Ryan MckinneyExplorer

To get to the Crystal Lakes start at the Spruce Creek Trailhead. You can hike or drive to the Lower Crystal Lake along Crystal Creek Road. If you choose to drive, you will need a high clearance 4x4 vehicle as you follow along Crystal Creek Road. The road is steep, but when they get to the top it opens up. Please help protect and preserve this area -- do NOT drive on alpine vegetation. If you'r...

Start at the Pawnee Pass Trail No. 907 Trailhead. Long Lake is about 2 tenths of a mile and Lake Isabelle is 2 miles from the trailhead. Keep an eye out for moose grazing in the bushes or in the water near Long Lake. This is a 4 mile out and back hike with well marked trails. For an 8.75 mile hike, continue past Lake Isabelle to Isabelle Glacier. The hike to the glacier will change the rating ...

The trail to Loch Lomond is very rocky. I suggest a high clearance 4x4 vehicle (I did see a small SUV and a Subaru..Not sure how they did it!!!). There are a few campsites at the lake and several along the way. I set up camp by the lake but had to move because the wind was so intense. I recommend camping below the tree line. This is dispersed camping and there are no fees to camp here.You can f...

James Peak is one of 76 13,000'+ peaks in Colorado's front range. On your way up to the peak you will pass St. Mary's Glacier. It is not an actual glacier yet a permeant snow field that is popular among skiers and snowboarders year round. St. Mary's Glaicer is a very popular destination (though most do not continue past the snowfield) so make sure you arrive early to guarantee a parking spot.Fr...

This was a rafting/camping trip. We camped at the Radium Campground and rafted 4.5 miles from Pump House Boat Launch. BLM charges $5.00 per vehicle at the boat launch sites and $10.00 per night for camping.Keep an eye out for big horn sheep. I saw them grazing on the side of the colorado river.You can rent rafts from Colorado River Center at Ranch Del Rio.Side Note: Glow in the dark bocce ball ...

I included a trail map of where I camped. There are many sites all throughout this area. From the Lost Park Campground Parking lot follow the Lost Creek for 2.4 miles. At the 1 mile mark was the best place that we found to cross the creek (there are two logs that make a bridge across the creek). You will pass many camp sites along the way and I am sure that there are several past the 2.4 mile m...

The Green Mountain Trail is part of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) which is a foot path from Mexico to Canada. Big Meadows is a great place to view elk, moose, and deer. Other animals you can see in the area are abert squirrels, river otters, weasels, and black bear.Big Meadows is 1.8 miles from the parking lot. The first half mile is a steady and moderate incline. The trail...

From the Bear Lake Trailhead, the path to Nymph Lake is a moderate paved trail. At the lake there are several places to sit and take in the scenery. This is also where you'll find the most people. From here, continue up the trail towards Dream Lake. On the way, the trail forks. The left will take you to Lake Haiyaha, but head to the right, which will take you to Dream Lake. The views here are a...

Located just outside of Evergreen, this is beginner hike is a great escape from the city for a few hours. There are three different options to hike to the falls: Maxwell Falls Lower Trail (4 miles), Upper Falls Trail (0.5 miles), and Cliff Trail Loop (3 miles). On this hike I started from the Maxwell Falls Lower Trailhead. I arrived at 8:00am and the parking lot was half full, so I would recomm...

The Antero Reservoir was the first dam built on the South Platte River. The reservoir is best known for its large rainbow trout and rainbow x cutthroat hybrid trout. It's also home to brown trout, snake river cutthroat trout, cutthroat trout, brook trout, and splake.The earth filled Antero Dam was made in 1909. There are repairs scheduled starting in the summer of 2015 and should be back to nor...

Waterton Canyon is the beginning of the Colorado Trail which stretches 500 miles from Denver to Durango. Camping is allowed on the Colorado Trail but is not allowed in the first 6 miles section of Waterton Canyon, which is managed by Denver Water. The gravel road is great for running, biking, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Because the Waterton Canyon Trail is primarily flat, it is an easy trail...

Moraine Park Campground is the only year-round campground at Rocky Mountain National Park. During the summer there are 244 reservable campsites and 77 first come first serve during the winter. Large numbers of elk gather in Moraine Park during the rut (September-October) and it's a popular wildlife viewing location. The cost per campsite is $14 during the winter and $20 during the summer.You ca...

Coulson Gulch is a lightly used area of the Roosevelt National Forest which makes it perfect for a weekend getaway without the crowds. This is a great place to camp out under the stars!To get to Coulson Gulch From Lyons, head west on U.S. Highway 36 for about 9 miles. Turn southwest onto Larimer County Road 47 and drive for three miles until you veer left onto National Forest System Road 118. T...

I need to start by saying I stayed here on Memorial Day weekend, a very busy camping weekend in Colorado. Online searches for a suitable campsite were useless, everything was booked. It is hard to drive 2 plus hours to an area and hope you find a place for dispersed camping. Thankfully a friend told me about this area. There are lots of dispersed campsites here. You have your pick of camping ne...

The Horse Flats Campground is located 29 miles up Highway 2 from Interstate 210. You will turn left at the Santa Clara Divide Road(this intersection is also known as 3 Points). 3 miles down the road you will turn left to enter the campground. I have camped here a few times and its always been pretty quiet. The sites are $12 per night and are first come first serve. Make sure to bring water, the...

County Road 47 is between Lyons and Estes Park. It's an easy drive from Denver and is a great place to get away for the weekend. I have camped here in the summer, fall, and winter. I have to say that snow camping was my favorite. I didn't see anyone the whole weekend and had the entire area to explore on my snowshoes. I chose to sleep in a hammock (best night of sleep you will ever have) and my...

This campground just 10 miles north of Grand Lake is a prime example of the amazing campgrounds you can find in Rocky Mountain National Park. Located along the Colorado River, Timber Creek has 98 campsites that are all first-come-first-serve. If you're on top of it and show up at a decent time, you're bound to get a site. It's still a National Park so get there as early as you can.My personal o...

This campground is a great spot to crash at before heading out on a backpacking trip through the Lost Creek Wilderness but serves as an amazing campground itself. The area immediately surrounding the campground is beautiful. There are 12 campsites that can accomodate two vehicles per site and each has a picnic table. The grounds have shared vault toilets.The Lost Creek wilderness is one of the ...

Snowshoeing to Emerald Lake was completely different from hiking the trail during summer. Instead of hiking around Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake, I was able to go straight across them (check the ice to make sure it's thick enough to support your weight). Rocky Mountain National Park's trails get a lot of use even in winter, which makes it easier to find your way. When the snow cover...

Some of my best nights in Colorado were spent in Stillwater Pass. There are numerous campsites with remade fire pits. I found this site when the Timber Creek Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park was full and I did not want to head back to Denver. There is a photo of a white plastic horse and a plastic elk. This is where you turn(hwy 4 aka Stillwater Pass).Stillwater Pass is a dirt road b...

From the parking lot, stay to the right of Echo Lake and you will run into the Chicago Lakes Trailhead. Follow the switchbacks down and across Chicago Creek. After crossing the creek, follow the sign indicating that the trail follows the dirt road and hang a left; from here, you'll reach the Idaho Springs Reservoir is a little over 1.5 miles. Continue past the reservoir and past the cabins to r...

Sandbeach Lake is best known for (as you can probably guess) its wide sandy shore. At nearly 50 feet deep, it is one of Rocky Mountain National Parks deepest lakes. If you are looking to fish at the lake, make sure to bring barbless flies and lures. There are six official campsites (1.8 miles Hole in the Wall, two miles Campers Creek, three miles Beaver Mill Creek, 3.3 miles Hunters Creek, 4.5 ...

The Horsetooth Mountain Park Open Space is located just 4 miles from Fort Collins. The 2,886 acre park offers 29 miles of hiking, biking, and horse back riding trails.Having taken both the multi use trail and the hiking only trail, I recommend the hiking only. This trail offers you the views and instead of being a fire road, it is a single track trail. The trail is very well marked with signs a...

If you have never been to the Grand Teton National Park, you should make it next on your list. It is a fantastic place for wildlife viewing and exploring.If you stay at the Colter Bay Campground, you will find many off-trail areas to explore. A trail leaving from Group Site 6, heading towards the water, ends up at a perfect site for hanging out - secluded and great for night photography. If you...