The Lost Creek Wilderness Loop Granite Domes, Ninety Minutes 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.
“Very impressed with the itinerary I got for Austin for a weekend with the kids. So convenient and easy to use. Highly recommend for people with busy schedules looking for an easy and best way to plan an adventure.”
9 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Every stop is a real pin, in order.
Goose Creek → McCurdy → Hankins Pass
6 of the stops on these 3 days.
Plan and book your 3 days in Lost Creek, one step at a time
How 3 days in Lost Creek split up
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
3 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
~90 min from Denver · DriveAbout ninety minutes from Denver via Bailey. 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.
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.
- Back to Denver via Bailey
~90 min · DriveBailey is the first town on the way out and the obvious food stop, with Denver another hour beyond it.
Book the 2 nights
Beds near the trailheads are the one thing on this trip that genuinely runs out. Everything else can be decided later.
Tell us your dates and we will do the calling. We check every booking site, put your points and card perks against the cash price, and email you this plan back with the best room we can find for each night. 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
For the driving days
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.
Everything you'll actually want to know before a Lost Creek trip.
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.
We'll find the cheapest way to do this trip.
Tell us your dates and we price the plan you just built: every booking site, the hotels direct, and your own points and card perks against the cash price. You get it back by email with a link for each night and what it saved you.
- It is free. The hotel pays us, not you. You pay their normal price.
- Nothing is charged and nothing is held. You decide at the end, or you walk away.
- Beds near trailheads are the part that runs out. Everything else can wait.
The figures below are estimates from local nightly rates, so you know the ballpark before you ask. The real number comes back once we have checked what is free.
- 2 nights, sites along the route
2 × $24$48
- 1 night, a room in Bailey before you start
1 × $155$155
- Everything in Glamped, plus a local guide
- Airport pickup, every drive, all the gear
- Weather turns, they rewrite the day
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Builds every custom itinerary herself and leads guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests. Based in Seattle.
Booking Lost Creek
Everything below is booked with the operators direct. We earn a commission on some of them, which is what keeps the itineraries free to read.
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What adventurers say about us.
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."
"Yulia is an incredible guide. She knew every trail, every viewpoint, and exactly how to pace the day for our group. The photos she took of us were stunning. 100% booking again."
"I was visiting Seattle solo and this was the best decision I made on the trip. Yulia picked me up, had snacks, and took us to a trail I never would have found on my own. Absolute must-do."
"We did this as a couple's trip and it was perfect. Yulia adapted everything to us, our pace, our interests, our photo obsession. The mountain views were unreal."
"Phenomenal experience. Yulia has deep local knowledge and a real passion for the outdoors. She went out of her way to show us the hidden gems tourists never see. Will remember this forever."
"I've done a few guided hikes and this was by far the best. Yulia is warm, funny, and genuinely expert. The trail she chose had the most insane wildflower bloom, we got so lucky."
Fees, reservation windows, shuttle dates and trail closures are planning estimates. Confirm hours, road status and any reservations with the land manager before you go.
What other travelers are saying
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One tap. It goes straight to Yulia and Margarita.
You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
The best hikes in America run on lotteries that open once a year and sell out in minutes. Every trail runs on its own calendar. Pick the ones you want and we do the watching.
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How it works
- An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
- A 14-day heads-up so you can line up your group and dates.
- Win odds and a ranked backup plan for every trail you pick.
Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.
Excellent itinerary planner! Detail oriented with thoughtful tips for my family's trip.