Crater Lake Backpacking Trip

Join us for a long weekend full of outdoor adventures and spiritual sharing on our Christian wilderness backpacking trip! This event is perfect for singles or couples, or anyone wanting to experience the beauty of nature while connecting with fellow Christians. This event is put on by Red Rocks Church Backpacking Group. We will be heading to the stunning Crater Lake for a two night stay in the wild to camp under the stars, and have meaningful conversations with each other.

This trip is a great opportunity to meet like-minded individuals, challenge yourself with outdoor fitness activities, and grow both spiritually and physically. Whether you are new to backpacking or a seasoned backpacker, all skill levels are welcome. Don't miss out on this chance to build connections, explore the wilderness, and deepen your relationship with God in a beautiful natural setting.

Here are the details on what we are going to try:
I am going to try and get permits to camp at Crater Lake! It is a beautiful lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness and only a 1.5 hour drive to the trailhead from Denver! It is an incredibly picturesque hike with lots or rivers and lakes to see.

I have secured a permit for Friday thru Sunday for Crater lake. If any of the fires prevent us from going to this location, we will switch the trip to Cow Lake which is down near Buena Vista - about a 2.5 hour drive from Denver. See past events for more information on Cow Lake which is very pretty also.

Crater Lake is a 3.5 mile hike from the trailhead at South Boulder Creek. The elevation gain is 2,075 feet and it is listed as a moderately difficult hike. Starting elevation is 9,200' and ending elevation is 11,140'. Expected evening low temperatures are in the high 40s to low 50s, but being Colorado it could easily drop on any specific night to the high 30s. Plesae be prepared for these worst case lows. It would also be wise to bring lots of bug repellant and long sleeve shirts and pants so that you can close up spaces where you could be bitten. A bug net for the head could be helpful.

We will leave the Wooly Mammoth parking lot in Denver at 7AM and car pool to the trail head. The trailhead is at coordinates 39.91625645549524, -105.6442252642559 on Google maps. It comes up if you type "Crater Lakes trail via South Boulder Creek trailhead."

We will arrive at the campsite in the early afternoon and will set camp and relax until we do a group dinner followed by some group time when we can get to know each other. Saturday will be a free day to do whatever you like: fish, read, nap in your hammock, do local hikes, swim (Brrrrr) or just hangout and enjoy each other's company. Sunday evening will be dinner again and some more group sharing time. On Sunday you will have some time in the morning to again hangout and do whatever you like. We will break camp by 2PM and head back to the trailhead. We will stay together as a group when hiking between the campsite and the trailhead.

If you are new to backpacking and have questions or concerns about whether this trip would be appropriate for you, please reach out to me. I can help you gauge the difficulty and give you suggestions on equipment and in things you can do to get prepared for the trip. Beginning backpackers are very welcome.