Colorado Trail Race

Colorado Trail Race

Monday, July 30th, 2012 - 6am
Start: Waterton Canyon Trailhead - Denver
Finish: Junction Creek Trailhead - Durango

Past Results and Records

The CTR: 470 miles and 65,000' of elevation gain winding through the Colorado Rocky Mountains from Denver to Durango. Approximately 300+ miles of singletrack at elevations ranging from 5500' to a gasping-for-breath 13,200'. The CTR is a monster! If the monster is in a good mood, you may experience Colorado's beautiful sunny blue skies and wildflowers blooming as far as you can see! But, be warned — the CTR's mood can change on a whim, and you may just as likely find yourself getting besieged by massive hailstones and lightning bolts. In short, don't come to this race unprepared — no one will be there to rescue you.

The CTR is similar to The Arizona Trail 300 and Tour Divide. There is no entry fee, no support, no registration, and no prize money. It is a self-timed ITT (Individual Time Trial): all that is provided is a route description, a suggested start time, and a list of results. However, all individuals participating are strongly encouraged to donate time or money to the Colorado Trail Foundation. Without them, we wouldn't have this trail!

Race Rules:

Race from Denver to Durango, self-supported, under only your own power, along the entire CTR route.
No pre-arranged support, with the exception of maildrops to a post office and only a post office.
Don't break the law.

Not clear enough? Read the CTR rule FAQ.

Colorado Trail Info:

For the most part, the Colorado Trail is very well marked. However, The Trailside Databook is a must-have for a breakdown of each segment with mileages and elevations. Unfortunately, the biking detours are not marked. Any shortcutting or deviating from the course, intentional or not, will result in a DNF, so please study the route and know it well! You may, of course, ride off course to resupply/sleep/eat as long as you return to the exact same spot you left.

The 2012 CTR follows the same course as the 2010 and 2011 CTR, with the exception of starting at Waterton Canyon instead of Indian Creek TH. See the Course Description and GPS files for more details.

There are many, many segments of the CT with prodigious amounts of hike-a-bike, and also segments with miles on end of high alpine riding. In particular, the Cataract Ridge segment is not a good place to be during an electrical storm. So come prepared to do some hiking and to exercise good judgment regarding the weather.

Course Overview:

NOTE: The mileage and elevation gain in this graphic are underestimated. To generate this graphic (and much more!) yourself, download Topofusion, and open the supplied .gpx file.

GPS Files:

The 2012 CTR follows the almost the same course as the 2010 and 2011 race. No updates to .gpx files at this point, but the start is simply at Waterton instead of Indian Creek TH.

CTR 2010 - 10000 point .gpx file with waypoints

CTR 2010 split 500 - Same file, pre-split into 20 x 500pt tracks for loading into most GPS units

Course Description:

Waterton Canyon to Wellington Lake Road - Ride Segments 1, 2, and 3.

Lost Creek Wilderness Detour - From Wellington Lake Road, head right for 8 miles into the town of Bailey. In Bailey, turn left on FSR-109 for 5 miles, join US-285 at Shawnee for 15 more miles to the summit of Kenosha Pass and regain the Colorado Trail there.

Kenosha Pass to Wurtz Ditch Road - Ride Segments 6, 7, and 8. Ride the first part of Segment 9 to Wurtz Ditch Road.

Holy Cross / Mount Massive Wilderness Detour - Left on Wurtz Ditch Road, left on FS-100, right on US-24 to Leadville. South of Leadville, turn right onto Hwy-300, then left onto Halfmoon Creek Road. Regain CT @ Halfmoon Creek TH and start of Segment 11.

Halfmoon Creek to Clear Creek Road - Ride Segment 11. Note: Do not ride the alternate old Hope Pass route.

Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Detour - Left for 3 mi. on Clear Creek Road, right for 5.9 mi. on US-24, left on Rd-371 for 10 mi. on old railroad grade to B.V. Right on Main, across US-24 at light which becomes Rd-306 (Cottonwood Pass Road for 10 mi. to Avalanche TH. This is mile 6.6 of Segment 13.

Avalanche Trailhead to Saguache Park Road - Ride the remainder of Segment 13, then ride Segments 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. Leave segment 18 at Saguache Park Road to start the La Garita Detour. Note: 7th edition and older guidebooks start the next detour at Cochetopa Pass Rd., but you will ride an extra 6.5 miles along the CT to Saguache Park Road, as indicated in the 8th edition guidebook.

La Garita Wilderness Detour - Go right on Saguache Park Road for 2 miles, left on NN-14 for 5.8 miles, left on KK14 (Los Pinos Pass Rd.) for 24 miles, left at Cebolla Rd intersection for 15 miles to Hwy-149. Left on pavement for 7.6 miles to Spring Creek Pass and start of Segment 22.