Blue River, Colorado

Just West of Idaho Springs on I-70 take the St. Mary's Alice Exit. Take a right and stay on the main road and follow the signs for about 8 miles (watch on the right side of the road for a surprise pink pig). There are two parking lots for the trailhead. The larger one is South of the trail and a ...

Starting at 9,220 feet of elevation, this 5 mile out-and-back snowshoe begins its 965 foot elevation gain meandering through a quiet forest. The trail will take you through the woods for a few miles, and you can turn around whenever you like. If you're up for a challenge and have a lot of time, y...

The Northwest Ridge is the most easily accessible and popular route, and for good reasons. The trailhead is on the side of Hwy 82, otherwise known as Independence Pass, about 14.5 miles from the Hwy 24 junction, or about 10 miles from Twin Lakes to the east. The trailhead is hard to miss, and you...

Twining Peak is a ranked 13er located 2 miles north of Independence Pass. The hike involves around 1700 feet of elevation and is mostly off-trail with some class 2 scrambling (class 3 can be had if you look hard enough). Independence Pass is a prominent and popular pass on Highway 82 between Twin...

This is a great hike that is very close to Buena Vista, CO. This trail is on the east side of town and is accessible in the spring. The hardest part of the hike is locating the trail-head. It is located in the northern part of Four Mile Canyon and is in San Isabel National forest. Starting in Bue...

The trailhead is to the Independence Pass viewing deck is located at the Summit parking area, which is about 20 miles from Aspen and 24 miles west of Highway 24 on the Leadville side. At the parking area you will notice a paved walkway that takes you to the viewdeck, which is a easy five minute w...

Park at the pull out just west of independence pass. From there, begin on the Linkin's Lake Trail. The trail is generally easy to follow (although it can be muddy as it is a wet area) and climbs 900 feet in the 1.8 miles to independence lake. From Independence lake it is about 0.5 miles and 400 f...

Begin on Staunton Ranch Trail for 3.3 miles. Switch to Bugling Elk Trail for the next 1.1 miles, then to Lion's Back Trail for the last mile to the overlook. From here, you can create the loop by backtracking to the Chimney Rock Trail, which then connects with the Elk Falls Trail. To head back to...

Davis Ponds Trail is a loop trail that takes you by a lake located near Conifer, Colorado.

Upper Maxwell Falls Trail is an out-and-back trail, which is the shortest and most direct route to Maxwell Falls located near Conifer, Colorado. If you're looking for a little longer trail, check out this Maxwell Falls adventure for a roughly 4-mile loop hike. 

This 8.8 mile "loop" is not a true loop and the trail ends 4 miles apart along Independence Pass, so a car shuttle is recommended. I would recommend starting at the west trailhead (closer to Aspen) but will describe both trailheads so you can set up another car or shuttle at the other one.1) West...

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...

Located just outside of Evergreen, this 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 Maxwell Falls Trail (1.1 miles), and Maxwell Falls Bluffs Cliffside Trail Loop (5 miles). On th...

The hike begins at the East Portal Trailhead outside Rollinsville. Start hiking along the South Boulder trail to the right (north) of the very obvious Moffat Rail tunnel. The trail begins with moderate grades past the Forest Lakes cutoff just 1.25 miles from the trailhead. Continue hiking straigh...

Finding a winter or early spring adventure that won't take you deep into dangerous mountain territory, while still providing epic vistas, is a challenge in Colorado. There are a few 10,000' tall ranges that sometimes escape deep snow, which are inviting for a first step into the alpine wonderland...

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...