Sort by Permit, Not by Scenery
Every list of the best backpacking trips in Colorado ranks them by how pretty they are. That is the wrong axis. The scenery is spectacular everywhere in this state, and what actually decides whether your trip happens is whether you can get a permit for the dates you have off work.
So this list runs from routes you can walk this weekend with no advance planning at all, up to the ones you have to plan around a lottery six months out.
Tier 1: Free Permit, Self-Issued at the Trailhead
These need a permit, but you fill it in on a board at the trailhead. No lottery, no fee, no Recreation.gov, no planning horizon. If you decided on Thursday to go on Saturday, these are your options.
Lost Creek Wilderness Loop. About 26 miles over three days through a wilderness of weathered granite domes, ninety minutes from Denver. It is the quietest wilderness in Colorado for that driving time. The catch is water: the stretch between Bison Peak and McCurdy Mountain has none, and little shade.
Fancy Pass and Missouri Lakes Loop. Under nine miles with two passes above 12,000 feet in the Holy Cross Wilderness. It works as a long day hike or the gentlest one-night trip in the state, which makes it the best first backpacking route in Colorado. Extra camping restrictions apply in the Missouri Lakes and Fancy Creek watersheds.
Tier 2: Permit Required in Advance, but Obtainable
Pawnee Buchanan Pass Loop. Roughly 30 miles over four days around the Indian Peaks, crossing Pawnee Pass at 12,542 feet and Buchanan Pass at 11,844. The best multi-day route on the Front Range and the closest one to Denver.
Be aware this route needs up to three separate bookings: an Indian Peaks overnight wilderness permit, designated-site camping if you stay at Crater Lake, and a Brainard Lake Recreation Area timed entry reservation for the vehicle. People fail on the third one having sorted the first two.
Weminuche Wilderness and Chicago Basin. Colorado's largest wilderness, in the San Juans, reached by riding the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge steam train and getting off at Needleton. Three fourteeners from one basecamp and mountain goats that have entirely lost their fear of people. The train seat is the booking that matters.
Tier 3: Plan Your Summer Around It
The Four Pass Loop. Twenty-six miles and four passes above 12,000 feet around the Maroon Bells outside Aspen, and the most famous backpacking route in Colorado. Overnight permits are released on Recreation.gov and go almost immediately, and there is a separate reservation system for driving up Maroon Creek Road.
If you want this one, treat it as the fixed point your summer is built around rather than something you slot in.
Choosing by How Long You Have
One night: Fancy Pass and Missouri Lakes. Under nine miles split across two days with an obvious camp at Fancy Lake.
Three days: Lost Creek, about 26 miles of rolling granite country, or the Weminuche if you want fourteeners.
Four days: Pawnee Buchanan, or the Four Pass Loop if the permit gods smiled.
The Altitude Problem Nobody Plans For
Every route on this list crosses ground above 11,000 feet and most cross 12,000. If you are flying in from sea level, the single biggest predictor of a bad trip is not fitness, it is arriving on Friday and starting on Saturday.
Spend a night in Denver, Boulder or Leadville first. Drink far more water than feels reasonable. Plan a shorter first day than your ego wants. Altitude sickness typically shows up on the second night, which on a three-day trip is exactly when you are furthest from the car.
Afternoon Storms Are a Schedule, Not a Risk
From roughly early July into late August the Colorado monsoon builds thunderstorms over the high country most afternoons. This is not an occasional hazard, it is the normal shape of a summer day.
Every pass on every route above is fully exposed with nowhere to shelter. The practical rule is simple: be over your high point and heading down by early afternoon. That means alpine starts, which means camping close to the pass the night before.
Backpacking in Colorado: The Best Loops, by Permit Difficulty FAQs
The Four Pass Loop around the Maroon Bells is the most famous: 26 miles and four passes above 12,000 feet. But permits are extremely hard to get. For a route you can actually walk this summer, the Pawnee Buchanan Pass Loop in the Indian Peaks is the best big trip, and Lost Creek is the best one with no advance booking at all.
Lost Creek Wilderness and the Fancy Pass and Missouri Lakes loop in the Holy Cross Wilderness both require a permit, but it is free and self-issued at the trailhead with no quota, no fee and no reservation. You can decide to go two days beforehand.
The Fancy Pass and Missouri Lakes loop. Under nine miles split across two days, an obvious camp at Fancy Lake, a free trailhead permit, and two passes above 12,000 feet. The only real demand is the altitude.
Hard. Overnight permits are released on Recreation.gov and go almost immediately, and there is a separate reservation for driving Maroon Creek Road. Treat it as the fixed point you build a summer around rather than a trip you slot in.
The Lost Creek Wilderness loop at about 26 miles is ideal for three days and needs only a free trailhead permit. The Weminuche Wilderness via the Durango and Silverton train is the other strong option if you want fourteeners from a basecamp.
Roughly July through September for the high routes, once the passes clear of snow. Lower wildernesses like Lost Creek open earlier and stay walkable into October. Expect afternoon thunderstorms most days from early July into late August.
Arrive at least a day early and sleep at elevation before you start walking. Drink much more water than usual, keep the first day short, and remember that altitude sickness usually appears on the second night, when you are furthest from the trailhead.
