Rich Creek Trail is a moderate hike in the Buffalo Peak Wilderness near the town of Fairplay. This…read moreparticular trail is on the outskirts of the Weston Pass Campground, with the small trailhead parking lot just prior. A fairly simple out and back trail it may be, however the majority of the trail sits alongside Rich Creek. So for the duration of the hike you hear the wonderful sounds of the rushing creek. Absolutely splendid! With all the rain we've gotten this season, it's no surprise that nature is putting on a show earlier than normal. The abundant evergreens are looking more like summer than mid spring. The vibrant trees definitely added an extra pop of color during the hike and I certainly wasn't complaining. The trail is well marked, and at one point you will have to cross the creek. Be prepared to add some extra wood to the makeshift bridge, because it was on its last leg as I crossed. Tread lightly. I did see some stunning bluebirds during my time out here. Otherwise no major wildlife to be found. 5.5 miles roundtrip. 1,161 ft. elevation gain. 2.5 hours total. For a Memorial Day Weekend hike, I was very content with this trail. I bet this trail is even more beautiful in the Fall. Saw about 9 or 10 people the whole time. Parking lot has 7-8 spots, so if you're going on a Summer weekend it might fill up. Hiking season has begun!

This review is for the total Buffalo Wilderness Trail....as I am too lazy to create a new Yelp…read morepage. Amazing 11 mile loop with great places to camp along. Fishing, birding, plenty of Wildlife....even spotted a few beavers near a small lake. Sure the unpaved path in will beat up your car...but it is worth it. Highly recommended for an easy 2-3 day backpacking excursion.

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.

What's iconic about this Centennial State is the fact that it has numerous and stunning alpine…read morelakes. That's why we Coloradans feel lucky to have close access to these crystal clear lakes only a short drive away from our homes. Well, after living in the state for 28 years, I belatedly had a chance to climb up to see the beauty of Mohawk Lakes just several days ago. Due to the unprecedentedly low snowfall the past season (2025/2026), the lower Mohawk Lake's water level was quite low. This was by no means a disappointing view in any way; it still was emitting the beauty of a clear lake image that calmed us the hikers. We got tempted to sit right by the lakeside and start reading a great book although we didn't have one (lol). Two beautiful waterfalls treated us on the way to the top which we, of course, took advantage of by walking around them and snapping photos. Watching the rushing waters invigorated our spirits. Upper Mohawk Lake was the absolute treat to state the least. This lake deserves far better expression than "beautiful" or "stunning" as those words were quite ordinary for it. "Splendid" might be a bit better to use to describe its incredible depth of the character and the charm. Well, you will have to see it for yourself; mere words or even well-taken photos don't justify how gorgeous it is. Late August was a bit too late for the colorful wild flowers and yet it wasn't completely devoid of them as we saw some dark pink and white on the way. The trail gets a bit confusing during the 4.5 miles walk. You might feel a bit lost due to the lack of signs (we did too) especially when we got closer to the lakes (so I would say the last 0.75 miles or a mile) but we kind of followed other hikers to stay on the road. Don't worry; you'll get there! The Canada Jays or Gray/Grey Jays, fluffy mostly white with some black, were quite friendly! They flew over to us where we almost got to pet them! When they come close to you, stick your index finger. They might come and lightly and playfully bite it but it won't hurt. They are absolutely adorable and made our hike so memorable.

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.

Beautiful drive, well maintained roads, and not much added time vs taking the freeway from the ski…read moreareas. Of course this was in the summer, so winter may be a different story.

Each stop on our full day was momentous. The clouds touch the mountains and it's breathtaking…read more Pictures do not give justice to the view. Wear weather appropriate clothes and shoes. We were not able to make it to the top of the steps but still happy we got to explore this place for a bit!

Incredible 360 views where you can see Denver, Pikes Peak, many other 14ers…read more It is a unique view of Colorado from above since Devils Head is kind of isolated from other mountains. The trail I think is the perfect length, it does feel a little longer than 2.8 miles out and back. I'd say this is a moderate hike. You can bring dogs on this trail. I don't think it is super friendly for young children. I personally would get pretty exhausted if I had to backpack up my toddler. But for the older kids it would be a good one. Definitely add this one to your list! I think it is my favorite hike I have done so far on the front range!

Plenty of parking space and an overflow lot. Trail is well maintained and it's a quick in and out…read morehike. The views at the top are gorgeous.

Spring canyon is an amazingly beautiful space with a small lake and multiple wooden bridges. There…read moreare around 10 picnic tables and a couple picnic benches. The lake is available for fishing and small paddle boats. The space is private but I didn't learn of this until after exploring it. There is also a trail with marked numbers and a trail map to guide you. I wasn't able to explore the trail because the snow blocked the path. The area is about 3 miles away from Cottonwood Lake (take the left road when you see the split to get to the lake rather than Spring Canyon).

it's the best way to spend time with your family and the Lord…read more it has activities for you and your family.You can go to service while your kids go to a smaller group!

I'm quite addicted to hiking and Quandary is still in my memories and I'm determine to do all the…read moreCO 14'er as result. Go out there and create your own adventure!

My first 14er!! And apparently it's a common gateway hike. Information on the website is clear that…read moreparking can be reserved two weeks in advance, which is what my friend and I did. We stayed overnight at an Airbnb in Breck to make a weekend trip out of the adventure, leaving at 6am to make it to the top of Quandary by early afternoon. There was a volunteer standing at the base of the ascent to warn everyone about clouds coming in. It did get chilly at the end of August and sprinkle quite heavily by the end of our hike. So glad my friend had hiking poles, because I wouldn't have survived without them. The views are beautiful at the top, and we even got to see adorable mountain goats!! Haven't decided whether or not I'll do another 14er, but at least I did one. Definitely consult friends or the internet for advice if this is your first. It's a struggle if you have weak knees like I do, but take your time and start early if you can. Then take a picture with the sign at the top so you can show off on social media afterwards, obviously.

Welp it's a long drive for just a day hike....but…read more.. If you want to backpack for a night or two it is an amazing place to explore. Fantastic hike to the lake: Roughly 2.8 miles with about 2000 feet of elevation gain. Lovely vistas and streams the whole way. Wildflowers abound aplenty all along the trail if you hit it right. Great campsites ( please pack out everything and no wood fires). Great hike to Electric Pass with slight exposure. Dogs are allowed on the trail. Smallish parking lot Last mile is on bad road and a small car might have problems....just saying

Such a gorgeous hike that's worth it 100%! Still snowy and having spikes and poles would make it…read moreeasier and not as sketchy, but we did see people in sneakers making it. Amazing views of cathedral peak and other mountains. At the lake there were backpackers that camped out over night to hike cathedral peak. Definitely a climb only for experienced people especially with all the snow. The parking lot is small and up a dirt road that low clearance cars can reach. The path is hard to find in the snow at the top but we just followed footprints and the sound of the water. There is no service on the road and ok the hike. Highly recommend this hike, especially when the lake isn't iced over.

It's a tough thing to be from CO and recommend great trails. Coloradans naturally want to gatekeep…read morebeautiful secrets, but had to write a review for this incredible hiking trail (which I'm sure isn't really a secret). Took my 12 year old daughter backpacking on this trail and we had a fantastic time. There are plenty of areas to set up a tent along the creek for the first 2 miles. After that the elevation climbs and you have to wait until 4 miles or so and you aren't as close to water. There were hardly any mosquitos, but a lot of flies. The flies were relentless, and only one type seemed to bite. Some bug spray helped a little. The scenery was beautiful. Greener than a lot of spots in CO due to the creek and massive boulders everywhere. There's a lot of bird activity including humming birds. There wasn't a ton of foot traffic either. The trail is narrow but maintained. I do not suggest going on the unmaintained trail on the other side of the creek. We hiked the maintained trail in and the unmaintained trail out and there were several spots that were difficult with a 40 lb backpack on due to loose dirt and gravel. Just stay on the main trail especially if you have kids packing in. The water level was pretty low in some areas and the only fish we saw in our spot were tiny ones, so it's probably not great for anglers. The road leading there is a long dirt road and goes down to a single lane in some spots so take it slow. One driver was being very irresponsible and driving as fast as possible and taking turns quickly so as to spin out and nearly hit us! You can't see around curves and there are steep drop offs, so please drive cautiously. There's no cell service out there (AT&T), so remember the turns you made driving and landmarks like campgrounds and ranches. Beautiful spot. Would recommend.

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.

Arrived at 5:40 am. Only a handful of cars in the parking lot. Lot is not very big. There is no…read morebathrooms in the lot and also no trashcans. If you need to go to bathroom pop over to elbert or one of the bathrooms along the road/way to get to the trailhead. Otherwise be sure to plan on packing out what you pack in. Trail is actually 14.5 miles per 14ers.com. So be prepared that this is longer than what all trails states. This is the standard route for this peak. This trail is well maintained and in good shape. Trail is currently in summer conditions. Basically this is just a REALLY LONG trail with a lot of elevation gain. There is nothing technical about it. When you get to the ridge there is still a pretty well defined trail. You will have to step over some rocks but nothing bad. The inclining meadow leading up to the ridge though seems to go on forever! Bring plenty of water, food, O2, and be prepared. If you are bringing your dogs. Pack out their poop bags! Also keep them on a leash! Saw pica, marmots and some birds i had not seen before. No goats though. I did this in 6 hours total hiking time but was moving at a fairly fast clip.

Okay I do dumb things sometimes…read more.. Welp trying to hike Massive in the winter ranks high up there. We started at the Leadville Hatchery and the weather looked gorgeous...and then it didn't, Lack of any trail made matters shall we say a tad more difficult. Did not summit but did not die...win win??? Will do in the summer when sanity will prevail.