataract Cr (Segment 9 I think), as it ascends the Foose and S Foose Creeks. This also the only serious climb of this stretch, finally topping out near 12k feet at the head of S Foose Cr. The climb is well worth it, as it begins a 5 mile walk along the Divide with 50+ mile views in every direction, including views of the 10 Mile, Sawatch, West Elk and San Juan ranges.

Waypoints

Shelter Greens Creek

The topo map shows the shelter at the head of S Foose Cr, but this is wrong, it's at the head of Greens Cr. It is small and grimy, the weather would have to be pretty bad before I would stay here. There are plenty of excellent campsites nearby, however.

Trailhead Marshall Pass

Some campsites here, but they are pretty well coated with cow pies.

Campsite Fooses Creek

Nice open camp area, we surprised some grazing elk. Also enjoyed a night of freezing rain and woke up with my tent lightly coated with ice.

Campsite Lost Creek

Lost Creek was but a trickle. Site is in a somewhat open mixed forest of aspen and ponderosa.

Campsite Browns Creek

There are also campsites on Little Browns, but they are damp and buggy. Deep forest campground, but there are some brookies in the plunge pools of the creek

Bootleg CG

A few miles past the Mt Princeton Hot Springs. $7 gets you nothing more than a pit toilet and some crude tables. Access to water is either a steep scramble or a long walk, and there is lots of noise from the road.

Princeton Hot Springs resort and store

$10 for the hot springs. The store has alcohol for your stove, but only 3.2 beer if you are looking to wet your whistle. I did stop at the restaurant for an overpriced burger, which I split with Baloo.

Campsite, Maxwell Creek

Pleasant enough, but heavily forested, too small to fish.

Trailhead

Start Cottonwood Creek

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