Hope Pass Hike from Twin Lakes: Trailhead, Distance, Safety

Hope Pass tops out at about 12,500 feet on the shared Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail route between Twin Lakes and the Clear Creek valley near Winfield, and the Twin Lakes side starts at the Willis Gulch Trailhead off Highway 82, about 2 miles west of Twin Lakes Village. The trail crosses Lake Creek on a bridge right at the start, not a ford, then climbs more than 3,000 feet to the pass over a long day. Plan for June through September, an early start ahead of afternoon thunderstorms, and a turnaround time you will actually honor.

Quick answer

• Trailhead: Willis Gulch Trailhead, Highway 82, about 2 miles west of Twin Lakes Village
• Elevation gain: more than 3,000 feet, from about 9,200 feet at the valley floor to about 12,500 feet at the pass
• Summit elevation: about 12,500 feet, on the shared Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail route toward Winfield
• Creek crossing at the trailhead: a bridge over Lake Creek, not a ford
• Best season: June through September, with snow possible above treeline into June
• Land status: National Forest (Leadville Ranger District); the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness boundary begins well south, near Clear Creek Road

Finding the Willis Gulch trailhead from Twin Lakes

The U.S. Forest Service lists the Willis Gulch Trailhead about 2 miles west of Twin Lakes Village on Highway 82, with a signed parking area on the south side of the road. The trail itself is accessed by crossing a bridge over Lake Creek right at the start, then following the road a short distance to the signed trail on the left. This is also the trailhead for Little Willis Gulch, the connector that climbs to Hope Pass and ties into the Continental Divide Trail.

The creek crossing, and why it is not the same as race day

If you only remember one thing about the water here, make it this: the Willis Gulch Trailhead crossing is a bridge over Lake Creek, right where the trail begins, per the Forest Service's own trail page. Race reports from the Leadville Trail 100 sometimes describe a water crossing near Twin Lakes. The race takes its own line across the valley, so do not use race reports to plan the hike. The day-hike route from the Willis Gulch Trailhead crosses Lake Creek on a bridge, per the Forest Service. For the race-day version of this terrain, including crew logistics and the Hope Pass aid station, see the Leadville 100 Twin Lakes crew guide instead. On a normal hiking day, plan on dry footing at the bridge, but check current conditions before a big snowmelt week, since other creek crossings in the valley can run high.

Distance, elevation gain, and what you are actually climbing

The Forest Service does not publish an official round-trip mileage for the Hope Pass route out of the Willis Gulch Trailhead, so treat any precise number you see elsewhere with caution. What the sources do support: the trailhead sits at roughly the same elevation as the Twin Lakes valley floor, about 9,200 feet, and Hope Pass tops out at about 12,500 feet per the Leadville Trail 100 Run's own course materials, which call it the race's high point. That puts the climb at more than 3,000 feet one way, enough that most hikers should plan for a long, full day rather than a quick outing.

• North side (this guide): Willis Gulch Trailhead off Highway 82 near Twin Lakes; no official USFS mileage published for the Hope Pass route, but more than 3,000 feet of gain to the pass
• South side: Sheep Gulch Trail from Clear Creek Road (CR 390) in Chaffee County, about 2.5 miles one way with 2,670 feet of gain to Hope Pass per the Forest Service, or about 4 miles from Winfield to the pass per the Forest Service
• Both sides reach the same roughly 12,500-foot pass, on the shared Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail corridor between Twin Lakes and Winfield

The south approach is shorter and better documented, but it starts from a different county on Clear Creek Road, a gravel road with its own current-conditions questions, so it is not a casual swap for Twin Lakes guests. If your trip also includes a Chaffee County day, the Buena Vista and Arkansas River guide covers that side of the valley.

When to go: season, snow, and afternoon weather

June through September is the realistic hiking window. Snowfields above treeline can linger into June in a heavy-snow year, and the open, treeless stretch below the pass gets no afternoon-storm cover at all. Start early enough to be off the ridge before thunderstorms typically build, and set a firm turnaround time rather than a summit-at-all-costs plan. A 2026 wildfire, the Willow Fire, closed a large block of trails elsewhere in the Leadville Ranger District, but the forest order in effect now, which runs October 1 through December 31, 2026, maps that closure well north of Twin Lakes around Turquoise Lake, Mount Massive, and Halfmoon Creek. It does not include Willis Gulch or Hope Pass. Fire conditions and orders change, so check the Pike-San Isabel alerts page before you load the car.

Safety and land-use rules on the way up

• This route runs through National Forest, not wilderness; the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness boundary begins well south, near Clear Creek Road, on the Forest Service's own wilderness order map
• Even outside that boundary, the same etiquette is a sensible default: keep your group reasonably small, keep dogs under control (leashed is simplest), and skip campfires above 11,000 feet and within 100 feet of the trail, streams, or lakes
• Carry or filter all the water you need; none of the official trail pages for either side of Hope Pass list a treated drinking source
• Altitude catches fit people off guard here. The CDC notes that altitude-illness risk depends mainly on how high you start and how fast you ascend, not on fitness, so treat a worsening headache, nausea, or dizziness as a reason to descend, not push through. For a deeper look at acclimating around Twin Lakes, see the altitude sickness guide

You do not have to reach the pass to make the trip worth it

The views open up well before the summit, once you clear treeline, and turning around at that point still makes for a full alpine morning without the last, steepest push. That is a reasonable call for families, first-time high-altitude hikers, or a mixed-pace group, and it keeps the day inside daylight and weather margins. If fourteener-style elevation interests part of your group but not all of it, the Mount Elbert from Twin Lakes guide covers the other major high-altitude option out of the same valley, so you can split a group across two trailheads and regroup for dinner.

Where to stay for a Hope Pass hiking trip

The Big Mack sits across the road from Twin Lakes in Lake County, about 20 to 30 minutes from Leadville and 30 to 40 minutes from Buena Vista, close enough to be at the Willis Gulch Trailhead before sunrise and back to a hot tub by afternoon. With 4 bedrooms sleeping 12 across 3 king rooms and a downstairs bunk room, it works for a group where some people are going all the way to Hope Pass and others are happy stopping at treeline. Check your dates and book direct.