Comments on: Backpacking the Pawnee – Buchanan Loop

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 01:36:27 +0000

In reply to B. Nope. All on trail.

By: B

Sun, 08 Sep 2019 21:44:14 +0000

how’s the exposure at the passes? any scrambling required?

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 02:25:38 +0000

In reply to Jeff Hoff.

Hard to tell for sure. All depends on the amount of snow we get between now and that date AND if we have a hot and dry May and June.
I’d monitor this site.
https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/states/co/snow/state/daily/co_update_snow.pdf

You might have to push it to July 15th this year if trends continue and depending on your comfort level too, of course.

By: Jeff Hoff

Jeff Hoff — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 21:36:13 +0000

I have a trip planned July 8-10 for the Buchanan/Pawnee loop And a little concerned about snow when ice on the passes as I do not have much experience with those conditions. So depending on snow pack this year compared to normal years do you think I will run into any issues?

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 20:21:54 +0000

In reply to dude. That it did..hence the caveat. :)

By: dude

dude — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 20:19:30 +0000

In reply to "Ziggy" Heigerick. Doh! It snowed like crazy in May!

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:48:41 +0000

In reply to "Ziggy" Heigerick. Late May? Should be rather nice. It has been a somewhat low snow year, so it should work well. The caveat is that we can get snow dumps even in early May. But I think you should be fine. Just to be sure..this is NOT the Pawnee-Buchanan Loop but the Lost Creek Wilderness. :)

By: "Ziggy" Heigerick

"Ziggy" Heigerick — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 22:41:37 +0000

What kind of weather conditions can I expect in late May??? My son and I will be flying in from Atlanta to do the Lost Creek Loop (36 mi)

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 23:34:19 +0000

In reply to Handlebar.

Great trip idea. May have to try it this weekend! :)

By: Handlebar

Handlebar — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 23:55:54 +0000

This looks like a great loop. Another loop, easily accessible from Boulder, is to take J. Ley’s red route from Copper Mtn over Uneva Pass and on the Eccles Pass then down into Silverthorne, using the Summit Stage bus to complete the loop back to Copper. I had missed this route when I hiked the Mexico to Steamboat chunk of the CDT in 2010, so I added it as a loop with a section of the official CDT route from Jones Pass back to Georgia Pass that I also missed when I took the bike path. This is perfect for a weekend: about 20 miles of backpacking and beautiful terrain. I saw a lone fisherman headed to Lost Lake (he showed me some pictures of giant catch-release, native Cutthroat Trout) and a group taking youth from the Vail Area. There were still some snow fields when I went thru there on June 27-28.