Black Hawk, Colorado

50 miles from Denver, nestled in Pike National Forest, there are dozens of free dispersed camping sites. With quick access to the Colorado Trail and Buffalo Creek Mountain Bike Area, these campsites make for a perfect weekend getaway. The campsites begin on Forest Road 550, and are clearly marked...

Rocky Mountain National Park showcases 355 miles of hiking trails, 6 campgrounds, and hundreds of backcountry camp sites.  Cub Lake is an excellent trail for viewing wildlife. There are small ponds that you will pass on this trail that are great locations for spotting elk, mule deer, and moose. ...

Odessa Lake seems to be one of the true hidden gems of Rocky Mountain National Park. Don't get me wrong, you will likely see some folks there, but it is a far cry from the other crowded Bear Lake trailhead lakes. There are two ways to reach Odessa; one, from the Bear Lake Trailhead, and the oth...

For the extra-adventurous (my friends call me crazy for this), I recommend experiencing Rocky Mountain National Park in the off-season, when nobody else is there. Dead winter.Of course, you'll want to be uber prepared if you choose to take on this adventure, as the mountains are very unforgiving,...

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 wildli...

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 Meadow...

Starting from the Rock Creek Trailhead parking lot, it is an up and down trek to Upper Slate Lake. The trail map states 10 miles each way, but accounting for switchbacks it ends up being closer to 14 long, hard miles. You will be among aspens and pines for the first half as you have a few modera...

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 eac...

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). ...

Beginning in Rocky Mountain National Park near the Deer Ridge Junction (where US 34 & US 36 meet), park your car in one of the 20 spots on either side of the road. Start at the trailhead booth and head north, keeping to the right-side trail at the first intersection about a tenth of a mile fr...

Aspenglen is one of the four main campgrounds within the park boundaries. The campground is for car camping and there are areas just for tents and then broader areas for tents and campers. There are 53 sites at this campground and it fills up quickly each year. Reservations are available six mont...

Boreas pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains that sits on the Continental Divide at 11,481'. Forest Service Road 33 goes over the pass and has numerous campsites all along its length, with several near the summit that feature breathtaking views of the Tenmile Range and the Breckenri...

In this specific case, the adventure is focused on the sounds. At night in September and October you can expect to hear the eerie bugling from Elk reverberating around the mountains. Even after an hour or two I was still getting goose-bumps listening to them.  Start your adventure at the Fall Ri...

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 ...

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, y...

The range offers many remote lakes and peaks which hikers can access from various points of entry. Wheeler and Lost Lakes lie within the boundaries of the Eagle's Nest Wilderness Area.The Gore Trail begins on the north side of the CO-91 pedestrian bridge over I-70. You will follow the trail up al...