Hiking the CDT Loop - Colorado Backpacking & Camping Trip

4 Days of Hiking, Camping & Backpacking on Colorado’s Continental Divide Trail in the Rocky Mountain National Forest. GPS Data at http://www.sintax77.com For this backpacking trip, we’ll be doing a 4 day, 3 night camping trip on a section of the Continental Divide Trail in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. Sometimes referred to as the “CDT Short Loop”, this backpacking loop is a 29 mile mile circuit with several access point options. In our case, we parked at the Green Mountain trailhead, just past the RMNP Kawuneeche visitor center and park entrance by Grand Lake, CO. The 2 mile Green Mountain trail provided us access to the CDT and brought our mileage for the loop up to 33 miles. For an easier read, check out my full blog post here: http://www.sintax77.com/hiking-the-cd... GPS Data for this trip and many others can be found on my Trip Data Page. Includes full track data for each day, and way-points for campsites used, water sources, etc along the loop. Season: First week of September Trailhead Used: Green Mountain Trailhead, RMNP, Grand Lake, CO – 40°18’26.7″N 105°50’28.7″W This parking area is only a few miles into the park & provides overnight parking for plenty of vehicles. A park entrance pass and wilderness camping permit is required (contact the Kawuneeche Office for details and availability) Trails Used Day 1: Park at the Green Mountain Trailhead. Green Mountain Trail Junction with Tonahutu Creek Trail (CDT) Continue north on the Continental Divide Trail Setup camp at Sunset camp (Elevation 9,498′) This is a single group tentsite that must be reserved via permit. Day 1 Mileage: 4 miles Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 974′ Trails Used, Day 2: Continue on the Tonahutu Creek Trail (CDT) Stock up on water before heading up the ridge (last chance at N40° 19.579′ W105° 43.701′) Continue on Tonahutu Creek Trail (CDT) through Ptarmigan Pass Junction North Inlet Trail / Flattop Mountain Trail Head south on the North Inlet Trail (CDT) Junction North Inlet / Lake Nanita Trail Head South on the Lake Nanita Trail Setup camp at Pine Marten Camp (Elevation 9,568′) These are two separate single group tentsites that must be reserved via permit. Trails used Day 3: Dayhike to Lake Nokoni by heading south on the Lake Nanita Trail We only went to the first lake, Nokoni, due to weather and time issues, but there is a second lake, Nanita, about .75 miles further up the trail. Backtrack to camp and grab packs. Return to Junction w/ North Inlet Trail Continue west on the North Inlet Trail (CDT) Setup camp at Twinberry Camp # 2 (Elevation 8,661′) These are two separate single group tentsites that must be reserved via permit. Day 3 Mileage: 9.6 miles (4 miles round trip for lake hike, 5.6 miles on the CDT Loop) Day 3 Gross Elevation Gain: 1,414′ (Almost all of this was from the lake hike excursion) Trails used Day 4: Continue west on the North Inlet Trail (CDT) Arrive at the North Inlet Trailhead Beyond the parking lot, you’ll find the Tonahutu Trailhead Head north on the Tonahutu Creek Trail Junction with Green Mountain Trail Return to Green Mountain Trailhead Day 4 Mileage: 9.5 miles Day 4 Gross Elevation Gain: 1,204′ Grand Total Mileage: 37 Miles Grand Total Elevation Gain: 6,666′ Note: 4 miles and 1,414′ can be attributed to our day 3 lake hike) Notable Backpacking Gear Seen / Discussed: Nemo Losi 3p Tent https://amzn.to/2yKoqGb Unigear Sleeping Pad https://amzn.to/2Nu3nvV Big Agnes Q-Core SL Sleeping Pad https://amzn.to/2NP4afX Alite Mayfly Camp Chair https://amzn.to/2ItzfQq WrightSocks https://amzn.to/2O8sB3n Steripen Ultralight UV Water Purifier https://amzn.to/2EO8JmG REI Co-op XeroDry GTX Jacket https://go.magik.ly/ml/gs0d/ Hammock Gear Burrow Top Quilts http://bit.ly/2qlZgJn Outdoor Vitals 15° Down MummyPod Sleeping Bag https://amzn.to/2CIO15D Hammock Gear Dyneema Hex Tarp w/ Doors http://bit.ly/2Sq1fsB 2T's Hammock Chair http://bit.ly/2Ppe3Rn Shawn's Gregory Optic 48 Backpack https://amzn.to/2KOLsTp Sara's ULA Ohm 2.0 Backpack http://bit.ly/2Sq1FPH Dutchware Argon Pack Cover http://bit.ly/2O8N7AL Toaks 450ml Titanium Cup https://amzn.to/2GLboZV Packit Gourmet Backpacking Meals https://www.packitgourmet.com/ Sea To Summit Alpha Light Long Spork https://amzn.to/2y4sek8 MalloMe Camp Cook Kit https://amzn.to/2O6ZIEX Budget Canister Stove https://amzn.to/2n7iNv6 Mike's MSR Whisperlite Universal Stove https://amzn.to/2EOZBy6 BearVault BV500 Bear Canister https://amzn.to/2CJRUqf NatGeo Rocky Mountain National Park Map https://amzn.to/2EMNrFP Sangean DT-400W Weather Band Radio https://amzn.to/2EMNv8x Garmin Oregon GPS https://amzn.to/2ObFHNh Want to help support the channel? The next time you're about to do some shopping, go through http://www.sintax77.com/Amazon (or bookmark it) & a portion of your session will help support the next trip ...at no additional cost to you!