Basalt, Colorado

Hope Pass is accessed from the Willis Gulch trailhead about 25 miles outside of Leadville, Colorado. To get to the trail head, follow Highway 24 East for about 16 miles until you arrive at the junction for Highway 82. Turn right and follow Highway 82 for about 8.3 miles. You will see a sign on th...

The Minturn Mile is best accessed after spending the day at Vail, but can be done so with skins and skis from the base.  This description will assume you have access to the lifts at Vail by parking at one of the many resort/town parking areas.  From either the top of Game Creek Express or Wildwoo...

At the base of Mt. Elbert there are three campgrounds. One is a National Forest campground - you have to pay for a spot and it is closed from October-May. The other two are first-come, first-serve free campground areas. As you drive past the south trailhead, right before the reservoir, there is a...

Classic Route to the Summit of Colorado's highest peak Great for All Seasons this is the Recommended Winter Route with minimal Avalanche Danger.  Known as the South Mount Elbert trail, the East Ridge trail or a combo of both, this trail is truly beautiful and remote. DIRECTIONS: To reach the t...

This area is located on the other side of Independence Pass from Aspen, which is only accessible during the summer, or can be reached year-round via Leadville, which is about 20 miles away along Highway 24. From Twin Lakes Village drive approximately 1.5 miles east on Highway 82 and take the exit...

Twin Lakes are two bodies of water that are connected by a short run of water with a dam at the eastern end. There are a few different places to put in your boat including boat ramps by the access point on the east end of the lake. There is also a boat ramp and a place to seasonally rent boats by...

There are some dispersed campsites along side the 4x4 road that leads to the trailhead. Ideally you can sleep here to get an early start to your hike in the morning, to avoid the afternoon storms that frequent the mountains. The 4x4 is rough in spots, though my Subaru Outback did make the trek un...

Rifle Falls State Park is situated just 14 miles north east of major Colorado highway I-70. The park offers a wide variety of activities including hiking, fishing, biking, photography, camping, and spelunking (for the especially adventurous).There are several trails at Rifle Falls, the most popul...

RIfle Falls is located up Rifle Canyon just outside of the town of Rifle on I-70 in Southern Colorado. After driving by the sign for this gem many times on my drives from Utah to Colorado I made a short detour to check out the falls and have some lunch.The state park is small with a some short tr...

Rifle Falls is a loop trail that takes you by a waterfall located near Silt, Colorado.

If you have a 4WD vehicle, drive 2 miles from Winfield along a dirt road to the trailhead. If you don't have a suitable vehicle, you can park before the road gets rough and hike the rest of the road to the trailhead.Starting at 10560 feet of elevation, this 6.5 mile roundtrip hike begins its 3500...

To get to Pumphouse Falls take Interstate 70 toward East Vail, Colorado, get off at exit 176 S. Frontage Road headed east. At the traffic circle take the third exit and continue on South Frontage Rd. for 2.5 miles, turn right into the small parking lot next to the Nordic ski track. Follow the sig...

This day hike begins as a steady climb through aspen trees for the first mile. The trail then flattens out a bit, and you reach Booth Falls at mile two. This is a beautiful 60 ft waterfall that allows for easy rock climbing and hiking through the stream upstream of the falls. This is also a popul...

Your trip starts at the winter trailhead for Weston Pass, approximately 6.7 miles from the hut. Depending on road conditions, you may be able to cut off a few miles by driving further up the road.In the summer, you can drive all the way to the hut, and enjoy a great basecamp for hiking and trail ...

Rifle Gap Reservoir is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a lake located near Rifle, Colorado.

You'll being your ascent at the Missouri Gulch Trailhead, which is located a few miles up Chaffee County Road 390, at around 9,600 feet. The trail is very clear and very well maintained, but is steeper than most trails (even quite a few of the 14er trails I've done) right from the get-go. Remembe...