Whitney James

This is the way to see fall colors if you're into empty trails and endorphins. Grind up the trail starting from South Elbert Trailhead. You'll turn right onto the Colorado Trail at .3 miles and stay here for as long as you like, or 7.3 miles to the Mount Elbert Trailhead. Turn around and go back down to your car. Watch out for Colorado Trail thru-hikers, listen for the elk bugling, and take ton...

The Maroon Bells are known around the world for being some of the most iconic, beautiful mountains in all of the United States. Even if you haven't heard of them, there's a chance you've seen them. And if you've seen them in person, it's likely you were there with 800+ of your closest friends.If you'd like to enjoy the Bells in solitude, without any agenda to complete some great through-hike fr...

This trail system is somewhat of a hidden gem to mountain bikers south of the Wyoming border. Those who know their way around the best trail systems, though, hail Curt Gowdy as one of the best. If you've got some energy to burn, try the IMBA Epic suggested route, which loops together the 20 miles of trails in one awesome day's ride. The terrain shifts from Rocky Mountain-esque to Great Plains a...

Fruita is Colorado's mountain biking paradise. Right across the border from world-famous Moab, it's only slightly lesser known. People on the Front Range make monthly pilgrimages to this epic spot for desert camping and mountain biking. The area is especially popular in the spring and fall, when mountain trails are still covered in snow and the desert isn't too hot.You'll want to camp with the ...

Ever wanted to pick a spot on the map and just GO for the weekend? That's exactly how we discovered Heart Lake. Our only recommendation is don't do it in October, when it might snow. A lot.As there's not much to do other than hike around up there, we combined the day with a morning mountain bike ride down Pauly's Plunge in Beaver Creek. Picking up final supplies (including donuts from Northside...

Anyone who has been to Rocky Mountain National Park, or any national park for that matter, knows they get CROWDED. One of the best ways to beat the crowds are to arrive before the sun comes up (or stay after it goes down). That's how we opted to do Emerald Lake in RMNP. After spending the night near Chasm Lake below Longs Peak, we entered the park via Estes and parked at the entirely empty lot...

Designed for cross country skiing, this trail system brings together the perfect amount of ups and downs for summer mountain biking. Generally flowy with a handful of steeper pitches, the area can be ridden in any number of loops or connections.Looking for an epic ride? Bike to the trailhead from wherever you're staying on the shores of Lake Chelan. The elevation gain on the paved road is steep...

You'll pick up the Lady of the Lake Ferry in downtown Chelan. Take the slowboat or the faster version, and prepare to settle in to an incredibly scenic and enjoyable ride up the 50 mile long Lake Chelan (the largest lake in the state by any measure). Don't forget to wear your sunblock if you sit on the open deck. You won't notice you're getting burned with the cool breeze, but this part of Wash...

Kebler Pass, or Gunnison County Road (GCR) 12, is an excellent place to see fall colors in Colorado. You won't get nearly as much congestion as on Independence Pass in Aspen, but you get just as many yellow and amber leaves. The road is dirt but passable by any vehicle–although because it's at over 10,000 feet–it's closed in winter and can get extremely muddy if it snows or rains. The mud is sl...

I grew up in Washington, but didn't get out to Mount Rainier until I came home for a visit years later. We took advantage of the nonexistent snowpack and headed up in mid-June, which is normally a terrible time to visit (think late summer). There are two main areas in the park, Sunrise and Paradise. Sunrise is less busy and less popular, so we started there.For a mid-level day hike, head for So...