Chicago Basin

I tell people all the time that if they only do one hike in Colorado, this is it. You get a little taste of everything: Colorado history, wildlife, beautiful campsite views, 14ers, and the largest wilderness in the state.This itinerary assumes you’re hitching a ride on the train from Silverton. It’s possible to do this hike in from the Purgatory Trailhead, but trust me, the ~$70 round trip tra...

Adrenaline Falls is a popular spot for the locals to swim and relax during the warm summer months.  The pool at the bottom of the falls is deep and popular for cliff jumping.  To get to the waterfall, turn onto the North access to Lime Creek road.  A high clearance 4x4 vehicle is recommended to reach the trail head.  From the turn off onto lime creek road, drive approximately 2.2 miles until y...

This hike begins at the Purgatory Flats Trailhead across from the purgatory resort. The register is about a hundred yards from the Trailhead and is located next to a trail map. From here you will begin your descent down into the flats, which is roughly a 600-700 foot descent over the course of just over a mile. Around .5 miles you'll come to a creek crossing, this is Purgatory creek. There are ...

We were vacationing in the San Juan Mountains for 2 weeks.  A local resident suggested the hike as a great place to see wildflowers. The "Engineer Mountain" sounded a bit too technical to be a scenic hike but we decided to hike like a local and this was one of the best hikes we did in 2 weeks. Accessible but still a challenge that we could take our dogs along. Don't let their size fool you. The...

Reaching this trailhead actually begins off of Andrews Lake - you will see signs for Andrews Lake off HWY 550. I will provide directions from both Durango and Silverton at the end.  The trailhead is extremely well marked the entire way. The mileage from Andrews lake to Crater lake one way is 5.5 miles +/- a little.The first two miles provide the greatest elevation gain, starting at roughly 10,...

Little Molas Lake Campground is about 1 mile off of US Highway 550 on Molas Pass just North of and on the other side of the highway from the Molas Overlook. Pro-tip: there is also another campground nearby called Molas Lake Park & Campground, so it's important to distinguish which you are headed to beforehand.The Little Molas Lake area is very high in elevation, with Coalbank and Molas pass...