Golden, Colorado

Driving through the towns of Nederlands and Eldora alone is a beautiful experience. Once you come up to Hessie Trailhead, you'll already be in a daze because you'll be staring at Eldora Mountain and will see some ski runs in the distance.Getting to the trailhead early is best. Parking starts alon...

Starting at 9100 feet, the Hessie trailhead is easily accessible by both 2 and 4 wheel drive cars (depending on how far you want to travel down the road). The trail is fairly easy and often packed down snow up to the cut off point to the Devil's Thumb Bypass, which allows a bypass of Lost Lake an...

Lost Lake of the Indian Peaks Wilderness area is a scenic short hike (about 3 hours) with a lot to see. The trailhead is tucked at the end of a road that passes through Eldora, a charming village of cabins and old abandoned buildings. You will pass by the lost "town" of Hessie on foot, which is w...

Roxborough State Park is one of the closest parks to the Denver metro area and is the perfect place to go if you're looking to experience the great outdoors without having to drive too far from the city.One of my favorite trails in the park is the South Rim Trail which takes you on an easy to mod...

Carpenter Peak stands at 7,166 feet above sea level. While that altitude might not exactly take your breath away, the views from the top certainly will. Starting at the Visitor's Center, the trail to Carpenter's Peak begins as a relatively flat, well-traveled trail. A little less than a mile into...

Roxborough State Park is located on the outskirts of Littleton, Colorado. Boasting incredible red rock formations and abundant wildlife, it is the perfect place for a quick escape outside.The Willow Creek Loop connects to the two parking lots in the park, so it is impossible to miss. With only th...

Rollin's Pass Road is a dirt road that follows an old railroad route from the historic town of Tolland, over the Continental Divide, and into Fraser. The road no longer allows you to drive over the summit, due to a partial tunnel collapse, but the road still takes you to within a short hike of th...

Upper Forest Lakes Trail is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a river located near Rollinsville, Colorado.

Chinns Lake Trail is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a lake located near Idaho Springs, Colorado.

After turning on to Co. 16 (Tolland Rd.) from 119 at Rollinsville, drive about 8 miles down the dirt road along South Boulder Creek. The road will dead end at Moffat Tunnel where you'll find ample parking in a gravel lot with restrooms. You'll begin your hike along sweeping meadows until you ent...

The trail to Loch Lomond is very rocky. I suggest a high clearance 4x4 vehicle (I did see a small SUV and a Subaru..Not sure how they did it!!!). There are a few campsites at the lake and several along the way. I set up camp by the lake but had to move because the wind was so intense. I recommend...

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...

Mount Evans is a simple, yet drop dead gorgeous 14er. That being said, no 14er is easy by any means. However as far as 14er's go, this is a cake walk. Coming in at a rating of class 2, there tends to be some scrambling but nothing a well balanced person can't handle. To begin this adventure, we ...

This spot may be a little more difficult to reach than others, but the payoff is worth it. You'll start by taking a dirt road that splits off from Fall River Road. It is pretty easy going for the first mile or so, but then you'll want to make sure you have a little higher clearance 4x4 vehicle to...

Leave Evergreen, CO and access the Mount Evans Road and Mount Evans Recreation Area from Squaw Pass, CO 103 at Echo Lake.Drive along the slopes of Mount Evans, a Colorado 14er standing at 14,264 ft. 5 switchbacks down from the summit, on a tight hairpin turn, is a small parking area near 13,900f...

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...