Ready for Your First Backcountry Night? A Guide to Backpacking the Indian Peaks Wilderness
- IPWA
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
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The Indian Peaks Wilderness (IPW) is one of the most stunning and accessible places in Colorado to begin your backpacking journey. With over 73,000 acres, 133 miles of trails, and peaks reaching above 13,500 feet, it offers a true sense of connection with nature. To ensure your first trip is as rewarding as the scenery, here is an educational guide to planning, navigating, and protecting these wild places.
1. The Permit System
To preserve the wilderness character, the IPW is divided into 17 backcountry zones, each with a specific nightly quota.
When you need one: Permits are required for all overnight stays between June 1 and September 15.
How to get one: Most permits are released in early March on Recreation.gov, but 25% of the quota is held back and released for last-minute trips three days in advance at 8:00 a.m. MT.
Check the map: You must have a permit for the specific zone where you plan to camp each night.
You must have your permit on you: You must carry the actual permit itself (not just the email) in either printed or electronic form.
2. Navigation Basics
In the backcountry, you cannot always rely on cell service for navigation. Preparation is the most critical part of staying safe.
Plan Ahead: Review your route, the weather forecast, intended campsites, water sources, waypoints, and elevations before leaving home. Know the trailhead parking policy and regulations for areas you are traveling, whether in the Wilderness or surrounding USFS land. Review the USFS website for road conditions, and fire alerts or closures. Many trailhead parking lots fill up very early, so plan ahead to secure a spot and consider carpooling or taking alternate transportation (such as the Hessie Shuttle). Notify a trusted contact of your trip plan.
The Right Tools: Carry a physical, waterproof topographic map and a compass as your fail-safe.
Digital Backups: Use apps like COTREX (highly recommended and free), Gaia GPS, or CalTopo, and ensure you have downloaded maps for offline use.
LKP (Last Known Position): Regularly check your map against your surroundings so you always know your last known position. Leave your plan with a trusted backup at home who knows your destination and when to expect you to return.
3. Safe Storage: Food and Wildlife
Protecting local wildlife—and your breakfast—is a major responsibility of every backpacker.
Bear Canisters: These are required year-round near all trailheads and everywhere in the Diamond Lake and Jasper Lake backcountry zones. They are strongly recommended for all other areas.
The "Bear-muda Triangle": If you are in a zone where canisters aren't required and you choose to hang your food, it must be 12 feet high, 6 feet from the trunk, and 6 feet below the supporting limb. Note that this can be difficult at high elevations where trees are stunted or scarce. Most people do not properly execute a bear hang.
Smellables: Always store food, trash, and toiletries (like toothpaste) securely.
4. Packing the 10 Essentials
Even on a sunny day, conditions above 10,000 feet can change in minutes. Your pack should always include:
Navigation: Map, compass, and GPS.
Sun Protection: Sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses.
Insulation: Extra layers and raingear (avoid cotton).
Illumination: A headlamp with extra batteries.
First Aid Kit: And the knowledge to use it.
Fire: A lighter/waterproof matches and a portable stove; remember that campfires are prohibited in most of IPW, including all areas east of the Continental Divide.
Repair Kit: Tools and a knife.
Nutrition: Extra food.
Hydration: Plenty of water and a way to purify it (to avoid parasites like Giardia).
Emergency Shelter: A lightweight space blanket.
5. Leave No Trace (LNT)
As stewards of the land, we follow the seven LNT principles to minimize our impact. These include:
No Campfires: All of IPW is in a Stage 2 fire ban, which prohibits activities likely to start a fire, like campfires and smoking outside. Campfires are always banned throughout most of IPW regardless of fire bans.
Camp 100 Feet Away: To protect water quality and wildlife, your tent and kitchen must be at least 100 feet (about 40 steps) from all lakes, streams, and trails. We highly suggest camping closer to 200 feet away.
Leash Your Dog: Pets must be on a hand-held leash at all times to narrow the corridor of impact we have on this high-use area.
Bathroom Business: In high-use areas, we recommend using a WAG bag to pack out human waste, as our soil makes digging proper "cat holes" difficult and helps protect fragile ecosystems.
Pack it in, pack it out, and leave it better than you found it!
By following these guidelines, you help keep the wilderness wild for everyone. Make good decisions for yourself and the valuable resources you are enjoying. For the latest trail conditions and resources, visit ipwa.org.
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