Trip
Adventure Travel – In-State Outing
The 2026 In-State Outing will be held September 8 - 11 at the Silver Cliff Ranch near Princeton Hot Springs. The area around Silver Cliff Ranch is beautiful and has many hiking opportunities near Cottonwood Pass and in Brown's Canyon National Monument. In addition, there is the cute ghost town of St. Elmo, a swimming pool fed by hot springs, and the chalk cliffs at the base of Mt Princeton.
Contacts
- Tue, Sep 8, 2026 — Fri, Sep 11, 2026
- Adventure Travel
- Adventure Travel
- Adults
- Moderate
- $589.00 $674.00
- 3 (37 capacity)
- FULL (3 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
A discription of the outing can be found here:
2026 In-State Outing Itinerary
Important Information for Registration
Registration for for 3 persons per cabin unit is $450 per person for CMC members.
Registration for 2 persons per cabin unit is $520 per person for CMC members.
Registration for 1 person per cabin unit is $589 per person for CMC members.
Because of limitations in the CMC website, the cost to register directly is the cost for a single occupancy cabin.
To register for the triple occupancy cabin or a double occupancy cabin, you must contact Dave Thomas at dthomas068@gmail.com
What's Included:
3 Breakfasts, 3 sack lunches, 3 dinners, and snacks
Lodging in a Cabin-Unit, see above for rates.
CMC Volunteer Leadership of Hikes
Evening Programing
Preliminary Daily Schedule
Tuesday, September 8
Arrive and check-in at Silver Creek Ranch: 3-4 pm
Dinner: 6 pm
Welcome and Hike Selection: 7:30 pm
Wednesday & Thursday, September 9-10
Breakfast: 6:30 am
Make Lunches and Depart for Hikes: 7:30 am
Relax in Hot Springs Pool: 3-5 pm
Dinner: 6 pm
Hike Selection and Evening Program: 7-9:30 pm
Friday, September 11
Breakfast: 6:30 am
Make Lunches, Clean-up and Check Out: 7:30 am
Depart for Hikes and Return Home: 9 am
Notes:
Times are subject to change
Long or difficult hikes above treeline may include a sack breakfast and lunch, and depart before breakfast.
Easy hikes may start later in the morning
Example Hikes -
Easy - Lost Lake. A short hike near Cottonwood Pass. 3.4 miles round trip, 426’ elevation gain to 11,900’. A new trail opened in 2023 which provides an easy hike to a nice lake and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. As a bonus, there are interpretative signs along the trail.
Moderate - Ptarmigan Lake. A moderate hike to an alpine lake and up to a pass near Jones Mountain from the Cottonwood Pass Road. The hike passes through alpine meadows, goes by several ponds on the way to an alpine lake. 0.3 miles beyond the lake there is a pass with fantastic views of the Sawatch range. 6.7 miles round trip, 1700’ elevation gain to 12,200’.
Difficult - Quail Mountain. This hike travels along the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide trail to Hope Pass then up to Quail Mountain (13,465). Although this is a short hike, it is difficult because of the altitude gain and the off-trail section from Hope Pass to the summit of Quail Mountain. 7 miles round trip, 3600’ elevation gain, to 13,465’.
Participants will provide their own transportation to Silver Creek Ranch (16565 Co Rd 162, Nathrop, CO 81236), arriving in the afternoon on Tuesday, September 8 between 3 & 4 pm. On Friday, Sept 11, we will have breakfast, make lunches, and check out of Silver Creek Ranch prior to heading out for our final activity and return home. Carpools will be assembled for travel to and from the trailheads.
Here is a link for more information about Silver Creek Ranch:
Required Equipment
10 Essentials