Leadville, Colorado

This shady trail of switchbacks ascends steadily (over a thousand feet in under a mile) to a rock outcropping at 9,185 feet. Yes, you can expect your heart to be pounding and to be huffing and puffing as you climb Ute Trail. But the view of Aspen that rewards you is spectacular. The trail is pre...

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...

The Government Trail is beautiful and relaxing during spring and summer, but my favorite time to hike it is during fall because it goes through countless numbers of Aspen groves, which have turned a majestic yellow. After a moderate ascent for the first couple of miles, the trail become flat and ...

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...

Being able to ski or snowboard the Highland Bowl requires a good set of lungs and legs. Accessing the 12,382-foot peak requires taking a couple of lifts from the base of Aspen Highlands Mountain (Exhibition then Loge Peak), then some serious leg work (expect a 30-60-minute hike). Some parts of th...

This is part of the Aspen Snowmass Ski area so you'll have to buy a ski pass to take the lift up, or if you're up for a bigger workout, put some skins on and trek up to the top of Elk Camp. The easiest way to get there is to take the Elk Camp gondola to the Elk Camp lift. Once at the top of the l...

Starting at 8900 feet of elevation, this 13.25 mile roundtrip hike begins its 5400 foot elevation gain on a dirt road that winds for 3 miles until you break the treeline. If you have 4WD and good clearance you can drive most of the way up this road, shortening your entire hike by about 6 miles. J...

Bison peak sits 2 hours from Denver in the mountains of the Lost Creek Wilderness. To reach the 12,431 ft. summit you'll start in low density ponderosa forest at 8,750 ft on crushed granite trail. Early starts are recommended in the summer months as the trail's high albedo can make for an extreme...

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...

Looking for an easy trail run, close to town, with killer views? Snodgrass Mountain Trail is one of your best bets, with flowy singletrack through aspen groves and views of Mt. Gothic and Mt. Crested Butte. While there are endless beautiful trails to hike and run in the Crested Butte area, this o...

Head south out of Carbondale on Highway 133. Two miles from the Main Street roundabout, take a left on Prince Creek Road. Follow this road up to Dinkle Divide and follow the signs to Dinkle Lake. Continue up the road until you see a large, fenced in parking area with a toilet on the left. This is...

The name is uninviting, but Hell’s Hole is a scenic, shallow basin in the Mount Evans Wilderness near Idaho Springs. Starting elevation is about 9500 feet. Right after the trailhead, you pass through a few camping sites in the Chicago Creek Picnic Area. About five minutes into the hike is the per...

The drive to the start of the trail is okay, having a high clearance vehicle would make the drive easier, but is not necessary.  Free parking is available along the side of the road.The trail starts on a closed service road at a gate and requires you to either hike or bike up the dirt road (2 mil...