The Lost Creek Wilderness Loop Granite Domes, Two Hours from Denver
An hour and a half from Denver and quieter than anywhere in the Front Range, which should not be possible.
About twenty-six miles through a wilderness of weathered granite domes and hidden creeks, with a free permit you fill in at the trailhead and one long dry stretch you have to plan around.
Guided from $2,250 per person. Free to ask, pay after the guide confirms.
“I’ve requested to book a Chain Lakes Loop guide on ExplorOFF, and it was the best idea ever! I highly recommend going with their guided option since you get a real human connection on the trail and don’t have to worry about a thing. Yulia was great to talk to!”
10 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Lost Creek: every stop pinned in order.
Goose Creek → McCurdy → Hankins Pass
Lost Creek in photos: 6 of the stops.
Plan and book your 3 days in Lost Creek, one step at a time
How 3 days in Lost Creek split up
Plan 3 days for Lost Creek. Distance: ~26 mi. Gain: ~5,000 ft. Permit: Free. The Lost Creek Wilderness does not look like the rest of Colorado. Instead of alpine lakes under jagged peaks, it is a maze of weathered granite domes and knobs, with a creek that disappears underground and resurfaces repeatedly, which is where the name comes from.
Day 1: Goose Creek and into the domes
3 stops · Day one
Day 2: McCurdy Park, Bison Peak and the dry stretch
4 stops · Day two
Day 3: Lake Park, Hankins Pass and out
3 stops · Day three
Goose Creek and into the domes
From the Goose Creek trailhead the trail follows the creek up into the wilderness, past the remains of the old Antero reservoir works, a failed early attempt to dam the creek where it vanishes into the rock. The granite here is weathered into domes and knobs and looks nothing like the Front Range twenty miles east.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive from
~2 hr from Denver via Deckers · DriveAbout two hours from Denver by Sedalia, Deckers and the last miles of dirt on Matukat Road and Goose Creek Trailhead Road. The lot holds around thirty cars and fills on summer weekends. Fill in the free self-issue wilderness permit at the board before you start.
- Goose Creek and the old reservoir works
Reliable water · HikeThe trail follows the creek past the ruins of an early attempt to dam Lost Creek where it disappears into the rock. Water is reliable along here, which makes this the easy day.
- Camp along the creek
Fill up before tomorrow · tentCamp low and near water tonight. Tomorrow includes the long dry stretch and you want to start it with everything full.
McCurdy Park, Bison Peak and the dry stretch
The big day, and the one that needs planning. The route climbs to McCurdy Park, an open meadow basin ringed by granite, and the optional side trip up Bison Peak at over 12,000 feet gives you the best view in the wilderness across a summit plateau covered in rock formations.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- McCurdy Park
Open meadow basin · treeAn open meadow basin ringed by weathered granite, and one of the most striking places in the wilderness. It is also where the terrain opens up and the shade runs out.
- Bison Peak
Over 12,000 ft · optional · mtnAn out-and-back from the main loop to a summit plateau covered in weathered rock formations, with the best view in the wilderness. Drop your pack at the junction. In cloud the plateau is genuinely easy to get lost on.
- The dry section to McCurdy Mountain
No water · little shade · shieldThe stretch that defines this route. There is no water and almost no shade between Bison Peak and McCurdy Mountain. Carry what you need before you start it.
- Camp once water returns toward Lake Park
Second night · dispersed · tentPast McCurdy Mountain the trail drops toward Lake Park and water comes back. Camp there tonight under the same free self-issued permit, well back from the water.
Lake Park, Hankins Pass and out
The last day drops through Lake Park and over Hankins Pass, mostly descending, back toward the Goose Creek trailhead. Water returns and the walking gets easy again.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Lake Park
Open park country · treeOpen park country on the descent, with water returning and the walking getting easy again after the dry day.
- Hankins Pass
The last climb · routeA modest final climb before the drop back to the trailhead. Do not save too much for it, because there is not much to it.
- Out at Goose Creek, back to Denver
~2 hr via Deckers · DriveThe loop closes at the Goose Creek trailhead. From there it is about two hours back to Denver the way you came, by Deckers and Sedalia.
Sort where you sleep each night
Most nights on this trip are in a tent. Reserve any campsite the route needs, and the room either side of it if you want one.
Tell us your dates and we will do the calling: the rooms either side, and the guided days in between. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookWhat to pack for Lost Creek
Built from this route, not a generic list. Every line says why it is here.
On every day of this trip
On your feet
Because you are sleeping out 2 nights
For the drive to the trailhead
One water problem and one parking problem, and nothing else to solve.
The dry stretch is the whole plan
Between Bison Peak and McCurdy Mountain there is no water and almost no shade. Every other decision on this route follows from where you fill up before it.
Free permit, no quota
A wilderness permit is required and it is free, self-issued at the trailhead board. No lottery, no Recreation.gov, no fee. That is genuinely rare in Colorado.
Thirty cars, and that is it
The Goose Creek trailhead is small. On a summer weekend it fills, and there is no useful overflow. A weekday start solves it.
A longer season than the high country
This wilderness sits lower than the Sawatch or the Indian Peaks, so it opens earlier and stays walkable into October when the passes have snow.
Planning Lost Creek, answered.
Lost Creek wilderness loop: the questions people ask most.
The standard circuit is about 26 miles with roughly 5,000 feet of gain, linking the Goose Creek, McCurdy Park, Brookside McCurdy, Lake Park and Hankins Pass trails. Reported figures run 26 to 28.6 miles, and a longer variant reaches about 37. Three days is comfortable.
Yes, but it is free and self-issued at the trailhead. There are no advance reservations, no quota and no fee. Fill in the form at the board before you start walking.
The Goose Creek trailhead is the one that makes the 26-mile loop work. It holds around thirty cars and fills on summer weekends. The Lost Creek trailhead near Lost Park Campground is the alternative for other variants.
Along Goose Creek, yes, and it is reliable. The section between Bison Peak and McCurdy Mountain has no water and little shade, and that is the stretch that catches people out. Fill everything before you climb.
About two hours to the Goose Creek trailhead, by Sedalia and Deckers. It is the quietest wilderness in Colorado for that driving time, which is the main reason to choose it over the Indian Peaks.
June through October. It sits lower than the high alpine wildernesses so it opens earlier and closes later. September is the pick: cool, dry and quiet, with the dry stretch far less punishing than in July.
Tell us your dates and we ask a local guide who works this area what they can do on your days and what it costs. If nobody is free, we tell you. Asking is free: no card, no deposit, and nothing is held until you say yes.
Pick how you want to go.
Same 3-day loop. Same 8 stops.
- 2 nights, sites along the route
- $48
- Rental car, 3 days
- $180
- A private local guide, campsites booked
- Included
- Airport pickup and every drive
- Included
- Park, permit and campsite fees paid
- Included
- All the gear and the trail meals
- Included
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Three years leading guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests, and she builds every custom itinerary herself. Based in Seattle.
Last checked September 2026
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All reviews are from verified guests. ★★★★★ 5.0 average from 20+ bookings.
"Felt like going out with a really knowledgeable friend who just happens to know everything about the area. No awkward tour-guide energy, just a magnificent day."
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