The Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook (Paperback)

~ (Author), John Fielder (Photographer), Colorado Trail Foundation (Corporate Author) "The Colorado Trail assumes varying characteristics as it meanders through eight mountain ranges with dissimilar topographic and geologic features..." (more)
Key Phrases: Continental Divide, Unimproved Road, Landmark Location (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Written for both through-hikers of the entire 471-mile Colorado Trail and segment-hikers doing a section at a time, this guide has everything you need: detailed descriptions of every mile, resupply information at nearby towns, equipment recommendations, food and safety considerations, wilderness etiquette, natural history, and much more. Accurate mileage charts, tips from the experts, GPS waypoints, a detailed index, high-quality photographs, and must-have elevation profiles make this the most complete and accurate book available on the Colorado Trail. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Organized in 1986, Colorado Trail Foundation (CTF) and its predecessors, the Colorado Mountain Trails Foundation and the Colorado Mountain Club Trails and Hut Committee, built and now maintain the Colorado Trail by recruiting and training volunteers, and supplying and supporting them as they continue to work on the trail. The CTF is based at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, Colorado. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Westcliff Pub Inc; 4th edition (November 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565790847
• ISBN-13: 978-1565790841
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,559,544 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete and heavy, November 13, 2005

By	Ilja Friedel (Pasadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook (Paperback)

This is the first book that I have read from back to front. I hiked the CT from Durango to Denver in 32 days from mid-August to Mid-September 2005 and this book was my main guide. I wanted to give this book 2 stars only, but because it actually brought me all the way, I decided on 3. What is the reason for this harsh judgement?

The reason is not, that I had to read it backwards! - Some people on the trail found it confusing to read it the wrong way, but I found the description of the trail adequate in most places. I got lost a few times when missing a junction, but this happened maybe once a week and is part of the game. In general the trail is extremely well marked. - No, I find the data in this book incomplete. Everything and more (except for scetches of trail towns) you will find in the tiny and cheap Trailside Databook from the same publisher. My my main complaints are, that this book
* has very little concrete information about water sources (!) and campsites.
* poor maps. The maps included are US Forest Service maps that show no elevation data (unlike USSGS topo maps). This makes it near impossible to figure out any geographic features. This also means you probably want to buy additional maps. This could easily cost you 100 bucks! Other guide books (PCT) include usable maps.
* has very coarse elevation profiles. Usually only 4 to 6 data points are given for each of the 28 segments. You might actually be walking uphill, while the elevation profile points down! In a time of computer generated elevation profiles this is inexcusable. (Even the displays at segment trailheads show _much_ better profiles.)
* gives elevation "gain" for each segment but no "loss" information. This is important if you have a bad hip or hike the "wrong" direction where "down" and "up" switch places.

The book is printed on very glossy, heavy paper. This means beautiful pictures are included. But it also means that most hiker tear out pages as they go to save weight. The paper does not burn well and can't be used as a fire starter at all.

On the positive side the book tries to teach you a little bit about the history of each of the 28 segments (usually one page). As I went on I really enjoyed reading them and got a feeling for the history (mostly mining and railroads).

The book is adequate as a guide. My recommendation for those planing a thru-hike: get the trailside data book from the same publisher (better get 2 copies, as I lost mine early and it was impossible to replace on the trail) and a set of good topo maps. You might get away without maps, as the trail is very well marked, but having them provides an additional layer of safety and a lot of interesting information.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now with GPS waypoints/coordinates, September 23, 2003

By	B. Stevens "greenwhale" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook (Paperback)

The new 6th edition comes with latitude, longitude, and elevation for each of the main waypoints and intersections along each of the segments.

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are bound for the Colorado Trail, bring this!, April 27, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook (Paperback)

Now in a fully updated fifth edition, The Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook provides comprehensive and essential information for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts wanting to enjoy one of Colorado's premier wilderness features available to the public year round. Featured are full-color maps of each trail segment; detailed descriptions of every mile; tips and advice from outdoors experts; more than 80 color photos; recommendations for equipment, food, and safety; resupply information at nearby towns; accurate mileage charts and useful elevation profiles; even mountain bike detours. If you are bound for the Colorado Trail, don't leave home without your very own backpacking copy of The Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook!