Nederland, Colorado

Starting at the often-busy Wild Basin TH, the trail passes through dense forests as it follows the North Fork of the Saint Vrain River through the southernmost section of Rocky Mountain National Park. The trail passes alongside the small Copeland Falls before continuing west towards Calypso Casca...

Begin at the Wild Basin Trailhead in southeastern Rocky Mountain National Park near the town of Allenspark. Plan to start before sunrise if attempting this trek as a day trip in order to avoid afternoon thunderstorms above the treeline. This trip can easily be made into a backpacking experience b...

While most people go snowshoeing near the Bear Lake or Glacier Gorge area in RMNP, Wild Basin is a much less trafficked option. The entrance station isn't manned in the winter, so you'll get in for free, as well! You can put the Wild Basin Trailhead into your GPS, but you'll have to park at the w...

Sandbeach Lake is best known for (as you can probably guess) its wide sandy shore. At nearly 50 feet deep, it is one of Rocky Mountain National Parks deepest lakes. If you are looking to fish at the lake, make sure to bring barbless flies and lures. There are six official campsites (1.8 miles Hol...

The trek to Parry Peak crosses three other peaks (Colorado Mines Peak, Mt. Flora, and Mt. Eva) along the Rocky Mountains. Begin your hike around sunrise as inclement weather often rolls in during the late afternoon. The trail is extremely rocky and steep.  From the Berthoud Pass parking lot, fol...

Colorado’s Rocky Mountains offer hikes of all lengths, sizes and difficulties. Mt. Flora stands at a lofty 13,146 ft and is a great intro to climbing peaks in Colorado. Roundtrip, this hike is 6.3 miles and will take you (in the summer) through fields of alpine wildflowers as you climb into Color...

Starting at roughly 6,000 ft. this hike will take you to the Mount Galbraith Loop Trail that circles the summit of the Mountain which peaks at 7,247 ft.  Getting there is very simple, from State Highway 93, take Golden Gate Canyon Road west approximately 1.5 miles to the parking area and trailhea...

Come check out the Squaw Mountain Fire Lookout, 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, you can hike/backpack in to this lookout ar...

The hike starts out from the North Table Mountain Park parking lot just east of Highway 93 on the North Table Loop Trail, with a half-mile fire road straight up the mountain. This fire road is by far the most strenuous part of the hike, and is essentially the sole elevation gain for the hike; onc...

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, foll...

Note: This is NOT the Beaver Brook Trail in Genesee Park/Lookout Mountain! If you enjoy the scenery and ambiance of Evergreen, but Evergreen Lake has become too crowded for your tastes, Beaver Brook Watershed (owned by the City of Golden) is an excellent alternative. It’s a small, secluded area a...

From here, you can choose a few different hiking paths. This out-and-back trek starts at the trailhead up and to the left. Along the way you'll pass a bench dedicated to Craig Luebben — a writer, photographer and climbing guide. At this point, you probably haven't even broken a sweat yet. It's ti...

Once you're parked, you can choose to ride this trail either counterclockwise or clockwise. My personal recommendation is CCW, which entails you head up the steep paved road on the east-southeast corner of the parking lot first. The climb is about 10 minutes of grunt work and then on to flat grou...

Coulson Gulch is a lightly used area of the Roosevelt National Forest which makes it perfect for a weekend getaway without the crowds. This is a great place to camp out under the stars!To get to Coulson Gulch From Lyons, head west on U.S. Highway 36 for about 9 miles. Turn southwest onto Larimer ...

The trailhead is about eight tenths of a mile from the parking area. You pass some sport climbs, a man made waterfall, and some large boulders in the North St. Vrain Creek.The trailhead is clearly marked on the left. There is some elevation gain at the beginning but nothing difficult. Once the el...

Just outside of Golden, CO is Lookout Mountain. If you’ve ever driven westbound on i70 from Denver to the mountains, you’ve undoubtedly seen this mountain to your right with antennas on the top. On the north side of Lookout Mountain lies Windy Saddle Park, about a 30 minute drive from Denver. Thi...