Colorado Hikes
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Chasm Lake (the winter version)
I’ve wanted to see Chasm Lake in the winter pretty much since the moment I first laid eyes on it. That was in the summer, nearly eight years ago. Since then, I’ve made two summertime return trips. But I’d never made it there in the winter, mostly due to the fact that one section of… Continue reading
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Colorado Summits: the Boulder Peaks
I have a feeling 2026 is going to be a good year for adventures. How could it not be, when my first hike of the year took place on January 2nd, beneath a beautiful sunrise sky (photo above, and more to come), and involved the long-overdue completion of one of my many hiking-related lists? As… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Fern Lake
For the first time in six years, Thanksgiving roadtrip was not to be. I was obviously disappointed; the trip had been planned since August and I’d been looking forward to escaping to the desert southwest for a few days. But with back-to-back winter storms predicted for the weekend after the holiday, we were worried about… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Deer Creek Canyon Park
Located on the southwest edge of the Denver Metro area, Deer Creek Canyon Park is open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The park isn’t huge, but there are 14 miles (22.5 km) of trails, including routes to the park’s two highest points: Plymouth Mountain and Bill Couch Mountain. There’s also a lengthy trail connecting this… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Andrews Glacier
On long weekends, we typically plan to disappear into the backcountry, as far away as possible from the holiday crowds. It definitely didn’t work out that way this year. In the week before Labor Day weekend, plans A-C fell through for various reasons. This is not an unfamiliar situation for us; over the years, I’ve… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Spectacle Lakes
Four summers back, my husband and I stood atop Ypsilon Mountain gazing down at two lakes nestled in an isolated nook 2000 feet (610 m) below the summit, teal water rippling in the sunlight. “I wanna hike to those lakes,” I said. It turns out you can! In fact, our friends who were with us… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Shrine Ridge
The end of July was rapidly approaching, which meant summer was in full swing up in the mountains and wildflowers were at their peak. But, of course, so were the crowds. Especially on weekends. Luckily, some friends and I were able to plan a mid-week hike. The four of us departed bright and early, pulling… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Mayflower Gulch
Usually, my first time hiking a trail is in the summer. Not so with Mayflower Gulch. I’ve actually hiked (or, rather, snowshoed) this trail twice in the winter. Only recently did my husband and I finally experience the beauty of Mayflower Gulch in the summer. We were headed up to the mountains for the weekend… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Geneva Creek Iron Fens
Fall in Colorado has become a nightmare. From mid-September through early October, the Colorado mountains are painted with large swathes of yellow, interspersed with the occasional bursts of red and orange, as our many aspen groves and a handful of other trees and bushes begin to change color. It’s no New England autumn, but it’s… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Pawnee Pass
As you know if you’ve followed me for a while, my to-do list of Colorado hikes seems to constantly get longer rather than shorter. Some of these hikes in particular have been on my list for years and we’ve just never gotten around to them. So at the beginning of last summer, I made a… Continue reading
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Colorado Backpacking: Cascade Creek Trail to Mirror and Crater Lakes
First things first: there are a whole bunch of Crater Lakes in Colorado. This post is about the one on the west side of the Indian Peaks Wilderness near Lake Granby. For info on hiking to the Crater Lake near Aspen, see this post. For info on hiking to the Crater Lakes in the James… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Booth Lake
After two relatively calm summers in terms of wildfires, I’d forgotten just how much smoke could wreak havoc on hiking plans. Then, the Front Range had its driest start to summer in over 100 years and within 48 hours, multiple fires flared up in the foothills. In addition to forcing hundreds of people to evacuate,… Continue reading
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Colorado 14ers #15-16: Grays and Torreys Peaks
When we moved to Colorado, I made a rule that I was never waking up earlier than 4:00am to go hiking. Unfortunately, these two 14ers are so popular that if I was ever going to climb them, I might be forced to break that rule. It was one of those moments where I was forced… Continue reading
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A long weekend in Palisade, Colorado
This year, we didn’t have the vacation days to swing a two-week roadtrip, so instead we settled for a much more low key – but still fun – belated anniversary three-day weekend in Palisade, Colorado. Palisade is a small town on Colorado’s Western Slope, best known for its wineries and peach orchards. It’s a town… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Niwot Ridge
I’ve long since lost count of how many times my hiking plans have been thwarted by weather. After bailing on this hike once due to a high probability of – strangely – early morning thunderstorms, my friend and I were able to reschedule for a couple weeks later and, this time around, the weather cooperated.… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Arapaho Pass and Lake Dorothy
It was the beginning of July and my husband had a couple days off, so we decided we’d take advantage of the opportunity for a mid-week hike at a trailhead that’s typically far too crowded on weekends. I, of course, already had a list of hikes that fit the bill, but some research revealed most… Continue reading
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Colorado Summits: Saint Vrain Mountain
My birthday is in the summer and, in most cases, you could pretty confidently plan an outdoor celebration and assume the weather will cooperate. In the Rocky Mountains, as it turns out, it’s not such a guarantee. In fact, it snowed on my 8th birthday and my planned outdoor party had to be moved indoors;… Continue reading
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Colorado 14ers #14: Mount Sherman via Fourmile Creek Trail
Despite what some people might say, there are no easy 14ers. Unless you spend a substantial portion of your life at very high elevation, nothing over 14,000 feet (4267 m) is ever going to be easy. But there are easier 14ers and, by most accounts, Mount Sherman is one of them. If you can make… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Mitchell and Blue Lakes
Last week, I wrote about one of the two most popular hikes in beautiful Brainard Lake Recreation Area in the Indian Peaks Wilderness west of Boulder: Lake Isabelle. It’s a close call, but as lovely as Lake Isabelle is, in my opinion it’s actually the least scenic of the two. This one – to one… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Long Lake and Lake Isabelle
A couple weeks back, I published an informational post about Brainard Lake Recreation Area, a popular destination that encompasses the eastern side of the Indian Peaks and surrounding wilderness area. This area is popular for a reason. Actually, there are many reasons, including its relatively short distance from the Front Range, ease of access, and… Continue reading