Collegiate Peaks Campground | Lost Lake Hike | Cottonwood Pass Sunset

This video describes some highlights of our car camping trip to the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. We camped at the Collegiate Peaks Campground, just a 15-20 minute drive from Buena Vista, and it was beautiful. I was fortunate to grab a spot on the creek at campsite I. It was an oddly shaped campsite in that it was wide and not very deep. But it was a very large campsite, good private areas to hang our hammock and setup a tent and had good access to the water. If I had to do it all over again, I think I would choose campsite G or campsite J, the two on both sides of us. Large campsites, plenty of shade and excellent access to the water too but I think offered a bit more privacy when lounging around your campsite.

The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is stunning. There are several 14ers in this area so when you get your first peek of the mountain range, you are just overwhelmed by how massive these mountains are. There are plenty of hikes to do in this area, including 14ers, as wells white water rafting and great lakes for fishing like Cottonwood Lake. We chose to do an easy hike called Lost Lake. It was 3.4 miles out and back. I believe it was only a few hundred feet of elevation gain. And the payoff at the end is spectacular. This hike itself is beautiful as you hike through a shaded forest with open views of other mountain peaks. This is definitely a kid friendly trail and hike I would recommend hikers of all experience.

We also drove up to Cottonwood Pass. It's about a 15-20 minute drive from the Collegiate Peaks Campground, up a winding road. The views from up here are amazing. There is a nice big parking area and you can even hike a bit of the Colorado Trail to get a better bird's eye view. This was a spectacular sunset in that the clouds and just really lit up with purples and pinks. You are surrounded by mountain peaks and I think this sunset will be hard to beat.

I highly recommend camping at the Collegiate Peaks Campground. You will need to make reservations for this campground several months in advance on recreation.gov. But there is a ton to do in this area with your family, and I know you won't be disappointed. Thanks for watching!

Timeline
00:00 - Campground (Site I)
06:58 - Lost Lake Trail
12:56 - Cottonwood Pass Sunset

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