Biking The Colorado Trail: Lost Creek to Kenosha Pass
Here is a trail report for mountain biking these two sections of Colorado Trail [segments 4 and 5]. However, I’m not sure I would recommend doing it the way we did it unless you are a big fan of torture. Carrying our bikes for 7 miles was by far the hardest thing we’ve ever done in the outdoors. Our bikes are all pushing 30lbs so your mileage may vary if you have a light bike. Also, our trip included an extra section of blacktop that is obviously not part of the CT. However, unless you have two vehicles…you may also have to do it this same way. 
Probably the best way to ride this section would be to get dropped off at Kenosha Pass and then ride it backwards, and walk with your bike DOWN the Lost Creek section and get picked up in Buffalo Creek area. Lost Creek Wilderness to Kenosha Pass on Colorado Trail [July 31, 2004] by BK Our initial plan was to park at the CT trailhead off Forest Road 543 near Wellington Lake . We were going to walk through the Wilderness, ride about 20 miles of singletrack up to Kenosha, then ride the pavement about 20 miles back to Bailey, then finish it off with 8 miles of dirt road back to the parking lot. We had no exact numbers of how far it would be on the walking section of the trail, as it is extremely hard to get accurate information ("accurate" being the operative word) on this section of the CT trail. Our best guess was somewhere between 5 and 8 miles of Wilderness. We all wanted to believe it was going to be 5 miles! We got an early start on this one rolling out from Highlands Ranch at just after 6am . We were at the trailhead and leaving the lot by about 7:30 . Little did we know we wouldn’t see the truck again for almost 11 hours! The CT trail here is gently rolling singletrack, and it was a pleasant 1.5 mile section with a mild ascent to get our lungs working. About a 1/4 mile in there is a bunch of signs warning about the Wilderness area and that bikes are not allowed. We were prepared for that… As a side note, there is a bypass of this section of Colorado Trail supposedly for bikers – but it is a LONG ride of probably 30-40 miles of dirt road that goes south of the Wilderness and then swings back up closer to Kenosha Pass. This route had no interest for us, and we would much rather walk this section and just continue riding when we cleared the Wilderness area. Not sure if this is frowned upon by the Forest Service, but we put more effort into respecting the Wilderness than most people probably would have, so we felt pretty good about our passage across the Wild lands.
When we got to the Wilderness boundary (clearly marked by signs directly next to the trail), we prepared by breaking down our bikes by taking off the wheels, and lashing the frames to our backpacks. We all brought oversized day packs on this ride instead of our normal camelbaks – we knew we would need something larger, and for two of us at least, we had waist belts for extra support. The extra sized packs were a burden on the bikes, but a godsend for this application.
THE HIKE-A-BIKE [7 or 8 MILES] After about 10 minutes of breakdown and mental preparation, we began the long hike. All 3 of us had our bikes draped over our shoulders, and we held one wheel in each hand for balance. At this point we believed we could power through this little hike at a fairly good clip of about 2.5 or even 3mph. We figured it would take us about 90 minutes to cover the supposed 5 miles of walking trail…and boy were we way off on the numbers here! It would take us almost 4 hours to cross to the other side… 
Our walk started off in the early morning sunshine and was a very pleasant jaunt through the pine forests and aspen groves of this pristine section of Colorado . We were fairly impressed by the truly "wild" feeling of this area, and all agreed that despite our love of mountain biking, it was probably for the best that this area is closed to most methods of travel. By hiking through, we gained a nice appreciation of the solitude and quietness of this stretch of trail. Additionally, after a mile or so we began to realize that most of this section is probably unridable anyway…and it started to go straight up. It would continue going straight up almost the entire length of the hike! 
We arrived at a small stream and waterfall and we "felt" we were well into the hike, and because of our initial speed over the flat section we felt we might be somewhere about the half way point. As stated earlier, we all wanted to believe it would be a quick 5 mile hike. We were actually more like a 1/3 into it, and only just beginning to get to the steep section. I can’t really recall where the trail started to get insane…but it seems like it was shortly past the waterfall. The deteriorating logging road we had been following started to go straight up the mountain in long sections of nasty boulder fields. We could literally see for half a mile or more up the trail and we could see how far uphill it went. This was not good.
After what seemed a long time on this road, we got to a point where the CT trail peeled off to the left, leaving the old road to continue into oblivion going to who-knows-where. Not wanting to take off my pack to grab the map, we started up this section once again believing we HAD to be close to the end of the walking part. However, at this point the trail REALLY goes straight up, and we all agreed we had found the worlds largest set of stairs on this trail. We were beginning to get fatigued, for besides a few short breaks where we basically hunched over to relieve the burning of our shoulders, we hadn’t had a real break since we started hiking. We constantly thought the end was just around the corner! I’m not sure how long we spent on this section of trail, but it went very slow. The Stairmaster section eventually leveled off, and we entered a rocky section of steep up and down. This insured we never really got moving at a good pace…and more time was lost. We finally admitted the end was NOT nearby – and decided to take off our packs/bikes and have a quick lunch and check the map and rest. This was a much needed break, and not a minute too soon. Looking at the map we could see we had some way to go, but the vast majority of the trail was behind us. There are few landmarks we could use to definitively say where we were on the trail, but we thought we had a good idea. Our spirits were high once again. After about 15 minutes we burdened ourselves with our cargo and started our death march again. Almost immediately we ran into the first people we had seen on this trail… 
Our first question to them was how much further to the end! Again, hopes were high that we were close, but as it turned out this couple said they started on the other side of the Wilderness and that they had been on the trail for about 2 hours. We all deflated like rag dolls…although we kept a strong face until the hikers had moved on (what did they think of 3 guys carrying bikes on their backs???). At this point we just had no choice but to march on, and hope that we could move faster than the 2 hikers to get out before it took us two more hours. The trail continued up to reach a wet plateau and it started to descend. This was clearly on the map and we could see now that we were getting close. However, fatigue had taken its toll and we really weren’t moving very fast anymore… 
Eventually we started to descend and after a long, gradual trek down what looked like another logging road we FINALLY saw the Wilderness boundary sign – indicating it was safe to put our bikes back together and continue our day. We couldn’t believe that we had just spent almost 4 hours carrying our bikes up the mountain. Most people would consider that a full day (it was actually between 7 and 8 miles on foot!) – but our bike ride was just STARTING! Nonetheless, the simple fact of accomplishing that feat put some wind back in our sails and after a short break to put the bikes back together and grab some trail mix…we were back on our bikes instead of having them on us.
SINGLETRACK ON THE COLORADO TRAIL [~20 MILES] We noted ominously that there is no way we could carry our bikes back through that even if we had to. Going downhill would suggest it would be easier, but we all agreed that it would probably be just as hard doing it backwards. The sheer steepness would make it dicey at best. So, we were committed to going on – and at this point we still had about 50 linear miles ahead of us on our bikes. The day was half gone…and we had spent a lot of energy walking already. We knew we were in for a long day. 
The next section of bike trail was a beautiful section of single-track that followed the edge of a valley northwest gently rising, but never too steep to make it un-ridable. This was about 8 miles and at this point we felt we were getting some payback for our efforts. Despite a few sections of wet rocky trail where we had to walk our bikes, we generally made good time through this part. That is, until the lightning storm loomed ahead of us…
Planning for storms is always a necessity when traveling in the Colorado high country, but it is something you always hate to see when you are out there. Due to our overly long jaunt through the woods on foot, our ride was moved into the afternoon and we were catching the first wave of t-storms. As it moved in we took shelter in the valley on the edge of the forest – as it seemed as good a place as any to hole up. Not a group to let anything get us down, we all kept our sprits up by joking and remarking that we were really being forced to earn this ride. Assuming we were about to get soaked, we got out our rain gear and braced for a rough time. The rain did come, but it was thankfully quite short, and the lightning stayed out of our immediate vicinity. After about 20 minutes or so we were back on our bikes and moving towards the sunshine further up the valley.
We finally reached a fun descent through the forest along a section of rolling single-track that was just pure heaven to go down after all we had been through. It was pretty wet, so some roots gave us all some good scares as our tires slid all over them. The smiles were coming back to our faces…and we were finally covering some ground. We popped out at another trailhead ( North Fork ?) where the CT once again went back into the Wilderness area. We took the opportunity to refill our camelbaks with our water filter in a small stream (we would have been in big trouble without that water filter!) We were NOT going to hike our bikes again (we originally considered doing so while still back in the comfort of our own houses!). Instead we took the road for a short way, until it rejoined the CT further along. The afternoon sun was quite hot at this point and at about 3:30 we still had about 6 miles to go until we reached Kenosha pass. This last section was all pretty much uphill, and much to our dismay this section also had some sandy sections which really added to the misery. Since we had no choice but to pedal, we just kept pedaling. At one point we passed a woman who was hiking the CT by herself…and she had been on the trail for 5 days when we ran into her. She said we were the first people she’d seen all day. It was past 4pm ! She was aiming for Kenosha campground…where we were also heading. We talked for a few minutes to make sure she was OK and doing well…and she seemed in high spirits so we said goodbye and good luck. We had our own journey to finish today… 
This final section had some tricky sections with bowling ball sized rocks littering the path, which made it slow going in spots. Overall though, it was a pretty nice section with some great views as we got closer to Kenosha . Most of this section was spent on autopilot as the fatigue just forced us to put our heads down and traverse any and all obstacles as best we could. Nothing was going to stop us! We rolled into Kenosha pass at about 5pm to rest and refuel. We wearily checked our watches and noted we had been on the trail for over 9 hours at this point…and distance-wise we were only HALF-WAY home! 
KENOSHA TO BAILEY ON PAVEMENT [20 MILES] We now had 20 miles of pavement down the pass to the town of Bailey . On a mountain bike, this is not an easy stretch by any means. The initial descent off the pass and down the very steep part of the road went pretty fast…but with knobby tires I could never make much more than 30mph. I also don’t have a big chain ring, so I can’t pedal much above that speed anyway. So, after about 3-4 miles of downhill the road leveled out and it was back to pedaling like a madman to keep up with my compatriots. For the next hour and change I was pedaling as hard as I possibly could (which after the day we had, was not that fast). Add in the attention you must exert to keep the bike as close to the white line as possible without falling on the gravel shoulder – avoiding traffic and the occasional swerving driver and this supposedly easy stretch became a big mental drain. We finally reached cell phone coverage as we got closer to civilization, and we were able to call our wives and let them know we wouldn’t quite make it home for dinner tonight. We were getting closer to Bailey, but still had a ways to go. This stretch of Hwy 285 is not bike friendly, and I’d just assume never do this particular route again. There is little I can say to convey the excitement we felt at finally reaching the small village of Bailey – and leaving the busy highway. At this point the sun was getting low in the sky…
We knew that once we reached Bailey, we would have 8 miles left to go on the dirt road back to the truck. However, when we drove in that morning, we noted this section had TWO insanely steep climbs and we were all laughing the "yeah right" laugh when we considered the thought that we had to climb those hills to make it back to the truck. Now, 11 hours later, those hills might as well have been walls. I personally had reached the limit of my endurance…and there was no way I had the energy to tackle those hills. Even if I had tried, we were almost out of daylight and I didn’t relish the idea of spending time on a dark road in the middle of nowhere pushing my bike uphill. Instead, to be safe, we decided to send one guy ahead by hitching a ride with someone heading down the road toward the truck. This turned out to be a wise move, as the sun set and we still only barely made it out before dark. At the end of the day, my odometer read 42+ miles, and we tacked on an extra 7 or 8 of hiking miles. At the end, we looked back on the day as if we had just spent about 3 days on the trail together. The hike-a-bike seemed a distant, somewhat unpleasant memory and it hardly seemed possible we did all that in one day. The time we spent huddled away from the rain seemed a vague memory as well…and the stop to fill our water (I used 6 liters on this trip!)...and meeting that hiker…and going down the pavement. After spending so much effort, covering so much ground, and doing 11 hours of solid labor, we could finally get into the truck and relax. We did have to remind ourselves that we had fun! For anyone considering this adventure here are some thoughts.
The route: Our goal is to get as much of the Colorado Trail done on our bikes as we can. Since part of this is through wilderness area, we knew that we would have to hike our bikes at some point. We considered hiking one way, riding to Kenosha, and then riding back and walking the wilderness again…but that went out the window after we realized how incredibly hard the hike was. We briefly considered taking two cars and parking one at Kenosha . This is the ideal way to do this section (or better yet, ride DOWN from Kenosha )...but none of us wanted to drive two vehicles for an hour to do it this way. If you want to get the Wilderness section done with your bike on your back…this is probably the best way to do it. Just plan your time accordingly.
Strength of riders: We are all generally pretty good riders. I have been riding for about a year, and my two compatriots have been riding seriously for the past 2 years. For most of the year, we ride about 2-3 times per week, usually on Front Range trails such as Mt. Falcon , Deer Creek, Apex, etc. I would NOT recommend this route to anyone who is not in decent fitness. Between the hiking and the altitude, you will get worked. If you have someone bonk on the far side of the Wilderness – there is little you can do but force them to ride on. You can’t turn around…and it would take all day for the other riders to complete the loop and return to a point where you could pick that person up at a trailhead.
Gear: A water filter is an absolute must. Some camels might survive this on 3 litres of water, but two of us went through 6 liters and had to refill at a stream with a filter. You should also bring a heavy day backpack which you can use to strap your bike on your back. I don’t know if anyone could actually free-carry their bike on their back for the length of the hiking trail – but I know couldn’t. However, with the backpack and a few pull straps, I was able to get my bike fairly comfortable on my back so I could make the hike. You should always bring rain gear on longer day trips. You will need something for lunch…preferably something that will give you lots of energy. I only had some pretzels and a few cliff bars – I don’t know how I made it on that little caloric intake to be honest. I would also recommend a space blanket, a medical kit, and a flashlight or headlamp. You never know when you might be forced to go to ground for the night…or have to ride the trail in the dark. Be prepared! Oh yeah, always bring a camera. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you will need a good map of this area. There are many turns and cutoffs that required a quick check where we were.