By Kent Gruetzmacher, 2020 Lost Creek Loop Hiker
The Lost Creek Loop is a 54-mile loop backpacking route in Colorado’s Front Range. It is a combination of on-trail and off-trail hiking that features frequent water sources. Depending on weather and hiker fitness, the loop can be hiked in 3-5 days.
Region: Mountain West (Colorado’s Lost Creek Wilderness)
Distance: 54 miles (3-5 days)
Physical Difficulty: Moderate
- High elevation (8,500 to 12,000 feet)
- Lots of elevation change
- Off-trail hiking
Logistical Difficulty: Moderate
- No permits required
- Partial off-trail navigation, partial well-established trails
- Caching and resupply options available at several trailheads
Season: Summer, Fall
Elevation (Average): ~10,000 feet
Total Elevation Gain: 8,989 feet
Hiking the Lost Creek Loop
While trails in Colorado’s Front Range are notoriously crowded, it’s still possible to find hidden gems in the area. The Lost Creek Wilderness is a little-known region that is located about 1-hour west of Denver on Hwy 285. This area offers a plethora of hiking trails that can be combined into large loops and point-to-point trips. It’s rare that people from outside Colorado have heard of the Lost Creek.
The Lost Creek Wilderness is home to multiple mountain ranges, including the Kenosha Mountains and the Tarryall Mountains. The area boasts extremely unique geology and is known for its massive rock formations and outcropping. There are multiple popular trails in the region, including the Colorado Trail and the Goose Creek Loop.
The Lost Creek Loop allows you to experience some of the best parts of the wilderness area while avoiding the crowds that congregate closer to more popular trailheads. The loop is a mashup of on-trail and off-trail hiking, where you get a good balance of beginner and advanced backpacking.
The easiest starting point for the Lost Creek Loop is the Colorado Trail Segment 4 / Rolling Creek Trailhead just south of Bailey. When I hiked the loop, I began in a counter-clockwise direction, following CT Segment 4 until it splits onto Payne Creek Trail. Once on this trail, you will immediately sense the remoteness of the area, as the path is little more than worn grass in places. Payne Creek Trail offers good access to water in multiple places before joining Brookside McCurdy Trail (which is only 5 miles outside Bailey).
Upon gaining Brookside McCurdy, the trail crosses multiple water resources before it turns into a large climb. This section of the trail switchbacks a steep, north-facing slope that gains about 1,000 feet in a few miles. There is a beautiful old-growth forest in the area that must not have been logged due to the difficult access to the terrain. Once you top out on Brookside-McCurdy, you will take a right into Craig Park. This region is at 11,000 feet of elevation and features massive old-growth bristlecone pines, some of which are over 1,000 years old. There is also ample water in the area.
Hike west on Craig Park Trail until you reach the junction with Ben Tyler Trail, where you will go left and gain a ridge above the treeline. This ridge is where you will begin the off-trail hiking section of the Lost Creek Loop. Head left in a southeasterly direction along the ridgeline of the Kenosha Mountains. You will be above treeline for 7-10 miles, so beware of thunderstorms.
Continue to follow the ridge while being mindful of cliffs and other obstacles. Eventually, you will regain Brookside McCurdy Trail to complete the off-trail section. Bear in mind, when I hiked the loop I left the ridge 1-2 miles before the Brookside McCurdy junction due to thunderstorms. If you must bail off the ridge early, you can access Colorado Trail Segment 4 with little bushwhacking effort. Just beware of cliffs.
Brookside McCurdy Trail joins Colorado Trail Segment 4 in a southeasterly direction. Eventually, the two trails split and Brookside McCurdy heads into Lost Park Campground. This is one of the busiest areas in the Lost Creek Wilderness, so you can expect to run into some people. Next, follow Wigwam Trail through a series of alpine meadows and swamps, where you will find ample water along streams. There will likely be a lot of backpackers in the area.
The Lost Creek Loop concludes with a left-hand turn onto Rolling Creek Trail. You will face another 1,000-foot climb, followed by a steep descent along a gorgeous creek. Follow the trail back to the Colorado Trail Segment 4 trailhead and complete the loop.
How to get to the Lost Creek Loop
Nearest City: Bailey, Colorado (5 miles from Payne Creek / Brookside McCurdy trailhead)
The Lost Creek Loop can be easily accessed from a number of trailheads. I recommend starting from the Colorado Trail Segment 4 trailhead, easily accessed from Denver. This popular trailhead has ample parking and it is OK to leave your car there for multiple days.
If you look at a map of the Lost Creek Wilderness, you will see that there is a huge network of trails, offering access to the loop in every direction. However, some of these trailheads are more difficult to reach by car than others, and the driving distances required to access different trailheads around the Lost Creek Wilderness vary dramatically.
When to Hike the Lost Creek Loop
The Lost Creek Wilderness is home to several mountain ranges, including the Platte River Mountains, Kenosha Mountains, and Tarryall Mountains. There are several factors that make these ranges unique for seasonal hiking options in Colorado.
Because the mountains of the Lost Creek are located extremely far east in the Colorado Rockies, they generally don’t receive as much snowfall as other ranges. Even more, the snowfall amounts are also lessened by the fact that the highest peak in the area is at 12,431 feet. This means you can access the Lost Creek Loop earlier in the summer than most places in Colorado, as well as hike it far longer into the fall.
You can safely complete the Lost Creek Loop from late June to early November nearly any year. However, it is always a good idea to check updates on annual snowfall before planning an early or late season outing.
Lost Creek Loop Terrain
The loop offers a variety of terrain in its 54 miles. There are some mellow wooded sections with easy-to-follow trails and good protection from the elements. However, the Lost Creek Loop also ventures above treeline for a time, where you must be acutely aware of thunderstorms. As the trail climbs nearly 9,000 feet in 54 miles, expect a good deal of challenging climbs. None of the sections of the loop are particularly rocky, including the off-trail sections.
Logistics: Permits, Camping, Water
Camping and Permits: No permits are required for camping along the route. However, you must fill out a form upon entering the Lost Creek Wilderness. You can camp where you would like, but it is always best to stick to established campsites (Leave No Trace principles). All camping is free except at Lost Park Campground.
Water: There is ample water along most of the Lost Creek Loop. It’s advisable to study a map and plan your water carries accordingly, although they should never exceed 4-5 miles. Finally, it is easy to avoid dry camping in the area.
Know Before You Go
Route-Finding: The off-trail ridge section in the Kenosha Mountains is the most challenging aspect of the Lost Creek Loop. While navigation is not particularly hard because you are on a single ridge the whole hike, you must be acutely aware of your position. By keeping track of your location, you can avoid getting cliffed out and make your way down to the Colorado Trail if bad weather rolls in.
Weather: When hiking above treeline in Colorado during summer, thunderstorms are always an issue. If you choose to do the off-trail ridge hike, I recommend camping in Craig Park and getting an early start on the ridge before the afternoon storms have a chance to build.
Shorter Options: After regaining Colorado Trail Segment 4 with Brookside McCurdy Trail (after the off-trail section) you can take the CT back to your car. This option shaves about 10 miles off the hike. Please bear in mind that if you opt for the shorter option you will be hiking the opposite direction on the Colorado Trail from which you originally started.
On-Trail Alternative: You can avoid the off-trail / above treeline section of the Lost Creek Loop by following Ben Tyler Trail southwest until it joins Colorado Trail Segment 5. This alternative affords slightly longer mileage with good protection from the weather, etc.
Additional Lost Creek Loop Resources
Kent Gruetzmacher MFA is a Colorado-based writer and owner of the writing / marketing firm KCG Content, which offers a variety of writing and marketing services for small business clients. An avid outdoorsman, Kent spends his time backpacking, hiking, skiing, and trail running throughout the Western U.S. He appreciates critical thinking, historical perspectives, and philosophical dialogues.
Kent’s hiking resume includes the Colorado Trail (2018-2019), summit hikes of 36 of the Colorado 14ers, and the TN / NC sections of the Appalachian Trail (2019). He is working on section hikes of the Hayduke Trail and Arizona Trail in 2021.
