Colorado Backpacking Guide
Backpacking the high country of Colorado
By Sam Szarka with contributions from Mike Baker, NWS Boulder Meteorologist
Fourteen thousand foot Pyramid Peak in Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness of Colorado
Planning a Trip
Planning a backpacking trip to a Colorado wilderness or backcountry destination requires an understanding of the challenges of the Rocky Mountain environment. Knowledge of weather, terrain, water sources, and high altitude factors can make the difference between a memorable trip, or a miserable one.
Understanding Colorado’s geography and the online resources that can assist you while mapping out your trip can be a great help towards having a memorable experience. Towards the end of this
guide, I include several websites that I use to plan my trips.
Geography of the State of Colorado
Not all of the state of Colorado is mountainous. The eastern third of Colorado is flat, rolling plains. The plains are the western-most edge of the Great Plains that extend across the midwest. Most of the state’s population lives here, mainly in cities bordering the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Riding along the center of the state is the spine of the Rocky Mountains. The rockies form the Continental Divide, which is the name for the boundary which delineates the Pacific and Atlantic watersheds. To the west, the Rockies
slowly fade into the Colorado plateau, an arid landscape of canyons, buttes, and mesas that is characteristic of the southwest United States.
Altitude
The state of Colorado is known for its high altitude. Many of the popular backpacking destinations require prolonged hiking at elevations above 10,000 ft. The high altitude environment brings with it some extra dangers such as: exposure to severe weather, altitude sickness, water-borne parasites, and dehydration.
Altitude Sickness
Altitude sickness, a common ailment for even healthy, physically fit individuals above 10,000 ft. elevation occurs because the body requires time to adapt to unusually low oxygen levels at these elevations