| About Arapaho National Forest |
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| Buchanan Pass Trail |
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Ending Elevation:
11,837 Feet
Length, One-way:
5.9 Days
USGS Maps:
Monarch Lake; Isolation Lake
Usage:
Moderate to Heavy
Beginning Elevation:
8,820 Feet
Elevation Gain:
3,017 Feet
Difficulty:
Moderate
Trail Number:
2
Reservation:
No
Season:
Summer - Fall
From Granby, Follow Highway 40 west to Highway 34. Go north on Hwy 34 to Forest Road 125, on the south end of Lake Granby. Follow 125 east to the Monarch Lake Trailhead. Hike the Cascade Creek Trail #1, to the Buchanan Pass Trail, just past Shelter Rock.
Location Information
The Buchanan Pass Trail, #2, leads from the Cascade Creek Trail, northeast to Buchanan Pass. It begins in lodgepole pine forest along Cascade Creek and travels through a variety of ecotypes to emerge above timberline in the alpine tundra. The trail travels through a beautiful, glacier cut valley and Fox Park. Gourd Lake can be reached on a 2.7 mile spur trail. Camp fires are not permitted at Gourd Lake. Buchanan Pass offers an excellent view of the surrounding mountains, and out to the Great Plains on a clear day. Travelers can continue to the east side of the divide to the Middle St. Varian drainage. This trail is located within the Indian Peaks Wilderness - regulations apply. A permit is required for overnight users between June 1 and September 15.
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