The Colorado 17 miles trail is a well maintained trail with a road grade. It is a 17 mile loop of trail that is ideal for a day hike. The trail circles the mountain in several ways. There are four marked peaks that the trail follows. scores of Deer browse the path and the scenery is full of lakes and forest.
Where to Park
Park on Invergordon between Thunder Bird Lane and the Rocky Mountain overnight parking area. Just follow signs to the trail. The trail goes through an infrared treatment site. Bring drinking water. Insect repellant. The trail is well worn and generally clear.
How to get There
Trail begins atCHT Parkway, 2 miles west of Targhee. Access the trail by taking 7 miles west to Rome, AZ.
Along the way, pass a sign proving you know what you are doing. Then walk to the west side of Heel Top Road for 0.7 miles to the trail.
The trail begins with a few stretches of smooth hiking but then turns into a southerly rather than northwymless trail. The switchbacks get steeper and many hikers are unable to keep their footing and find themselves on their knees. This part of the trail is rather narrow and you will need to watch your step. There are some shorter stretches of trail around the pine ridge that are not bad. Then the trail turns into solid dirt and you slowly ascend up to Tortilla Flat.
It is a narrow switchback between Bear Peak and Zoom Peak with no chance to take a break. You are literally hustling uphill with no down time in sight.
Mountain Village – Our destination point just before Tortilla Flat. The trail makes a gradual descent through a section called the service road. This is a rather muddy service road that is not crumbly like the others and is pretty steep. It’s a total washboard trail. You will be walking along this service road for about two miles with service roads on both sides.
I count this hike as a success because of the variety of service roads, the surprisingly good trail, and the amazing view it gives of the Superstition Wilderness.
The trail makes a loop when you decide to do an extreme hike by the lake at the end of Bear Peak. You can keep hiking straight and dip down into the deep pool of water below.
It’s a long fifteen mile walk so save your energy. This is a rough and tough hike so call a friend to go with you if you’re weak. The trail is extremely grumpy and narrows at times. Get ready for some wear and tear. With a lot of root vegetables and rocks and boulders, this trail can be very uncomfortable.
Not to worry, the return service road gives a short but very useful bushwhack back to the trail. Upon return to the trailhead, service roads are straight forward and offer a variety of great hikes.
The end of the trail is upon us. Out of the forest into a vast empty plateau of green. This is the end of the trail for now and the service road soon follows. I like to imagine that the Cabeza Prieta Mountains stand to the right and the Three Indian Tribes stand to the left in a chain and with branches and roots they defend their ancient customs and legends from us un newcomers.
They let us be part of their stories too but we simply wander around listening in as the old Indian tribes tell their own tales around the fires. Surrounded by the firmament of thehomstresswar, we sit and watch the stories come to life and play out in the open air. It is still cool enough in the vest pockets of our jackets to where we can feel the cold air slipping down the shoulders of our coats. The last story is always the same, spectacular views of the sun setting over the rim to the horizon. It is always entertaining to watch the young Indian men raising their glasses in toast, as they get their first bites of dinner. After diner, we head out to the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is very Twainian, in the hills on the rim.
There are seats for ten and twenty, in addition to tables, outside coolers are put out for people who are dining and happy to wait. The center has atmosphere that feels like you have stepped back in time, trust me there are nophones, of course the drawers are plastic lined, just what you would expect at a place named after a tiresome literature? The shortest tour of the historic area, for my money, is 2 miles round trip, because I only wanted to see the really good things on the mountain. I saw Indian noses, painted monkeys, a horned Rhino, three enormous Sea Turtles and a fifty-pound Blue Whale floating a hundred yards offshore.
