Boulder, Colorado
Looking for the best chillin in Boulder? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around Boulder. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.
Top Chillin Spots in and near Boulder
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Idaho Springs, Colorado
Camp at Chinns Lake
Take the road as if you are going to St. Mary's Glacier, but you will take a left off the road (next to a very nice house) before the road makes a sharp right turn to go up hill. The road is a smooth dirt road for about a mile, but gets very rocky after that and you will need a good off road vehi...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Hike from Bear Lake to Fern Lake Trailhead
5.09.02 mi / 1224 ft gainOn this Rocky Mountain hike you’ll explore 4 picturesque mountain lakes and a 60 foot waterfall. Completing this hike requires familiarizing yourself with Rocky Mountain National Park’s free shuttle system. Hikes along Bear Lake Road are some of the busiest in the park. Trailhead parking lots fi...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Nymph Lake via Bear Lake Trailhead
4.81.13 mi / 276 ft gainWhile not as popular as Dream Lake, Nymph Lake is just as beautiful. The hike to Nymph Lake is an easy hike just over 1 mile. You start from the Bear Lake Trail head and can go further on to Dream Lake and Emerald Lake if you want to. Both Dream and Emerald Lakes are also stunning and very photog...Read more -
Idaho Springs, Colorado
Squaw Mountain Fire Lookout
4.03.92 mi / 791 ft gainCome check out the Squaw Mountain Fire Lookout, a historic spot located in the Mount Evans Wilderness Area of Colorado, and one of the highest lookout towers in the country, at an elevation of 11,486 ft. Just a short drive from the Front Range corridor, you can hike/backpack in to this lookout ar...Read more -
Evergreen, Colorado
Boulder The Eggs on the Hidden Fawn Trail
1.3 mi / 171 ft gainLooking for a place near Denver to perfect your bouldering skills? Or are you wanting to get the whole family out, but not looking for an extreme/technical hike? Which ever question best describes you, Alderfer/Three Sisters Park is the perfect place to go.This Jefferson County Open Space Park ha...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Winter Camp at Moraine Park
5.0For 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,...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Camp at Moraine Park
4.7Moraine 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...Read more -
Loveland, Colorado
Hike the Valley Loop Trail in the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area
4.4 mi / 500 ft gainThe Valley Loop Trail in the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area begins at the main entrance of the Natural Area, just off W County Road 32 C near Masonville, west of Fort Collins and the Horsetooth Reservoir.To get there take West County Road 38 E west from Fort Collins over and around the Horsetooth Rese...Read more -
Loveland, Colorado
Hike the D.R. Trail in the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area
3.76.2 mi / 1050 ft gainD.R. Trail, named for David Rice Pulliam who donated the land to create the Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, is a 3.1 mile spur off the Valley Loop Trail that climbs roughly 1,000' into Mahoney Park before it intersects with the Powerline and Ginny Trails. To get to the start of the trail, take the Val...Read more -
Fort Collins, Colorado
Hike the Coyote Ridge Trail
1.03 mi / 550 ft gainThe Coyote Ridge Natural Area is one of several Larimer County "gateway" preserves and Open Lands that lead into the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, connecting the shrublands of the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountain themselves through a network of trails, parks, and preserves. The Coyote Rid...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Drive Old Fall River Road
4.6This amazing drive starts after entering at the Fall River Entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park (although any entrance will work this is just the fastest route). Follow Fall River Road just past Sheep Lakes and take your first right onto Endo Valley Rd. From here travel to the Endovalley picn...Read more -
Estes Park, Colorado
Drive through Rocky Mountain NP to Moraine Park
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...Read more -
Idaho Springs, Colorado
Explore Echo Lake Park
4.01.2 mi / 88 ft gainLocated at the base of Mt. Evans Road, Echo Lake sits next to Squaw Pass Road, providing a great jumping-off point for numerous adventures. The park serves as a trailhead for hiking or snowshoeing into the Mount Evans Wilderness, offers picnic areas, and includes a nearby campground with 17 site...Read more -
Fort Collins, Colorado
Horsetooth Rock
4.54.78 mi / 1421 ft gainThe 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 an...Read more -
Fort Collins, Colorado
Horsetooth Falls
4.32.17 mi / 541 ft gainHorsetooth Mountain Park is an outdoor trail haven just minutes from downtown Ft. Collins. The 2711 acre area has 29 miles of trails of varying length and difficulty for all levels of adventurers to explore. Horsetooth Falls is one of the shortest (yet stunning) trails in the area. This hike is...Read more -
Grand Lake, Colorado
Catch the Fall Colors on the West Side of Rocky Mountain NP
4.0A Fall adventure in Rocky Mountain National Park is among the most spectacular experiences Colorado has to offer. The change of the seasons offers an amazing change to the landscape that makes taking a bad picture darn near impossible. The light is perfect, the elk are in rut, and the mountains o...Read more