Lost Canyon Threads is a small outdoor apparel brand in Colorado Springs. Every design starts somewhere we actually go — Cottonwood Pass at 12,126 ft, the dirt road above Twin Lakes at 9,200 ft — and every tee, hat and sticker is printed to order in the US, one at a time, so nothing sits in a warehouse.
38.8272°N 106.4106°W · 12,126 ft · Buena Vista → Taylor Park
Cottonwood Pass crosses the Divide at 12,126 feet, between Buena Vista and Crested Butte. It's paved the whole way over — switchback after switchback out of Buena Vista, the Collegiate Peaks stacked up on one side and Taylor Park dropping away toward Crested Butte on the other. The Continental Divide Trail crosses right at the summit, so the parking lot doesn't have to be the end of it.
The pass only runs part of the year — snowpack closes it in winter, and it doesn't reopen until late spring. Late September is when we go: aspens turning gold on the lower switchbacks while the summit's already deep into fall. The design is drawn from that view.
The Cottonwood Pass Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee PL. II Lost Canyon Logo 5 Panel Camp Hat PL. III 
Campfire Under the Stars Jersey Short Sleeve V-Neck Tee PL. IV 
Adventure Awaits Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee PL. V 
MTB Trail Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee PL. VI 
Knitted Mountain Water Bottle Stickers PL. VII 
Dad Cap with Leather Patch PL. VIII 
Lost Canyon Zip Up Grid Hoodie Prices shown are the range across sizes and colors. Ring-spun cotton blends, mid-weight, cut about an inch longer in the body. Measure a shirt you already love against the size guide before you order.
Browse everythingFor a summer day hike below treeline, no. Cotton holds sweat, so it's the wrong layer for cold, wet, or high-output days — a 14er in October, a shoulder-season overnight. For the trails most people actually walk, a soft cotton-blend tee is more comfortable than a technical shirt and worn far more often. Know the day; wear accordingly.
The honest version →Printed to order in the United States on blank garments, one at a time, after you order. Nothing is printed in bulk, so there are no unsold boxes and no landfill run at season's end. Designs are drawn in Colorado Springs by the people who camp at the places on them.
Our story →Free exchange within 30 days of delivery. Tell us within 30 days and we'll email you a prepaid label — swap it for a different size or design once the original is back with us. Damaged or misprinted? Photo to us and it's a replacement or refund, your call — nothing to ship back for that.
Returns & exchanges → Dispersed Camping Near Lake George, CO Trail Notes · 16 min read Dispersed camping near Lake George, Colorado is some of the closest free camping to Colorado Springs, and most people looking for it are looking in the wrong place. You cannot camp in the pullouts along Eleven Mile Canyon. You can camp, for free, on a ring of forest and BLM roads around the canyon, and 
What to Wear Hiking What to Wear · 7 min read The three-layer system, a what-to-wear-by-temperature table, and an honest answer on cotton from people who print cotton shirts. 
Cottonwood Pass, Colorado Trail Notes · 6 min read A paved Continental Divide crossing at 12,126 feet west of Buena Vista. When it is open, whether it is an easy drive, and why the summit is colder than you expect. New places, new drops, and the occasional honest opinion about gear. No daily email, ever.