Silver Plume, Colorado

Just a short drive from Denver up US-285 sits Mount Falcon Park, a 2,248 acre open space park managed by Jefferson County. With over 12 miles of hiking trails and stunning views of Denver and the Front Range, this park is perfect for getting in a quick adventure when you don’t feel like driving t...

From Boulder, the pullout that is best to park at for the Avalon crag is 8.4 miles up the canyon. You will walk down the side of the road past the talus field, where if the river is too high to wade you can use the tyrolean traverse. Otherwise, you can wade or hop across rocks according to the da...

The Colorado Trail (CT) runs for 483 miles from Denver to Durango, crossing through eight mountain ranges and passing through six wilderness areas. There are great resources on completing a thru-hike of the CT; this post is about Segments 8-9 of the CT from Copper Mountain to Tennessee Pass.These...

Janet's Cabin is located on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide at 11,610 ft, near Copper Mountain ski resort. This hut is one of the rare huts with not only a sauna but indoor bathrooms (composting pits)!  The cabin was built in 1990 and due to the location helicopters were required to b...

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...

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...

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...

When it comes to hiking trails in Boulder, the standard response usually consists of either Chautauqua Park or Mt. Sanitas, and while both offer excellent hiking options, they are both usually jam packed on the weekends. If you’re looking to stay close to the city, but want a little more seclusio...

While the narrow trail is often popular, it's only 100 yards to see this 70-ft tall waterfall, set against a beautiful canyon backdrop. Keep in mind there's no climbing allowed on or around the falls. It is also a good idea to check if the trail is closed for maintenance, ahead of time.

Start from the McCullough gulch trailhead. If possible it would be worth having 2 cars and leaving one at the main McCullough trailhead so you don't have to walk the road on your way down. Bushwack through trees and willows up the ridge directly to the north of the trailhead. You might be lucky a...

Start at the Pawnee Pass Trail No. 907 Trailhead. Long Lake is about 2 tenths of a mile and Lake Isabelle is 2 miles from the trailhead. Keep an eye out for moose grazing in the bushes or in the water near Long Lake. This is a 4 mile out and back hike with well marked trails. For an 8.75 mile hi...

Getting There The trailhead can be reached from Boulder by driving west through Boulder Canyon on Highway 42 to Nederland, then going north on the Peak-to-Peak Highway 72 to the town of Ward. From there, a National Forest Sign on the west side of the highway provides directions to the ranger stat...

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 ...

Hike one of the most scenic 12ers in Colorado's front range, Shoshoni Peak, with an elevation of 12,967 feet. You can easily combine a summit of Pawnee Peak for wonderful views of multiple alpine cirques. Enjoy wonderful views of the Long Lake Valley, Isabelle Glacier, and Pawnee Pass regions. Fo...

Start at the Long Lake Trailhead ($10 parking fee) and head up the trail towards Isabell Lake. You'll pass both Long Lake and Isabelle lake, with spectacular views at both. At Lake Isabelle, be sure to continue straight on the trail, further up the valley, not the right turn up to Pawnee Pass.Con...

Start at the Long Lake trailhead in the Brainard Lake Recreation area (there's a fee to park, if you don't have a pass). Take the trail towards Lake Isabelle for a few miles, winding through forest and past Long Lake. Signage towards Lake Isabelle and Pawnee Pass is apparent. Just as you reach ...