Colorado · Hiking

Captain Mountain

Captain MountainPhoto: WasifMalik, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
16.5 mi
round trip
799 ft
climb
10,622 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun, Sep
best months

Is Captain Mountain open right now?

Road closed

CO 5/Mount Blue Sky Road: road closure is listed as closed by CDOT 511.

As of · Source: CDOT 511. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Captain Mountain is a hard hike in Colorado's Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, within the Clear Creek Ranger District. The trail is about 16.5 miles long, starting at the Captain Mountain Trailhead and climbing from a low of about 8,759 feet to a high of about 10,622 feet. The route is an out-and-back, and the Forest Service manages the land. Horses are allowed on the natural-surface trail. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Cabin Creek weather station, which sits about 600 feet below the peak, show July highs around 69°F and lows near 46°F, with September cooling to about 61°F. The station's figures also suggest July and August bring the most wet days, 13 and 14 a month. The trail is open from about June 15 to September 1, and parking is at the Captain Mountain Trailhead. Resthouse Meadows and the Resthouse Meadows Trail are both within half a mile, and Echo Lake Campground is about half a mile away. Below the Amphitheater, a climbing area, is about 1.1 miles off.

  • Best time to go · Jun, Sep

    Best time to visit Captain Mountain

    Best months: June and September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      32° / 12°

      8 wet

    2. Feb

      31° / 11°

      8 wet

    3. Mar

      38° / 17°

      9 wet

    4. Apr

      43° / 23°

      10 wet

    5. May

      53° / 31°

      9 wet

    6. Jun

      64° / 40°

      9 wet

    7. Jul

      69° / 46°

      13 wet

    8. Aug

      67° / 44°

      14 wet

    9. Sep

      61° / 38°

      10 wet

    10. Oct

      50° / 29°

      7 wet

    11. Nov

      39° / 19°

      7 wet

    12. Dec

      32° / 12°

      8 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Cabin Creek, CO, 6.6 mi away at 10,020 ft. The station sits about 600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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