Jefferson, Colorado

Located 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...

This is a great hiking area an hour outside of Denver, Colorado. It's still easily accessible in the winter and most of the time it can be hiked without snowshoes. Starting at the Echo Lake parking lot, hike around the right side of the lake until you reach a fork in the trail. Follow the path o...

Horseshoe Mountain is a peak that is ranked in the top 100 tallest peaks in Colorado at 13,898 feet, and it can be done in the summer but is arguably more fun in the spring as a snow climb. Avalanche safety, snow climbing, and snow safety experience is necessary. To get to the trailhead, follo...

Ptarmigan Trail, not to be confused with Ptarmigan Peak, is a 5 mile out-and-back, scenic trail that offers unparalleled vistas of Summit County, Dillon Reservoir and the surrounding mountains(including Quandary Peak, Red Mountain, and the ​Decalibron Loop). Located just outside of Silverthorne a...

The Herman Gulch Trail, located near Silver Plume, Colorado, is a popular 6.3-mile out-and-back hike that leads to a stunning alpine lake, offering hikers breathtaking views of wildflower-filled meadows and towering peaks of the Continental Divide.  Trail Overview • Elevation: The trailhe...

A mile South of Fairplay, turn West onto 4 Mile Creek Road (dirt) and follow it for about 8 miles. The road passes a number of excellent camping spots and finally ends at the ruins of an old mine. Parking is available about a quarter mile from the mining area. Don't park at the gate as its possib...

Mount Sherman from Iowa Gultch is an out-and-back trail that takes you past scenic surroundings located near Leadville, Colorado.

Lily Pad Lake is a well known destination just outside of Silverthorne and in the Eagle's Nest Wilderness. The trail may be heavily trafficked on the weekends, but solitude can still be found in the early mornings or during the weekdays. The trail starts at the Lily Pad Lake Trailhead, just to t...

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.

Start at the Willowbrook Trailhead. You’ll hit a “Y” in the trail pretty quickly - go left and you’ll soon be at the first log bridge. There are quite a few water crossings on the trail, but they are easy to maneuver. After hiking in the Willow Creek Open Space for a bit, you’ll enter Eagle’s Ne...

Sitting at 11,709’, Chief Mountain is not one of Colorado’s highest peaks, but the views from this mountain are spectacular nonetheless and rival the views of any 14er I’ve climbed. This mountain sits along Squaw Pass Road so you get the luxury of a high trailhead for this peak. To get there, fo...

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. 

Come check out the Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout (formerly known as Squaw Mountain), 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, y...

Shrine Ridge is one of the most incredible wildflower spots in the state of Colorado. Not only is the area incredibly beautiful with carpets of flowers covering verdant mountainsides, it's only a 1.5-hour drive from Denver. The ridge summit is a short 2-mile hike from the parking area at Shrine P...

The total distance of the loop is a little under 25 miles and you will climb a total of 7202 feet. It can be done as a 3 day backpacking trip as shown below.The LoopDay 1: After Parking in the trail head's parking lot, which fills up quickly on weekends, start down the trail after signing your pe...