Pagosa Springs, CO – We headed north on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) from the Lobo Observatory at Wolf Creek Pass on Colorado Highway 160, about 22.5 miles from town. The CDT spans 3,100 miles between Mexico and Canada, traverses five states, and connects countless communities along its spine. Hands down, hiking on the CDT was our favorite hike while staying in Pagosa Springs. For the long-distance hiking community, the CDT is one-third of the “Triple Crown,” and annually, while the number is growing, approximately 150 ambitious travelers attempt to complete an end-to-end trek. This hike is included in the book we used to research hikes in the region, Donna Ikenberry’s “A Falcon Guide: Hiking Colorado’s Weminuche and San Juan Wilderness Areas“.
View of the Wolf Creek Pass area from the Lobo parking area
The trail is marked with the “CDT” sign
View from the CDT
From the parking lot we hiked the spur trail that starts behind the radio tower to the junction with the CDT and headed north (take a right). The Lobo parking lot sits at 11,800 feet elevation. Over the three miles we hiked north, the trail dropped at least 500 feet of elevation, keeping our entire hike above 11,000 feet of elevation. This high elevation hike rewards you with spectacular 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.
The Lobo Connector trail enroute to the CDT
A view of our trail and surrounding mountains
The trail soon travels across along a steep slope on a loose surfaced narrow path. We enjoyed a large variety of wildflowers along this section. After crossing over a saddle, the trail continues to descend and soon enters the Weminuche Wilderness, a half-million acres that includes one of the CDT’s longest roadless sections.
The trail travels across a steep slope
Another section of the CDT
The trail surface is narrow and loose surfaced
We enjoyed numerous wildflowers along the trail
The Weminuche Wilderness boundary is marked by a sign
Another mountain view from the trail
The trail soon meanders along open meadow areas interspersed with wooded areas. The area has been hit hard by the pine beetle and there were trees down and across the trail (at least 10 in the three mile stretch). We were able to climb over some of the downed trees, others had existing go-arounds. Much of the trail was in full sun, but there were occasional pockets of shade. Sun protection and plenty of water are a must. We spotted a mule deer and a marmot along the trail.
The trail travels across open meadows offering expansive views
A mule deer we spotted during our hike
One of the numerous trees down across the trail
We hiked this trail while staying at the Wolf Creek Run Motor Coach Resort in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We also hiked to the Flattop Mountain Saddle, hiked the trails in Reservoir Hill Park and Turkey Springs, visited Treasure Falls & Treasure Mountain, and took scenic drives in the East Fork Road area and a loop that traveled through the Rio Grande National Forest, over the Continental Divide, and through the towns of Platoro, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico.
