Colorado

Before you start your trip, get a camping permit from the Boulder Ranger Station. Plan to spend your first night in the Crater Lake BZ (Backcountry Zone), and your second in Buchanan BZ. If you're feeling particularly sedate, you can easily spend a third night in Coney Creek. Start early in the ...

There are many different places to start the trek up to Castle and Conundrum. The first step, however, is always go to the end of Castle Creek Road just outside of Aspen, CO. When the paved road ends, there is parking available right off the road for those who don't wish to drive further. Howe...

Heading west from Boulder, take CO 119/Boulder Canyon Drive into Boulder Canyon. Once you're in the canyon, there are many areas that all have great climbing. For the more traditional climber, there are areas such as Castle Rock (39.9787, -105.4551) and the Happy Hour Crag (40.0033, -105.3939). P...

Angel's Way is an amazing 8 pitch rock climb scramble (5.2) that is tucked away in Skunk Canyon, hidden from the crowds of Chautauqua. The best part of this scramble is you only need your climbing shoes and chalk-bag. It is similar to the 'Free Way' on the Second Flatiron. I would encourage ev...

Starting on the edge of a neighborhood in South Boulder, this 3.8 mile loop begins its 869 foot elevation gain by meandering through a pine forest. You can 'choose your own adventure' by exploring the handful of trails that meet up with the Shanahan Ridge Trail, such as the South Mesa Trail, Shad...

There is a great description of this trailhead here: Hike Mount SneffelsThe SW Ridge route of Mt Sneffels is a Class III scramble in the Mount Sneffels Wilderness area of the San Juan Range located between Ouray and Telluride, Colorado. This route is 3 miles RT with 1,800 feet of elevation gain ...

Finding a winter or early spring adventure that won't take you deep into dangerous mountain territory, while still providing epic vistas, is a challenge in Colorado. There are a few 10,000' tall ranges that sometimes escape deep snow, which are inviting for a first step into the alpine wonderland...

First off, these are two different hikes but both stem from the same parking lot and Settlers Park is a mere 5 minutes away from where you park so why not kill two birds with one stone? One of the more popular hikes in Boulder, Mount Sanitas is a 3 mile hike that quickly scales nearly 1,350 feet...

Wanna kill some mummies!? Of course you do! Who doesn't? Mount Chapin: 12,454 feet; Mount Chiquita: 13,069 feet; Ypsilon Mountain: 13,514 feet; Fairchild Mountain: 13,502 feet; Hagues Peak: 13,560 feet; Mummy Mountain: 13,425 feet The Mummy Kill is the perfect all-day hike for those seasoned h...

This is a great spot for beginner climbers, as long as you have an experienced climber with you to anchor the top rope and belay you. It is in a beautiful state park, Eldorado Canyon, in Boulder, Colorado. This canyon is famous for rock climbing and attracts climbers from around the country. Many...

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...

While this is a 6 mile hike, it is relatively easy to add mileage to it and tailor it to fit your needs. Instead of simply doing the Red Rocks Trail/Morrison Slide loop, you can head all the way to the Village Walk trail in Matthews-Winters. You can also park along Red Rocks Trail Road and elimin...

Lilly Lake is known as a very popular, easy hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Lilly Lake itself is very pretty and also has some good fishing and walking opportunities.Rock rises up nearby the northwest area of the lake, and offers some of the most fun rock climbing in the area. There are num...

Begin the hike at the Bear Lake trailhead, this will be the same for any season you chose to hike to the lake. From the Bear Lake trailhead follow the Dream Lake trail for ~1.05 miles to just before Dream Lake itself. The trail is very easy to follow up to this point in all seasons. In winter the...

Green Ridge is a fantastic series of summits in the Front Range that make for excellence training hikes, but is often forgotten as it lies outside of the nearby Bobcat Ridge Natural Area and just inside of Roosevelt National Forest. The summit itself at 7,402' is fantastic, featuring a nearly 900...

The start of this route up the Kelso Ridge is the same as doing the standard route of Gray's and Torrey's peaks. From the trailhead cross the large metal bridge and continue on the great trail as it slowly climbs away from the parking lot and trailhead. This first section is not steep, but prov...