Absolutely gorgeous weekend this past Saturday to see the leaves. All the lots were so crowded but…read morewe managed to find parking. Everywhere was so crowded but still worth it to see the beautiful leaves. Definitely recommend in the fall.

This area is just a grand area to Hike, Backpack, Snowshoe, and see the Autumn Colors...and yes…read moreI've done all. Part of the CT, Kenosha pass can give you many options: You can do the easy east part with a gentle slope of 400 feet and two miles, go the West and do a nice 10 mile hike/snowshoe, visit Chair rock, Little Scraggy peak, or Hike all the way down to the North Fork South Platte River ( Great fishing too). Two nice parking lots and easy to get to from Denver.

This is a great hike not too far outside Denver. I found out about this trail thanks to my "60…read morehikes within 60 miles" book. An aside-- I found that book in Barnes and Noble and impulsively decided to buy it. It's been a fabulous purchase! Some of you CO natives are probably rolling your eyes at me, but I've found a ton of lesser known hikes (as well as some very common ones) thanks to this book-- the most recent of which being Hell's Hole. Hell's Hole trail leads into Mt. Evans Wilderness about 30 min into the hike. About 20 minutes prior to this, there's a little stand where you must self register for a wilderness permit. There is no fee for this, it's basically just a way for the park service to keep track of info. The trailhead is off CO-103 on a pretty obscure road, West Chicago Creek. It gets pretty sketchy towards the end (very narrow road winding up a steep mountain with no guardrails...as long as I live here I'll never understand CO's aversion to guardrails in places like this) but it's well worth it. There's a campground near the trail head as well. The hike itself is a great workout with shade in the beginning and gorgeous views towards the end. Horses and dogs are welcome on the trail; mountain bikes are not permitted. The book I have estimated the total hike time to be 4.5 hours but I was pleasantly surprised to discover it only took me 3 hours, including a 30 min break at the turn around point and a couple photo/water opps. Obviously the hike time will vary for everyone; I guess the important thing to know is that it's 9 miles round trip. Though the hike is relatively long, it's not incredibly difficult. There are definitely some fairly steep portions, but a lot of it is at a relatively gentle incline. It seems like a fairly lightly used trail-- in the whole 3 hours I ran into about 3 other couples. It was really nice to enjoy the solitude, but also somewhat reassuring to know there were people somewhat nearby-- if you're hiking alone, like I was, it's always good to be aware! The trail ends in an open field with a creek nearby. It's around the treeline and you can see a couple fourteeners towering over you in this beautiful post-glacier valley. Definitely an ideal picnic spot! This trail is out-and-back, so once you've had enough of the scenery, it's time to pack it in and do it all over again!

Absolutely beautiful. Fairly populated trail so I wouldn't feel anxious going here alone. Road up…read morethe the trail head may be a bit difficult to find, just google it, the road is a little sketchy but I made it up in my little Toyota Camry just fine.

Things are changing here after 100 years. Chautauqua Auditorium is being renovated and winterized…read more It had been needed before this as another concert venue in Boulder would have been appreciated sooner but once Boulder won Sundance it became a necessity. But when you come in the summer it will still look the same. A removable heated tent will be erected inside and heated by geothermal heat from underneath that will be transferred underground from the dining hall kitchen's surplus stored energy. So modern in such an old structure. So when you visit this spring there is a lot of truck traffic and digging and detours around the building but you can see from the last picture, the green and the view of the Flatirons are undisturbed.

Overall, it was a refreshing late October hike on the Flatiron Loop trail! Since we were first time…read morevisitors, we asked for a trail recommendation at the ranger station that fit in with our plans, so something in the 2-hr range. They suggested going in a counterclockwise direction which got the elevation gain done sooner and would finish with a more gradual descent. Being a sea-level creature, I did have to catch my breath a few times on the way up. Now, at the uppermost part of the loop after a bunch of stone steps, there were some all-rock areas where hunching down with a hand or two on the rock helped with balance. Afterward we noted signs on the trail allowing horses. They must have goat like abilities for those rocky parts, I thought. If you like seeing people, there were plenty during the early afternoon hours, sometimes making passing on narrow trail sections a little tricky. We got lucky with parking, going around the large grassy area only once. On the way out, we thanked the ranger for the great recommendation, gave up our parking spot to the next lucky person and went on our way, with plenty of time for our next activity.

One of the most beautiful hikes we have ever gone on…read more Wildflowers, streams, waterfalls and an amazing lake to top it off. High elevation and quite tough going up but so worth it!! Took us about 4 hours total. Stop in Nederland on the way down for early dinner or lunch. Fantastic day

So effing beautiful. Let's just start there. Like the whole way up. Views of trees and mountainous…read moreviews. My legs hurt and I was dehydrated as shit because my moron friends didn't want to stop for food / water beforehand (big mistake). This wasn't the end of the world though due to the natural streams throughout the trek. Just dip your head in for some of the coolest most refreshing water you have ever tasted. Seriously, it beats the hell out of a bottle of Poland Spring or Fiji or whatever your posh ass is used to. I may retract that statement in a week when I have a tadpole making a nest (or whatever tadpoles do) inside of my stomach but for now ... yeah ... refreshing :) Get there early and have a car that you can beat up a little / SUV since there is about 4 miles of hilly dirt roads to get to the trail-head. I recommend hiking boots but I was fine in sneakers. Definitely take snacks / water and if your friends convince you otherwise just poke them hard in the gut with your hiking poles / stick (yes you probably want these too) until they cave in and stop the car for you. The trail is easy to follow. There is a split after about 1 - 1.5 miles up that has you chose between Apache Trail and Diamond Lake. We went for the lake. You will know you are there. If you miss it, congrats, you will probably be some giant grizzly bear's dinner that night. It was one of the more beautiful hiking sites I have bore witness to. For an added bonus and guys if you don't mind your balls retreating up into your stomach for warmth, take off those shoes and climb onto that rock in the center of the lake for some incredible panorama photos. The area surrounding the lake is great for a nap, a picnic, a read, etc. On our way down we stumbled across a man who sprained his ankle about 2 miles in. As a 9 person bachelor party we helped carry him 2 miles to the bottom. Humanitarian mission of Colorado has been complete, sites have been seen, and headache from altitude sickness is quickly on-setting due to lack of nutrients and H20. Despite hunger and a pounding headache, I definitely want to get back to the area and try a few other trails. Such an amazing escape from my normal city life.

Wonderful trail wow! We saw so many mountain goats! The views of the lake were incredible. Would…read moretotally come back!

Take the 850 road which is unpaved to the 1st parking lot with a lake to the south side. Here you…read morecan see the waterfalls in the distance. You will have to cross the river which has no bridge. Either take off your shoes or skillfully traverse the river by rock hopping across. If you have poles you stand a better chance of not falling off the stepping stones. After the falls you can drive all the way up to the dam and park there. Mountain goats do walk about there to lick the dust off cars or lick the roads there for salt which was left over from the salting of the roads during winter. If you are lucky you will be able to see them up close. Apparently they are there frequently. The views are spectacular in this glacial valley.

The lakes were beautiful and the falls were also very beautiful. The hike was challenging but…read moredoable and not too hard. Good shade in a lot of places but lots of mosquitoes as well you need bug spray for sure! Really crowded but less crowded than a fourteener.

I arrived close to 8AM, and the parking lot was full but I still parked pretty close to the…read moretrailhead. The hike up was quite shaded for most of it, and it wasn't too bad until the steep section about halfway into the hike. Views were pretty with mountains in the distance and being surrounded by trees, and the waterfall was small but pleasant. The lakes were pretty as well, and there were lots of places to sit around it. Good hike! I didn't (know to) go all the way to the last lake, just went to Upper Mohawk Lake which took me 3.5 hours round-trip not including time spent at the top.

I did this as part of a larger loop last weekend. The trail conditions for this segment were really…read moregood. It's a long trail, but not too difficult for a reasonably in shape person. Usually, you can walk two abreast and the river crossings are not hard. Lots of nice campsites every mile or so, visible right next to the trail. Once you get away from the trailhead, firewood is plentiful. Some camp sites are right next to water, so you can filter it and you're good. Others, you may have to carry water there. We did have some wet weather, which wasn't bad if you have good raincoats. Naturally, if you go to higher elevations, the rain comes down as snow, or hail, even in June. If you're just doing Goose Creek, within the first 7-8 miles, it's super easy to follow. However, good maps are available for free from the USGS web site. We also had a good map for Lost Creek from Amazon. Not too hard to get to the trail head, although you do have to drive about 15 miles of windy dirt road. It takes about 45 minutes for that part, especially if you have to back up to let someone go the other way on one of the single lane parts.

When Spring hits Colorado snow is most likely still in the mountains... but towards the end of…read morespring there is one wilderness that most locals know will most likely NOT have snow, and that is why the Lost Creek Wilderness becomes so popular. People want out of their homes and into the mountains and they want it now, so they all go. This is a great trail to either take a short hike on or a trek. I did a one night day/trek and saw my first bear in person! I am still so excited to this day that I tell people about seeing my first bear in person. He saw us first and was walking away from us, but I was scared the rest of the trek. We found the most amazing camp site under these beautiful grove of Aspens and by a nearby running river. At that particular time, we were allowed to have fires, so we made a nice controlled fire, had an amazing dinner of burritos and rice and enjoyed ourselves as the night grew cooler. You better bet your booty that we hung all of our food, wrappers, and trash in a high high tree, far, far away from our tents... You are not a true hiker if you don't! Make sure to see the shaft house.. The short mile hike will grant you awesome sites of gigantic boulders and rock formations... A sure different view then the rest of the hike. * Star one for my first bear sighting ** Raise your hands tall or talk low star two is for learning what to do if a bear approaches you talk that lasted a mile *** Wow this is old star three is for the old not-in-use shafthouses that are a perfect short trek off of the main trail **** Fire fire star four is for the first mile which shows you in person how a much a forest fire rips apart a wilderness... But the star is for the new growth... I am so cheesy! 239.

The Village Loop trail is one of the easier trails which is good for families or someone who…read moredoesn't want to go on a strenuous hike. It is slightly elevated so there is not a lot of uphill hiking. It goes around the Beaver Creek resort so you will see some nature along with buildings while walking below the ski lifts. This is also used as a bike trail so it is good to be aware so you can share the trail. The trail is pretty thin so at times it is challenging to get out of the way. It is preferred you stay on the trail to prevent erosion. The trail isn't too far from restrooms , restaurants and shopping since it is so close to the resort. The village loop is a little more than a mile long

This is actually a service road that goes to North Peak around a lot of the ski lifts. Running…read moreabout 10-11 miles, I think this would be a good all day hike for families who also want to get a peak at some wildlife. Otherwise it's about 5 hours. Most of the trail goes along a creek with a ridiculous amount of beaver dams. I don't know if they're all "natural" or not but if they are, man you must have a beaver issue. F*@king beavers... The day I went up was after it had some snow, which led to some interesting pics. I don't know if it's really worth going up when there's snow on the ground (I'm sure there are way more scenic hikes in the area) but if you just want to stay close to the resort or too much a pussy to take the Fusion rental out for a drive on the snow, this is a decently rewarding hike.

Easy to get to just off 85. Easy hike/snowshoeing as well…read more Just got back from hiking the full 11.5 miles. It's a very quite lightly trafficked location. As of today not enough snow to snow shoe and not enough to wear spikes as well. So we decided to get rid of both. About eight or more short switchbacks and a gradual uphill nothing strenuous. When you enter the Pike National Forest you're about halfway to your destination. Trail is well marked and only horses and hikers are allowed here. Solitude and enough length of trail to keep a hiker happy.

Awesome trail for snowshoeing. It is well marked on Hwy 285, with parking along the road. It…read morestarts quickly on an incline with switchbacks to accommodate the climb, but levels off after a while. Within a few minutes we were far enough up the trail that we did not hear any traffic. From there on out, it was just us. No animal sightings, but we did see tracks and scat. It was a windy day, but once in the trees and after working just a little bit, we were amply warm and happy. I felt like we could have hiked for hours and never seen another person. It was the perfect first time experience at snowshoeing. I think the Lost Creek Wilderness would be great during any season. In fact I learned of this hiking/snowshoeing destination from an REI employee who helped me find the right snowshoeing shoes. He got married in this forest preserve. I envy him that beauty and experience. The Ben Tyler trailhead is at 8260ft elevation and over 11 miles in length. The link I provide is of a map. Each trail name is linked to a history and description of the trail.