5 day Gore Range hike
 

I currently live in Indiana and I am planning a trip back to Gore Range in mid July with my two sons (14 and 15). I was considering starting at the Gore Creek trail head and hiking for five days. I am planning on hiking to Gore Lake, Snow Lake, Red Buffalo Pass, summit Red Peak, then hike out on Eccles Pass and Meadow Creek Trail to the Meadow Creek Trailhead. I have only been to the Gore Range once and didn't have time to go beyond Gore Lake. I am just wondering if this route is my best option for the time I have or if there is a better / more scenic route I should consider taking. I just want this trip to be special for my sons and want to get the most out of our time. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Colorado is one of several states that I would not be doing any back country hiking or camping this summer. The fire danger is extreme and many of the fires will not be out until snows.
Lightning in the high country can start a fire even if you don't with a cooking/campfire.

Totally avoiding the Colorado back country this summer seems a bit extreme, like avoiding a highway because there is a chance of accident. True, the fire risk this year is considerably higher than normal, so you should take that into consideration in your plans.

Here are the Forest Service sites you can monitor any restrictions or warnings:
http://www.dillonrangerdistrict.com/
http://www.fs.usda.gov/whiteriver

I've not been in the southern Gore Range where you are planning to go, so can't comment on your route. My trips have been to the north around Eagle's Nest or Peak C, using either the Cataract Lake or Piney River trails, which are spectacular.

Good information on the Gores is hard to come by. They are a little-known Colorado gem, partially because there are no 14'ers there, but look here:
http://www.summitpost.org/gore-range/170958

http://www.protrails.com/areas/view/...r_creek_county

Here is a page on Red Peak:
http://www.summitpost.org/red-peak-w...va-peak/152655

You could sign up to summitpost and ask your question in the Colorado board on the their forum. Good luck!

P.S. Here is the official Dillon Ranger District site:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whiter...fsbdev3_001245

Note that you are also at risk from falling trees. In fact a guy backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2007 was killed by one.

I would advise you to post this question on the backpacker.com forum page. There are far more backpackers on that site and you're much more likely to find someone that can answer your questions about the route you have planned.

I was looking for some other information but stumbled upon this Gore Range discussion:
http://www.14ers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=35425

Note the tongue-in-cheek comment in the second post: <i>Isn't "the first rule about the Gore Range is that you don't talk about the Gore Range"</i>. Plenty of options, but your original suggestion still seems good.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I have posted my question on the other sites as suggested.

Glad folks ended up staying out of Colorado this summer do to the fire danger, or lack there of. Even though the chances of a spontanious forrest fire ripping through a backcountry campsite with little notice are about the same as the chances of winning the lottery twice. Guess what happened this summer, RAIN, and lot's of it. This promoted a spike in wildflowers and lush greens that were absent last year. Anyway the Gore is amazing right now, and the fire danger is low to moderate most days this year. Perfect conditions for the outback, so much so I will not be leaving the state for any treks, until my trip to Glacier this fall.