Northern Indian Peaks Loop vs. Cirque of Towers Loop (Wind River Range) End of June
Hello all!
We're going to be in Denver last week of June. I've done a lot of research and have narrowed things down to two very different backpacking trips, to start on 6/24.
Option 1: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/northern-indian-peaks-loop
We would plan to do this over four days, 3 nights. Would be the above trail with a side trip out to Crater Lake. First night by Coney Flats, second night by Cascade Creek Waterfall, third night by Pawnee Lake. We completed Four Pass Loop in four days, for reference.
In reviewing reports from years past, seems like snow was still present end of June. This year, snowpack is so low in Colorado that I'm speculating it will be better. The other issue I'm seeing is that Mitchell Lake Trailhead typically doesn't open till July 1st. I'm not sure if this is a hard date or if they flex depending on conditions. This option would only require 3 hour roundtrip from Denver.
Option 2. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/wyoming/cirque-of-the-towers-to-fremont-trail-loop
We would plan to do this over two nights, three days due to time constraints. We would drive there on a Wednesday afternoon from Denver, start Thursday, and finish Saturday. Drive back that day to Denver and leave Denver following evening. Trail is substantially "easier" with a lot less elevation gain and a bit less mileage. Same questions apply on conditions. We'd be looking at about 14 hour roundtrip from Denver.
The issue is just how different the two options are, logistically. An extra 11 hours of driving (most of which I'm sure would be on the boring side) seems crazy. But from what I've read about Wind River Range, it does seem to be one of the best places to backpack.
Open to other suggested routes in other parts of Colorado / Wyoming, of course but any feedback would great!