Colorado trails · Needle Creek Trail
A 8.6-mile out-and-back in Colorado, with 4,501 ft of climbing, topping out at 12,711 ft. Reaches Columbine Pass. Managed by USFS Columbine Ranger District.
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:12 a.m., the sun rises at 6:39 a.m. and sets at 7:41 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:08 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 02 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 17.3-mile round trip takes roughly 10 h 54 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 5:33 p.m. — 2 h 08 min before sunset.