Hiking Beckwith Pass Trail | Kebler Pass Road

After we finished our intense task of replacing the roof on our travel trailer, we booked it to the mountains! Hiking Beckwith Pass Trail was an easy choice for us. After leaving our previous camp spot on the Uncompaghre Plateau, we followed Kebler Pass Road east and found a great dispersed spot off of Lost Lake Road. And on Lost Lake Road, there are two main trailheads: Lost Lake Loop and Beckwith Pass.

Since we were camped about a mile down the road, we thought we would check it out. We figured we couldn’t go wrong with a pass hike. Or any hike in the mountains of Colorado really.

Hiking Beckwith Pass Trail was not quite what we expected but the best part of the hike was when we experienced the unexpected. Read on to find out more about the hike and our experience on the trail!

Quick Info: Hiking Beckwith Pass Trail

Directions: From Crested Butte, follow Kebler Pass Road west for about 16 miles. Then turn left onto CR 706 towards Lost Lake Campground. The parking area for the trailhead is on the left after about 2.3 miles, just before reaching the Lost Lake Campground.

Distance: From the trailhead to Beckwith Pass is 3 miles one way. But we continued towards Beckwith Bench for a 5 mile one way hike.

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Our Experience Hiking Beckwith Pass Trail

Just a short drive from our campsite and we reached the parking area for hiking Beckwith Pass. When we arrived around 9 am there were only a few cars in the lot. To begin, the trail leads through the woods and wraps around the Lost Lake Campground from a distance. It then descends before it meets up with the Lost Lake Slough outlet. And Shane made the most of the water crossing!

At the intersection, we continued hiking Beckwith Pass Trail No. 842. Sidenote: If you have time while you’re in the area, the Three Lakes Loop Trail is a quick but worthwhile hike!

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Beckwith Pass Trail continues through beautiful aspen forest before reaching a meadow and the surrounding views really open up. But before we were out of the aspens, we were lucky enough to see this guy!

Hike it Later! Pin it Now

Once in the meadow, there were wildflowers everywhere! A beautiful variety. And we were also able to see numerous peaks towering all around us. The views changing every few steps it seemed! It was about here that we encountered the most exciting part of hiking Beckwith Pass Trail – an adorable black bear running through the meadow into the trees. We were so happy, smiles from ear to ear. It’s always such a treat to see wildlife when we’re out on the trail.

After the meadow, the trail reenters the woods to a water crossing before climbing and opening back up. More beautiful wildflowers and spectacular views of the mountains in the distance. After 3 miles of surprisingly gentle ascents and descents, we made the final climb to Beckwith Pass!

The views from atop Beckwith Pass were beautiful. Tall conifers blanketing the valley below and contrasting meadows of bright green grass. And of course, mountains in the distance for as far as we could see. Up until this point we hadn’t seen any other people on the trail!

Hiking Past Beckwith Pass

After hiking Beckwith Pass, we weren’t ready to head back yet. So we continued on and decided to follow the sign for Beckwith Bench to see what else we would find. The trail towards Beckwith Bench was very much a continuation of the conditions of Beckwith Pass. Bright green meadows filled with wildflowers and beautiful mountain tops in the distance. And gentle ascents and descents.

Until we reached the next aspen forest about a mile and half after the pass. That’s when the trail towards Beckwith Bench made a steep descent to a muddy clearing. At this point, we had gone five miles. So we climbed up the loose rocks just off of the trail and had lunch – enjoying the perfect weather, solitude and mountain views. We had no idea how far it was to Beckwith Bench so after lunch we decided to head back the way we came.

On the way back we encountered about 16 other hikers and the parking area was much busier.

Hiking Beckwith Pass was a beautiful and mellow adventure close to our dispersed camp spot. We were so grateful for the wildlife encounters and really enjoyed the meadows! Such a beautiful and colorful variety the entire time! So far, we have only gotten in a few hikes in Colorado but it seems that you can’t pick a bad hike. They’ve all been very scenic and enjoyable. Can’t wait to experience more of Colorado’s beauty!

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If you would like to see more adventure articles, check out the links below:

• Hilton Lakes Trail
• Backpacking Oh Be Joyful Pass + Blue Lake
• Red Mountain Trail
• Hiking Brokeoff Mountain

And if you’re interested in some of the free dispersed camping we’ve experienced, check out these links:

• Beautiful Dispersed Camping on Kebler Pass Road
• Camping in the Black Hills
• Free Camping at Volcanic Tablelands near Bishop, CA
• Boondocking Near Red Lodge, Montana

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