Continuing with our Indian Peaks Wilderness thru hike, now in sections, we went back out to where we left off last time at the 4th of July Trailhead and up to Arapaho Pass and then down into Caribou Lake.
On this segment, we cover nearly 12 miles of some of the most scenic and exhilarating trails within the IPW. Gaining 3,214' and losing 3,204' from start to finish. The weather was darn near perfect, despite the wind and cold temperatures above tree line. There was still remnants of a recent snow and several wildlife sightings including a bull moose, cow elk, a deer and the occasional marmot and pika.
The trail is well marked, though the campsites at Caribou Lake are somewhat elusive, sites 5 and 6 were obvious, as well what appeared to be several illegal campsites. We have been at the Hessie and 4th of July Trailheads several times in the past month and the National Forest Service is (thankfully) patrolling the area and checking permits.
All in all, we can definitely propose that we have indeed mapped out a grand south to north thru hike of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Though only hiking this in sections, currently, we have been on all the trails and would highly recommend this as an epic 4 to 5 day thru hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.
Timestamp: Intro 00:00, Start of Hike 02:11, Diamond Lake Cutoff 04:27, 4th of July Mine 08:16, Arapaho Pass 11:50, Heading Down Switchbacks to Caribou Lake 12:38, Caribou Lake 22:04, Exploring Beyond Caribou Lake 22:33, Campsite 5 at Caribou Lake 25:23, Hiking up Switchbacks to Arapaho Pass 29:30, Waterfall Crossing 35:11, End of Hike 35:29, Photos 36:07