Carbondale, Colorado

The Gothic mountain trailhead starts at 9600' about 10 miles outside Crested Butte, Colorado. A four wheel or all wheel drive vehicle is recommended to make it to the trail head. Take trail 403 which will eventually turn into Gothic Mountain trail around mile 2.5. The single track trail winds thr...

From downtown Basalt, drive up the Fryingpan River Road 28 miles and turn right on CR #504, also known as Elliot Way, just before Norrie Colony. Drive across the river and up the switchbacks for approximately 3 miles. Take the left fork, continue 1 mile and take the right fork approximately 1/2 m...

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...

Starting at 9600 feet, just outside the small town of Gothic is the trail head for Judd Falls. The parking lot is on the side of the road and getting to this area is completely possible with a passenger car. The trailhead includes bathrooms and is particularly uncrowded on weekdays and in the lat...

At the round-a-bout that leads into the town of Aspen, take the Castle Creek Road exit. Follow this road for 12 miles until you get to the ghost town of Ashcroft. The road itself is very scenic, so be prepared to pull over and whip out your camera!During winter, the road ends at Ashcroft and a cr...

Cathedral Lake offers an excellent alternative to escape the crowds that swarm the Maroon Bells area, especially in the peak autumn season. The drive along Castle Creek Rd towards the abandoned ski town Ashcroft is lined with aspens showing off their golden hues. Parking at the trailhead is plent...

The Roaring Fork River has several little waterfalls that end up in a deep swimming hole called The Devil's Punch Bowl. This is a must-see if you are driving up to the Independence Pass. I have never seen such blue water before (outside of an amusement park).  While Driving from Aspen on CO82 to...

Just nine miles east of Aspen on Highway 82, Independence Pass, are grottos. A grotto is a geological term for a cave or cavern. The Grottos near Aspen were formed by rushing water of the Roaring Fork River. There is only an elevation gain of 300 feet on the three-quarters of a mile loop making...

This amazing campsite has river access (freezing cold!), beautiful scenic views of red rocks and rock faces in varying shades of brown and tan. It's the only campsite at this location so feel lucky that this whole area is just yours. Beautiful views of the moon and stars and get ready for the rus...

There are many different places to start the trek up to Castle and Conundrum. The first step, however, is always go to the end of Castle Creek Road just outside of Aspen, CO. When the paved road ends, there is parking available right off the road for those who don't wish to drive further. Howe...

Betty Bear and Skinner Huts reside deep in the Colorado backcountry surrounded by thick forests and snowy peaks. Both of these huts offer an opportunity for off-grid leisure and crowd-free skiing. The huts come stocked with padded mattresses, wood stoves & fuel, propane burners, all cookware ...

Oh Be Joyful Campground sits on the banks of the Slate River and consists of 15 camp sites dispersed over a decent amount of ground, split into two sides of the river. The river, when it's low is more of a stream and is only passable when it's low. It's a small thrill to drive through it to get t...

Overview: Round Trip is about 13 miles, about 500 ft ascent at the beginning and 1500 ft ascent in the last 1.5 miles. The majority of the hike is flat and through an AMAZING valley.  Getting There: Blue Lake Trailhead is located at Oh Be Joyful Campground on Slate River Rd, just across a river,...

If you're not already camping there, park at Oh Be Joyful Campground, about 5 miles up County Road 734 from downtown Crested Butte. There's parking on either side of the river crossing, but you're going to have to get your feet wet anyway, so might as well park in the first parking lot and walk a...

Back in the late 1800s, Ashcroft, Aspen, and Independence were booming mining town. While Aspen is still thriving today, Ashcroft and Independence are ghost towns. Independence Ghost Town is on Independence Pass, 16 miles east of Aspen on Highway 82. The Farwell Mill sits right along the highwa...