Cusco region, Peru
Salkantay Trek
4 days · 42 miles · lodges, no tent
From Challacancha over the Salkantay Pass to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, in Peru's Cusco region.
- All four days
- My GPX files
- Machu Picchu
- With a company or on your own
Maroon Bells, Colorado · 4 days · 44 miles · four passes
Four Pass Loop Hiking Guide
In September 2021 I hiked the Four Pass Loop in Colorado's Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness: up Snowmass Creek to Snowmass Lake, over Trail Rider, Frigid Air, West Maroon and Buckskin passes, past Crater Lake under the Maroon Bells, and back down, with the aspens turning. 44 miles in four days on my GPS. It's the trip from my film Hiking 40 miles on the Four Pass Loop in Colorado. This guide has my GPS files, maps and notes for every day, how the 2026 overnight permits, camping rules and bear canisters work, starting from the Snowmass side or Maroon Lake, and the altitude.
What's inside
- All four days. Stats, the time I took, my notes, the trail, where to get off, a map with an elevation profile, and links to that day in my film.
- My GPX files. My own recordings for each day, with waypoints for the trailhead, the four passes, the lakes and my three camps, ready for AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Garmin or Organic Maps.
- Permits and camping. How the 2026 Recreation.gov permit zones, fees and release dates work, where you can camp, bear canisters and fires, and where my camps fall on the zone map.
- Two ways to start. The Snowmass Creek trailhead I used, with no shuttle, or Maroon Lake with its 2026 parking and bus reservations.
- Altitude. Every camp and pass height from my GPS, how coming from sea level hit me on Day 2, and the CDC's rules of thumb.
- Other ways to do it. From Maroon Lake, a night in the North Fork to split the long day, and Aspen to Crested Butte.
- Before you go and a trip sheet. One page of year-to-year checks and a printable one-page summary of the whole loop.
Look inside
The details
- Format
- A 51-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
- Edition
- 2027 season edition, updated September 2026.
- Delivery
- Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
- Payment
- Secure checkout through Stripe. The price is in US dollars, and sales tax or VAT is added where it applies.
- Questions
- Email kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions
- How long is the Four Pass Loop?
- From Maroon Lake the loop is about 26 miles (the Forest Service's figure). I started from the Snowmass Creek trailhead, which adds about 9 miles each way: 43.7 miles in four days on my GPS, September 25 to 28, 2021.
- Do you need a permit for the Four Pass Loop?
- Yes, in 2026 you need a Recreation.gov overnight permit for each permit zone and each night you camp in it: $10 a person a night from May 1 to October 31, plus a $6 reservation fee per permit. Permits go on sale on set dates (February 15, June 15 and October 15 in 2026). Bear canisters are required.
- How high are the passes on the Four Pass Loop?
- Buckskin Pass is 12,462 ft and West Maroon Pass 12,500 ft (Forest Service). Trail Rider Pass and Frigid Air Pass are both about 12,400 ft; my GPS read 12,425 ft and 12,398 ft.
- Can you start the Four Pass Loop from Snowmass instead of Maroon Lake?
- Yes. I parked at the Maroon-Snowmass Trailhead (also called the Snowmass Creek Trailhead) at the end of Snowmass Creek Road and walked up to Snowmass Lake, about 8.8 miles, so I didn't need the Maroon Lake shuttle. In 2026 parking there is limited to about 25 spaces from August 14 to November 14 while the trailhead is rebuilt.
- Which direction should you hike the Four Pass Loop?
- I went counterclockwise from Snowmass Lake: Trail Rider, Frigid Air, West Maroon, then Buckskin. From Maroon Lake the same direction starts with Buckskin Pass.
- When is the best time to hike the Four Pass Loop?
- Mid-July to September. The Forest Service says the loop is often snow-bound from October through June. For the yellow aspens, the colors usually peak from mid-September to early October; I walked it September 25 to 28.
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Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Resurrection Pass
5 days · about 90 miles · solo, tent and a cabin
Hope to Seward on the Resurrection Pass, Russian Lakes and Resurrection River trails, through Cooper Landing, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.
- All five days
- My GPX files
- The cabins and camping
- The Resurrection River Trail
Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho
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3 days · 71 miles · tent, a loop
A loop through Idaho's Sawtooth Wilderness from Grandjean past Sawtooth Lake, the Baron Lakes, the Cramer Lakes and the Ten Lake Basin, back down the South Fork Payette. The Grandjean start is closed through December 31, 2026; the guide covers the closure and the ways in from the Stanley side.
- All three days
- My GPX files
- The 2026 closure
- Permits and rules
Get the next guide
I'm making guides for more of my hikes, and I host a group trip about once a year. Get an email when a new guide or trip is out. A few emails a year.