Green Mountain has often been a staple hiking spot for the Lakewood/Golden community. It offers…read moremultiple trails that are rated easy to moderate with an elevation gain of just over 1,000 ft. Just a word to the wise, the very beginning can be steep for some and will leave you out of breath, so be sure to pace yourself depending on your skill level. Given the location of this hiking spot, there are wonderful views of the Denver metro area and the sunrises are spectacular, if you can get out early enough. If you don't have any set plans for 4th of July, I highly recommend grabbing some lawn/soccer chairs and watching the fireworks displays across the city. I always try and make it up to watch the Coors Field fireworks. This is a very popular mountain biking destination as well and there are specific trails intended solely for mountain bikes. They are well marked and easy to avoid if you're hiking. If you're mountain biking, get ready for unimpeded trails with smooth turns and fun jumps. In wet seasons, it's super fun to get a little muddy.

Some muddy spots on 3/29/20 due to a recent snow dusting. Starts out steep early on and gets the…read morelungs working. Great views of mountains and downtown Denver. Mostly rocky and some very narrow paths. I liked taking a different route on the way back. So it can be an in/out or it can be a loop. I went up the main trail and came down the right/east side. I saw a lot of different things taking that other way like birds, a bunny, burrows. But, there were a couple areas where the bushes are beginning to take over the path. Overall it was a nice, solid hike.

Visiting this park made a recent visit so much more beautiful and memorable…read more Temps were low and the wind chill so biting that one of our hosts immediately retreated back to the vehicle while the remaining three of us walked around the edge of the snow-covered lake and trail and then stepped onto the frozen lake - a first time for 2:3 of us!! The second host soon retreated to the car as well while us two, non-locals carried on - not knowing when - if ever - we might get to return...and having the curiosity of cats. Glad we were that we opted for a short out-and-back hike on Chicago Lakes Trail!! The views were breathtaking and well worth fighting the cold to see!

Gorgeous park to take visits or just to take yourself on a nice little walk or hike. I've been here…read morea couple times, both in the summer and winter and really can't say which one is my fave since it just beautiful all around. They have a couple small parking lots but it fills up quickly so per usual with Colorado, the earlier the better. Bathrooms on site as well but I would hold your nose and close your eyes when you go because you don't want to see what's going on there. Yikes. Bonus for having multiple picnic sites where you can plop down and have a snack or meal while taking on the views!

Great day hike/Backpacking trail…read more You can either park at the Bierstadt parking lot ( Guanella Pass ) above or park below (Burning Bear) and go up. Great views and varied terrain. For me Abyss Lake was so so and much preferred Helms lake but both have spectacular views of Bierstadt and Evans/Blue Sky. If you plan to camp there are some great spots below Helms at the junction going up.

This is a absolutely beautiful trail tucked away off in guanella pass! It has a small parking lot…read more There is no bathroom and also no trash cans! So plan on packing out what you pack in INCLUDING your dog poop bags. Please dont leave them there for everyone else have to view or pick up. Be responsible for your things!!! If you are going on the weekend be sure to go early. This is a popular trail! we got there at 645 am. the lot was full and we ended up parking a bit away on the side of the road but when we got done cars were lined up for a LONG ways! And you could tell. The trail was so freaking busy! If it were not prime leaf peeping season i am guessing that maybe it may not have been that bad. This is also a leashed dog trail so please be sure to have that dog on a leash if you are heading to this area. Be respectful of the rules or dont come. So many aspens and so so beautiful! will definitely be back in the future!

Beautiful scenic overlook with absolutely breathtaking views, straight out of a postcard!!! It's…read morean easy drive and there was plenty of parking when we arrived, which made it very convenient. Just a heads up: it can be very icy, so definitely wear snow boots or sturdy protective shoes (I slipped a few times ). Overall, totally worth it and I highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area.

You can't really call this a hike, it's a 0.1 mile walk to the lookout. But it's easy to find on…read morethe map and cute! I give 4/5 stars because this spot is obvs weather dependent - the day I came was grey and wet so the view wasn't as lovely as I'd seen online but it's still a great vibe and a lovely, easy to access spot in the white river national forest area. If you're in Frisco/Breckenridge and want a nice photo op spot this is a great option!

Great marked looped trail and the views at the top are stunning. Trail is well marked with blue…read morediamonds on trees. It is fairly rocky so just watch your step. Slow elevation rise. I would say dogs and kids would do well on it.

Pika Trail is on the outskirts of Fairplay and Alma. Roughly a 20 minute drive from either town…read more It's a small, but mighty loop clocking in just over a mile. I hiked here the morning of Memorial Day. My advice for anyone hiking around this time of year in the mountains is to download a map in advance. Even for a super short trail, it's incredibly easy to steer off course when it's still snow packed. I nearly made a wrong turn at the very beginning! Once you get to the top, you get amazing panoramic views of the mountains. It's a wide open space at the top, and I think you're able to connect to the Pennsylvania Mountain trail if desired. I will say the trail was marked impeccably well with blue markers sitting high on the trees. It's very easy to get off track during this woodsy hike. When you arrive at the trailhead you'll find only a handful of parking spots. 1.2 mile loop 259 ft. elevation gain 35 minutes to complete (in summer, longer if snow packed) Contrary to the name, I didn't see many pikas. Assuming they'll be more present during the summer months. Nice little trail for all ages and difficulty levels. Great views!

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.

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.

Trip report: 8/22/26 Sat 8 a.m starting from the TH…read more Parking lot was full but still able to find the spot by the TH. Facilities: porta potty. Didn't use it. TH is 30 min from STARBUCKS at Idaho Springs so if you do not like the porta potty, thats another option. Wild flowers: July 12, 2025 so much wild flowers including columbines everywhere especially at the finally leg of the hike. Aug 22, 26.. Definitely lot less and no columbine. Took about 2 hours to the lake and another 2 coming down. Had several people in the group with foot problems and also breathing problem. Do not wear brand new hiking shoes to this long trail. You will get a blisters! Also, if your shoes are tight, you will get a black toes on the way down so get a shoes thats 1/2 size bigger. Also, bring a hiking stick if you are not sure of footing. Will help! RT 7.29 miles Elevation gain: 1665 ft Highest: 12009 ft

This hike is at least in my top three. An hour from Denver and close to cute mountain towns for…read morelunch after? Count me in. Wear good shoes because you will encounter way too many exposed roots along different parts of the trail. Other than that, it's pretty perfect. You'll huff and puff at the beginning and level out to some meadows and wildflowers. You'll huff and puff again when it gets steep towards the end. Finally you come to the lake and 360 degree mountains all around. There are some rocks to sit on and take pictures, have a snack and a rest. It gets crowded so as always with popular trails in this area, leave early in the day. Parking is tight so there's another reason to be an early riser for this hike.

Beautiful trail with good views of the river. Not strenuous and worth doing even if you're not…read morefishing. The coverage isn't there when the sun is up mid day so highly recommend doing this earlier because it gets really hot. Was able to get parking easily which was a bonus.

This hike captures what I envision as a picture postcard Colorado. The crystal clear Platte River…read morereflect the surrounding colors of nature. There were just as many fly fishermen as hikers. As a hiker it does not get full stars because signage is near non-existent. Many hikers note the frustration of getting lost. My party still got lost even though we had two people who hiked it multiple times. You can't get too lost since it is a Canyon. If you aim to get to the dam, you will need to head towards the rim of the canyon. One tends to gravitate toward the river trail, and lose site of the path towards the top. The hike is moderate with "treacherous" conditions. The loose gravel earth and getting lost makes it tricky with the constant sliding. Poles will prove helpful. It totals about 7 miles. We opted to take the loop even though it is a tad longer and less scenic because of getting lost. After reaching the dam, note if you decide to take the loop it goes through a section recovering from forest fires. The last 1.5 miles goes through a dirt road shared by two way car traffic. Choose the lesser of two evils.