Castle Pines, Colorado

The Section 16 trailhead can be found on lower Gold Camp Road. Almost immediately, the trail begins to rise in elevation. The grade is gentle at first but soon becomes a steep steady climb for about a mile and a half, until you reach the ridge.  Along the way, you will see many intersecting trail...

Parking is available on either Canyon or Sunshine Roads. During the weekends it tends to get crowded around sunset so plan accordingly. The entire trail is a loop and is a little over 1 mile in length so it doesn't take too long. The main feature is the massive red sand stone rocks that jut out o...

First off, these are two different hikes but both stem from the same parking lot and Settlers Park is a mere 5 minutes away from where you park so why not kill two birds with one stone? One of the more popular hikes in Boulder, Mount Sanitas is a 3 mile hike that quickly scales nearly 1,350 feet...

This is a mix of trails that will bring you on an easy loop to the peak of Mt Sanitas, but will keep you away from the usual crowds of the more well-known paths up. The hike is a clear path that brings you 5+ miles from around 5,500 ft in elevation to 6,800.  You'll start at the Centennial Trail...

Starting from the oddly poorly marked Guanella Pass Trailhead (Google maps directions to Guanella Campground and then drive about two miles past it to the south), the trail heads southeast toward Bierstadt, and much of your route to the first summit is visible from the parking lot. The trail to ...

From Denver, take i70 to Georgetown and simply follow the signs through town to the top. This pass can also be accessed from the south via US Highway 285 at the town of Grant. Guanella Pass is closed in the winter, typically from about the last week in November through the last week of May. Watch...

Starting from Guanella Pass, right across from the Bierstadt trailhead, Square Top Lakes is definitely a hidden gem. Most people here are attempting to do the 14er, but if you've already bagged that one (or are just looking for some high altitude hiking to get you ready for it), Square Top Lakes ...

About an hour from Colorado's busy Garden of the Gods is a multi-colored hoodoo valley called, The Paint Mines. Similar in appearance to Utah's popular Goblin Valley, The Paint Mines offer colorful hoodoo formations making your photography here even more awe inspiring.Getting to the park is easy,...

Sentinel Point is an appropriately-named 12,527-foot rockpile standing watch over the broad shoulder of the Pikes Peak massif. Rarely visited, especially in winter, you are almost guaranteed solitude on this high mountain snowshoeing adventure.Beginning at the Horsethief Park trailhead off CO Ro...

Horsethief Falls and Pancake Rocks can be found on the west side of Pikes Peak, so if you want to get away from the crowds and the city, put this trail on your to do list. Most of the trail runs through the forest, which makes this an excellent candidate for hiking in July and August when the su...

The Betasso Preserve features two loop trails that are accessible to both hikers and mountain bikers.  Drive up (west) Boulder Canyon about 15 minutes outside of Boulder and turn right (north)  on Sugarloaf Dr.  After another 5 or so minutes you'll see a sign on the right-hand (northeast) side of...

The site is an easy drive from Colorado Springs on US Route 24. There are three parking areas: the west and south parking areas are trailheads, and there is additional parking on the west side for a scenic overlook. The overlook does not attach to any trails.Through several loops, there are up to...

The Colorado Trail (http://www.coloradotrail.org) is 500 miles long and stretches from Denver to Durango. Perhaps the most-traveled portion of the Colorado Trail is at Kenosha Pass. Kenosha Pass is well-known for its thick, colorful stands of aspen in the fall. During peak leaf season (late Septe...

This is a quick hike to add to the list if you're making a trip to the Cheyenne Canon area. Parking is limited to about 15 cars and fills up fast so be sure to start early or the first part of your hike might start from a further parking or pull-off along the road. This is the same parking lot a...

The Basics: Mt. Muscoco (8020 ft.) is one of the easier summits in the Colorado Springs Front Range area, and you are quickly rewarded with 360 degree views after climbing 1.8 miles and 1,400 feet. The path is well-defined and maintained after it was reconstructed in 2015. Pack water and a light ...

Follow North Cheyenne Creek through the canyon as it forms several cascades along the way. Due to water levels, spring is an especially good time for this hike. Most turn around just past the seventh bridge, where the trail starts to disappear.