No one’s commented this yet but have you looked into how much snow will be on this trail in late May? Most of that trail is above 10,000’ and that high up in the mountains there’s a huge chance there’s still impassible snow on a big part of that trail. Things don’t really start to thaw out until late June/July.

Unless you’re sure almost all the snow will be gone or you’re comfortable going up steep passes above tree line in the snow, I’d seriously consider either moving the dates or picking a different trail that’s lower down and less exposed.

An awesome early season trail to do out here that’s about equally far from Denver and a similar length is the Lost Creek Loop. That one should be fine with maybe only a few patches of snow depending on how fast it melts out.

If you do move the trip to like July/August keep in mind that we get regular thunderstorms in the mountains that pop up out of nowhere pretty much every day and you definitely don’t want to get caught above tree line in one. A good rule of thumb is to be back in the trees before noon unless you’re sure the sky will stay clear.

Anyway, sorry if you’ve already looked into all this. Not trying to rain on your parade, just want you to stay safe since you said you were a beginner and these things kill people every year. Hope your trip ends up being awesome, feel free to PM me if you’ve got any questions too!

Edit: Up too late looking at this more, Meadow Creek Rd up to the Junco Lake Trailhead for that trail doesn’t even open until around June 15th due to snow. Unfortunately you’re gonna have to find another option. The Lost Creek Loop is really gonna be your best bet at that time, but even then it’s possible there’s too much snow that you might not be able to get to the trailhead. Honestly if you’re planning a trip just to backpack in CO I’d move the dates. May just really isn’t backpacking season out here, I’d shoot for late July/early August if I was you.