Route
The summit of Mount Sneffels, Mount Sneffels Wilderness
10/09/26 UPDATE: We are in the process of updating the website to reflect data gathered from Iceman’s 2026 thru hike scouting mission. We are updating is as quickly as possible.
The Great Colorado Route is an ever-growing project. Much of the route follows existing trails and routes that other hikers have completed, but conditions change, trails fall into disuse, maps may contain inaccuracies, and the GPX track should be considered only an approximation.
Hikers attempting the GCR—whether as a section or in full—should understand that there is no guarantee any of the routes on this website are accurate, navigable, or suitable for thru hiking.
The GPX tracks are provided for reference only and are not a substitute for proper planning, route-finding, navigation skills, or sound judgement in the field. Anyone attempting this route assumes full responsibility for their safety and decisions while traveling in the backcountry.
Table of contents
Verified Route (“Main Route”)
The Great Colorado Route is still nascent and has various alternates awaiting in-person verification, so for now, we are publishing Donovan Rice’s successful thru hike as the “Main Route” (with some minor revisions).
Please understand that the route is likely to change over time, and that several sections are unsafe to attempt outside of ideal conditions, whether due to snow, heat, thunderstorms, or other variables that hikers may encounter. You must be prepared to deviate from this route when conditions are unsafe. Any thru hike that follows the general direction and spirit of the route will count as a successful completion.
Iceman’s thru hike was at least 2021 miles with at least 364,000 of elevation gain (both of these are likely undercounts due to GPX smoothing).
We have broken the route down into 29 segments based on the most convenient town stops and sequenced it for a counterclockwise thru hike starting and finishing at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
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Alternates
UPDATE: 10/15/26 This section is incomplete and currently under construction. Please check back in later.
To accommodate hikers of various abilities and interests as well as the possibility of non-ideal conditions making certain sections unsuitable (e.g., lightning above tree-line and flash-flooding in canyons), the Great Colorado Route accepts and often requires the use of alternates.
IMPORTANT: These alternate routes have not yet been scouted or verified, are informational only, and may contain inaccuracies.
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Red is the main route. This is the intended route for the GCR, but we are realistic in recognizing it may not always be feasible.
Green are trailed alternates. They are generally less difficult and may be used to bypass more demanding sections.
Purple are alternates that involve at least some off-trail travel (even if other portions are on trail). Most of these are bailout and bypass options from the main route, though some are provided for extra adventure.
Yellow are sidequests (routes that are in-and-out and don’t reconnect to the GCR). Sometimes these are options for walking directly into town (e.g., Steamboat Springs) as opposed to arranging or improvising a ride. Other times these are scenic spots that are near the GCR but couldn’t be routed directly through (e.g., Maroon Lake).
Hikers are welcome to mix and match any route they like or create their own custom routes (e.g., a sidequest up Pyramid Peak in the Elk Range).
Low Route Option
In the future, we hope to provide a fully-trailed or at least mostly-trailed option for hikers who prefer to stay on trail as much as possible and avoid scrambling.
Thru hikers of this future “low” route will still likely encounter non-ideal conditions such as snow and severe weather that might make passage unsafe.
Please check back later after we are able to scout and verify the suitability of lower route options.
If you are comfortable hiking unverified routes that may contain inaccuracies, please use our Contact page and request our current best-guess on what might work. Same caveats apply that it would informational only and you assume full responsibility for your own safety.
GPX Download Instructions
The Great Colorado Route GPX is available for free download. Though donations are by no means expected, any donation (whether 1 penny per mile, $1 per section, or whatever you feel comfortable contributing) is greatly appreciated and goes towards the maintenance of this website, establishment of the route, and future scouting missions that will verify that routes are accurate and suitable for hiking.
The route can be downloaded using the buttons below or from the interactive maps above.
The “Open in CalTopo” button takes you to CalTopo where the route can be exported (Export → Format: GPX).
What GPS app should I use?
The GCR is brand-agnostic for GPS apps. That said, the route’s creator (Iceman) currently prefers CalTopo and COTREX used in combination. He primarily used Gaia when originally designing the route.
Given the amount of route-finding and off-trail navigation that certain sections of the GCR require, we suggest GPS apps that have offline functionality and offer topo maps, slope-shading, satellite view, and public land layers (as well as familiarity with how to use these features).
Waypoints (e.g., water sources, campsites, trail intersections) are currently being packaged and can be viewed on the sections page.
Do you offer printed maps?
Unfortunately, we don’t have printable versions of the route at this time. For the time being, you may consider creating your own with the GPX files provided above. For instructions on how to print CalTopo maps, see this article.