Colorado Sky Islands: Trip Report

We just wrapped up our Colorado Sky Islands adventure over Labor Day weekend — originally planned as the San Juan Sky Islands — and it turned into something entirely different than expected.

Between active fires and burn‑scar flood risk in the San Juans, we made the call a few weeks out to reroute the back half of the trip away from the southern Alpine Loop. Instead of Cinnamon and California Pass, we pointed the group north into the Elk Mountains near Crested Butte. Everyone stayed on board except for two last‑minute dropouts due to vehicle trouble. Honestly, the reroute became the perfect excuse to explore terrain we hadn’t run together before — though I had vivid memories from traveling this area years ago and was excited to return.

Day 1 — Marshall Pass to Cebolla

Instead of kicking things off at our usual meeting spot in Golden, we met in Poncha Springs to air down and get everyone sorted. From there, we climbed Marshall Pass — a road that never gets old. The grade is so gentle you almost forget you’re on the Continental Divide, and that’s by design: the entire route began as a Denver & Rio Grande railroad line in 1881, engineered for steam locomotives that couldn’t handle steep climbs. The tracks were removed in the 1950s, leaving behind the road we enjoy today. Perfect weather carried us to the summit at 10,842 feet. From Marshall, we rolled across the open mesas of Table Top Road, then descended halfway into Cebolla Pass before finding a spacious, tree‑lined camp just shy of Lake City. A quiet, beautiful spot to settle in for the night.

Day 2 — Powderhorn Wilderness, Kezar Loop & Waunita Pass

Day two was all new terrain — and it delivered. We headed north toward Gunnison, skirting the edge of the Powderhorn Wilderness with windows down on smooth gravel. Before stopping for fuel in town, we used the extra time from the reroute to detour toward Blue Mesa Reservoir and run Kezar Loop, a small BLM trail with two legitimately steep climbs — 22+ degree grades — and some of the best views of the day. We explored a few nearby loops as well, each offering sweeping overlooks of Blue Mesa and minor technical sections that kept things engaging, especially 4Lo engaged. Gunnison County has far more trail than we’ve scratched the surface of.

From there, we headed east on Hwy 50, then cut up through Waunita Pass towards Pitkin — a mellow, forested warm‑up before the biggest summit of the trip. We found camp not far up the pass, sharing the area only with a group of bikepackers in ground tents. A fantastic sunset closed out another great day. Before tackling Cumberland Pass the next morning, we stopped in Pitkin to explore the town and grab some extremely tasty breakfast snacks at the Pitkin Hotel.

Cumberland Pass topped out just over 12,000 feet. Built in 1882 to haul ore between Pitkin and Tincup, its smooth grade still reflects its wagon‑road origins — though the climb remains rocky. Tincup itself earned its name from a prospector who hauled gold back to camp in a literal tin cup in 1859. From Tincup, we dropped into Almont and continued up into Crested Butte for the night.

Day 3 — Washington Gulch & Paradise Divide

Day three was the entire reason for the reroute — and it became one of the best days of the trip.

We climbed Washington Gulch, paralleling the ghost town of Gothic. Once a booming silver‑rush town in 1879, Gothic dwindled to a single resident by 1914, yet somehow survives today as one of the most important high‑altitude research stations in the world. The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory has operated there since 1928, and researchers have tracked the same marked marmots since 1962 — the second‑longest study of its kind behind Jane Goodall’s chimps. Unfortunately, marmot activity was quiet during our visit. Washington Gulch topped out around 11,250 feet, sitting right on the Paradise Divide between the Ruby Range and the Elk Mountains — easily one of the best views of the entire trip! With no campsites available, we turned south away from Schofield Pass as planned. That road drops toward the Devil’s Punchbowl — a trail I have zero desire to ever drive again. Running low on daylight, we eventually found camp tucked into the corner of a switchback overlooking the Slate River Valley. Another stunning view, another perfect night around the fire.

Day 4 — Judd Falls & Goodbyes

Before heading home, we stopped for a quick hike to Judd Falls outside Crested Butte — a perfect leg‑stretch and a great way to close out the weekend.

A Labor Day adventure for the books!

w/ Glen, Karen, Todd, Julie, Hans, Justin and Janice