The South San Juan Mountains of Colorado are known to be gorgeous and extreme. Two of the things that truly speak to me! The San Juans also happen to be where I live! With that being the case, I am often solo backpacking through them and creating routes that get me off the beaten path. These trips usually involve a fair bit of spiciness and a whole lot of wonder and awe.
On the trip I’m sharing with you all today, my plan was loose. I wanted to connect the Continental Divide Trail with a few shorter trails to create a nice loop that would have me in and out of the alpine. My goal was simply to have a good time and decompress from life for a while. I think we’ve all been there, right? Tuning out from social media, work and daily life can do wonders for feeling renewed and more balanced.
A beautiful bluebird day on the Continental Divide Trail would be one of the few sunny days of this solo adventure!
Summer in the South San Juan Mountains is a great time to go backpacking. Water sources are typically abundant, as are the wildflowers. Being a solo trekker, I also enjoy making use of the CDT because it stays maintained a lot better than other trails in these wilderness areas. I don’t always love the adventure of route finding when I am alone.
Table of Contents
South San Juan Mountains Trip Details
| Solo Backpacking Trip in the South San Juan Mountains | Trip Details |
|---|---|
| Where | South San Juan Mountains of Colorado and New Mexico, using the CDT and other random trails to make a loop |
| Length | Four days, three nights |
| Distance | 40 miles |
| When | July 2024 |
| Group | Solo |
| Environment | Subalpine forests, alpine and tundra/elevations of 9,000 to 12,500 feet |
South San Juan Mountains Trail Report
My Plan
The plan for this South San Juan backpacking trip was pretty darn simple. I had about four days and knew I could average about 10 miles per day. I put together a small route that connected the Continental Divide Trail with a couple shorter trails that would essentially have me hiking the shape of a B as I went up and down a couple alpine slopes before returning to my car the trailhead.
Because this would be a short trip, I didn’t feel like a bit plan was necessary. Especially because I know the terrain well and have done much of the trails I’d be using. So with my rough plan in place, I started packing and getting all set for a wonderful adventure.
Gear!
| My Favorite Gear For This Trip | Why I Love It! |
| Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 4 Tent | Ultralite, holds up to harsh weather, water shakes off it easily. |
| Mystery Ranch Radix 57 Pack | Lightweight and very comfortable. Love the layout. |
| Sea To Summit Spark 30F Down Sleeping Bag | Great weight to warmth ratio, packs up small. |
| MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove | Boils water quickly! Lightweight and simple. |
| Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket | It rained so much- this rain shell saved the day! Everyday! |
The Trip
The trip started with rain. It was one of those starts when leaving the car was a challenge, because I knew I was going to be backpacking in the rain for the whole day. But sometimes that’s just how it is. So I pulled out all my rain gear, got layered up and set off. It was peaceful going and as I trekked I began to forget about the rain.
Rain in the mountains during summer months is a good thing. These summer monsoons help with drought conditions and can be the difference between a wildfire breaking out or not. As I started mile three, my surroundings were looking so beautiful as the moisture really made the colors of the forest pop! The South San Juan Mountains get a lot of wildflowers and you can bet the rain was making them very happy! I tried to notice all the little details.
As the rain started to taper off, moody clouds began to settle on the mountain slopes. It made for dramatic hiking conditions and I was stopping often to take photos. I was glad for my GoPro HERO12 because it made capturing photos and video in the rain really simple.
After backpacking roughly 10 miles I set up camp for the evening. I treated myself to a yummy meal before going to bed early, a sea of stars overhead.
The following morning was another rainy one. I packed up camp early and hit the trail without much fuss. My Garmin inReach Mini 2 forecast said the rain was going to stop later in the day and I was seriously looking forward to that!
I started to gain a lot of elevations on day two as I meandered up a mountain slope past 10,500 feet. The landscape was glorious and the temperature was simply perfect. I must admit that I began to look for a place to camp near mile seven on this day because I was getting a little tired of the rain. But before too long it stopped entirely. I ended up backpacking 9.5 miles on day 2.
Day three was an adventure in the alpine of the South San Juan Wilderness! I hit a highpoint of the trip at just under 12,500 feet and saw a lot of wildlife. I was grateful for my Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles! They really saved my knees on the steep terrain. I am always astonished by how much trekking poles help distribute weight from a heavy backpack.
My Favorite Camp!
I set up camp that night at 12,000 feet. The sky was very moody, but the rain seemed a distant memory. This was by far my favorite camp of the trip. It came complete with a marmot and wildflowers!
I made sure to pitch my tent in an established camp spot, which is what you should do to help save the alpine tundra from destruction. The tundra is pretty fragile and Leave No Trace principles definitely apply to camping on it!
I knew I’d be backpacking out the next morning, so I just chilled out at my camp for the rest of the day. Watching the clouds go by and soaking up solitude. I had a friend join me, who you can see below. A little green grasshopper. I named him Ben. He seemed to absolutely love my Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol Sleeping Pad!
Staying Fueled!
The menu for night thee called for Heather’s Choice Grass-Fed Beef Spaghetti. This is one of my all-time favorite backpacking meal in the world. It tastes identical to homemade spaghetti and has a perfect texture to match! I ate this yummy meal doing what I’d been doing all afternoon. Watching the clouds roll by.
I completed dinner with a couple Heather’s Choice Packaroons and decided to go to bed early. There is nothing like getting a great nights sleep from the coziness of a tent. And a good nights sleep is exactly what I got!
A Sunny Day!
The following morning I woke up with the sun. The clouds had melted away overnight and the day looked perfect. The South San Juan Mountains sparkly with morning dew. The air still and crisp.
I packed up camp and got hiking. The day would be almost exclusively downhill trekking. I was looking forward to that. After nearly 30 miles of uphill, a change of pace was needed!
At mile five I passed by a lovely blue lake. It was still, aside from a pair of ducks creating ripples on the far side. I stopped and had a snack here. Solo backpacking is all about moments like I had then. Just pure solitude and stillness. Simplicity at its finest.
I passed by another lake as I got closer to my exit point. This one looked picture perfect as it reflected the sky. Starting to feel that itch we all know to be out of the wild, I did not stop here. Simply took a couple photos and kept on trekking!
Before too long, I was back at my car. Offloading my backpack and feeling renewed. I took the drive home slow. Adjusting to the pace of a vehicle, after days of slow and steady foot travel.
Reflections
It’s impossible to put into words how nice this trip was. We all need some solo backpacking time once in a while to clear our heads. And that is exactly what I got in the South San Juans over those few days. With the gift of hindsight, even the rain was perfect. It forced me to find beauty in the hard things. Pushing past my desire to set up camp and call it a day two days in a row. That’s what Type II Fun is all about, after all.
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