Outbound Collective logo

Placerville, Colorado

Looking for the best hiking in Placerville? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around Placerville. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.

Top Hiking Spots in and near Placerville

  • Ridgway, Colorado

    Box Canyon Falls

    5.0
    0.57 mi / 243 ft gain
    Box Canyon Falls is located on the outskirts of Ouray, Colorado less than five minutes from downtown. The nearly 300 foot waterfall crashes through the canyon down to the town's hot springs. The park also features a bridge overlooking the waterfall, river, and the town of Ouray. To get to Box Ca...
    Read more
  • Durango, Colorado

    Camp at South Mineral Campground

    4.8
    Some general notes: South Mineral Campground does not take reservations - all sites are first come first served. There are an assortment of designated areas along South Mineral Road where dispersed camping is allowed so there is plenty of camping in the canyon on all but the busiest days, but y...
    Read more
  • Durango, Colorado

    Climb Fuller Peak

    3.0
    Begin by hiking the Ice Lakes Trail for 3.5 miles, which will take you to Ice Lake. From here, you can identify the obvious, delta-shaped mountain to climber's left, known as Fuller Peak (13,761ft). Hike cross country, directly toward the base of the North Ridge (right skyline), walking past Full...
    Read more
  • Durango, Colorado

    Upper Ice Lake

    5.0
    6.74 mi / 2464 ft gain
    From the Ice Lakes trailhead begin hiking through a meadow that quickly enters the forest and begins to climb. The trail will climb ~1,600 feet in the next two miles. As the trail climbs there is a scenic waterfall just over .5 miles, it is worth it to scamper up for a closer look (at ~1.0 miles ...
    Read more
  • Durango, Colorado

    Backpack to Island Lake

    5.0
    8 mi / 3000 ft gain
    From the Ice Lakes basin Trailhead, this 8 mile round trip trail with 3000 feet of elevation gain will bring you to the Ice Lakes Basin with an abundance of beautiful lakes, especially Island Lake and Ice Lake. We camped on a little shelf above Island Lake, but you can camp anywhere you find a ni...
    Read more
  • Ouray, Colorado

    Lower Cascade Falls

    3.0
    0.5 mi
    Located within the picturesque town of Ouray, Colorado, Cascade Falls is what most city parks strive to be. This park and amazing waterfall are located on the edge of town along the longer 5+ mile Perimeter Trail and provides a place for picnics, relaxing, and further days hikes through connector...
    Read more
  • Ouray, Colorado

    Backpack to Dragon's Back via Horsethief Trail

    5.0
    16 mi / 3520 ft gain
    The Uncompahgre Wilderness stretches out through the mountains and forests of southwestern Colorado, with worn trails lingering beside abandoned 19th-century mines and crossing old alpine sheep pastures. Dragon's Back is the unofficial name for Point 12,968', a small but beautiful summit at the b...
    Read more
  • Ridgway, Colorado

    Running to Grizzly Bear Mine

    Bear Creek Trail, which leads to Grizzly Mine, is located just 2 miles outside of Ouray, Colorado on Highway 550 immediately following the first tunnel. There's two parking lots, a large one and a small one, the trail leads from the small parking lot over the tunnel and highway. There are no bath...
    Read more
  • Ophir, Colorado

    Ophir Pass Road

    5.0
    9.93 mi / 1696 ft gain
    Ophir Pass Road is a point-to-point trail where you may see beautiful wildflowers located near Ophir, Colorado.
    Read more
  • Silverton, Colorado

    Explore Hurricane Pass and Lake Como

    Spending much of the trek above tree line, Hurricane Pass is situated at 12,730 feet above sea level and offers up views of Poughkeepsie Gulch (a more extreme off-road trail) and sapphire blue mountain lakes, such as Lake Como. One of the most beautiful roads in the lower 48 states, Hurricane Pas...
    Read more
  • Silverton, Colorado

    Explore Placer Gulch and Sound Democrat Mill

    0.25 mi / 50 ft gain
    Placer Gulches 4WD trail is a gorgeous route offering scenic vistas of the San Juan Mountains and traverses an area rich with mining history. This area provides gorgeous wild flowers in the peak season of late July/ early August. Some of the best preserved mine structures in Colorado can be found...
    Read more
  • Silverton, Colorado

    Fly Fish the Animas River

    4.0
    While the Animas River runs for miles in the San Juan National Forest, a beautiful (and accessible) stretch runs right through Silverton, CO. Here, you can fish, hike, or chill. The river is fast with very few pockets for the trout to hide; however, if you search around enough, you'll find a fish...
    Read more
  • Durango, Colorado

    Camp at Little Molas Lake

    5.0
    1 mi / 40 ft gain
    Little Molas Lake Campground is about 1 mile off of US Highway 550 on Molas Pass just North of and on the other side of the highway from the Molas Overlook. Pro-tip: there is also another campground nearby called Molas Lake Park & Campground, so it's important to distinguish which you are hea...
    Read more
  • Durango, Colorado

    Hike the Colorado Trail: Little Molas Lake to Lime Creek

    5.0
    10 mi / 755 ft gain
    To hike this section of the Colorado Trail, you'll begin from the Little Molas Lake Campground at around 10,895-ft. Little Molas Lake Campground is about 1 mile off of US Highway 550 on Molas Pass just North of and on the other side of the highway from the Molas Overlook, which is just South of S...
    Read more
  • Durango, Colorado

    Engineer Mountain via Cold Bank Pass

    5.0
    5.85 mi / 2293 ft gain
    We were vacationing in the San Juan Mountains for 2 weeks.  A local resident suggested the hike as a great place to see wildflowers. The "Engineer Mountain" sounded a bit too technical to be a scenic hike but we decided to hike like a local and this was one of the best hikes we did in 2 weeks. Ac...
    Read more
  • Silverton, Colorado

    Explore Animas Forks

    5.0
    0.25 mi / 40 ft gain
    The ghost town of Animas Forks, CO is located in the San Juan Mountains at an elevation of 11,200 feet. There are several original buildings remaining. The best way to explore the region is by Jeep or other high-clearance 4×4. The cabins began being built by prospectors in 1873. Three rivers meet...
    Read more