Colorado trails · Ute Peak Trail
Ute Peak Trail
A 13.5-mile out-and-back in Colorado, with 3,612 ft of climbing, topping out at 12,495 ft. Reaches Ptarmigan Pass and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by USFS Sulphur Ranger District.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 60% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 4.5. It gives back about 2,691 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Ptarmigan Pass (pass)
- Ptarmigan Peak (summit)
- Ute Peak (summit)
Heads up
Getting there
Ute Peak Trailhead — parking nearby. 39.81220, -106.05071 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:03 a.m., the sun rises at 6:31 a.m. and sets at 7:37 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:05 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 06 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 26.9-mile round trip works out to roughly 13 h 35 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Nearby trails
- St. Louis Divide Trail — 7.4 mi
- Gore Range Trail — 17.2 mi
- High Lonesome Trail — 21.3 mi
- West Grouse Creek Trail — 25.3 mi