Aurora, Colorado

Before you start your trip, get a camping permit from the Boulder Ranger Station. Plan to spend your first night in the Crater Lake BZ (Backcountry Zone), and your second in Buchanan BZ. If you're feeling particularly sedate, you can easily spend a third night in Coney Creek. Start early in the ...

Start at the Long Lake trailhead in the Brainard Lake Recreation area (there's a fee to park, if you don't have a pass). Take the trail towards Lake Isabelle for a few miles, winding through forest and past Long Lake. Signage towards Lake Isabelle and Pawnee Pass is apparent. Just as you reach ...

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 hi...

Getting There The trailhead can be reached from Boulder by driving west through Boulder Canyon on Highway 42 to Nederland, then going north on the Peak-to-Peak Highway 72 to the town of Ward. From there, a National Forest Sign on the west side of the highway provides directions to the ranger stat...

Speechless. That’s how this hike will leave you. And not just because of its length. At over 10 miles, this snowshoe exploration is not for the faint of heart. But the language-defying beauty of this hike will make every sore muscle worth it.The Brainard Lake Recreational Area near Ward, Colorado...

Located in the Brainard Lake Recreational Area (west of Nederland, CO in the Indian Peaks Wilderness), this gem isn’t exactly a well-kept secret, but it has all the beauty that you could ask for in a relatively easy Colorado hike.To get the full effect of the lake, you may want to plan your hike ...

The Argentine Central Railroad Grade trail is just what it says: it follows the old rail bed of the Argentine Central line. All railway remnants have long since been removed, and in its place is a wide, well-defined trail with an easy grade. With just a 900-foot incline over the course of about t...

Corona Lake is an easy, short hike if you're pressed for time. It's scenic, secluded, and will put you in a great spot to hike to Devils Thumb the next day. There are two ways to reach Devils Thumb. This is considered the "easier" route because of the "lack of elevation gain." The sun and wind re...

Guanella Pass, which connects the charming and historic town of Georgetown in the north to the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Grant to the south, is a recreational outdoorsman’s dream. Volumes could be written on what this 22-mile scenic byway has to offer. Silver Dollar Lake Trail is just one tiny po...

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 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 ex...