CO hikes
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Rocky Mountain National Park: winter hiking in Glacier Gorge
I’ve hiked in Glacier Gorge in the summer. I’ve also hiked in Glacier Gorge in the winter. A lot, in fact. Winter in Glacier Gorge is one of my favorite things in Rocky. And while I’ve published posts on Sky Pond in summer and Sky Pond in winter and Black Lake in summer and Black… Continue reading
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Colorado Destinations: Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge
From 1952 to 1994, Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant was home to manufacturing facilities for both nuclear and non-nuclear weapons, including triggers manufactured from the highly radioactive elements uranium and plutonium. After a series of issues (the plant was actually raided by the FBI in 1989 after claims of environmental crimes) followed by permanent ceasing… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Devil’s Head Lookout
In 1907, the US Forest Service – which was a brand new agency at the time – planned to build seven lookouts along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains from Wyoming to New Mexico. Only four of these lookouts were ever actually built; one on Medicine Bow Peak in Wyoming, and three in Colorado… Continue reading
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Colorado Summits: Chief Mountain
This happens to everyone, right: you do something wrong and you get corrected and then you can never remember which version is wrong and which one is correct? As a kid I briefly attended a school named for a Native American chief and, in one of the more embarrassing moments of my time there, I… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Lost Lake
There are many Lost Lakes in Colorado. Apparently. I didn’t realize this until I just googled “Lost Lake” in an attempt to verify the mileage of this hike and a whole bunch of options came up. Turns out there are at least 7 or 8 of them. Back in the day, people must not have… Continue reading
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Colorado 14ers #10-13: Decalibron
If a two-for-one is called a twofer, does that make a four-for-one a fourfer? If so, this was a fourfer. Specifically, four 14er summits for the effort of one. Or maybe slightly more than one. Either way, the Decalibron trail is probably the most bang for your buck of all the Colorado 14ers. Hiking Decalibron… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Lawn and Crystal Lakes
In the years since we moved to Colorado, more than one person has told me that Lawn Lake is their favorite hike in Rocky. Obviously, I couldn’t ignore a recommendation of that caliber. And while it’s not #1 on my Rocky hikes list – Chasm Lake retains that designation – I can see why people… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Finch and Pear Lakes
Just seven days after waving goodbye to my mom, I was saying hello to her once again. Just as our mother-daughter roadtrip has become an annual tradition, so has our mother-daughter overnight backpacking trip in Rocky. This year, we had a permit for one night at Finch Lake, a calm, fairly shallow lake located in… Continue reading
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Colorado 14ers #9: Culebra Peak
Some people who set out to climb the Colorado 14ers do it ABC: all but Culebra. Why, you ask? Because the peak is on private land and the owner charges a fee to access it. So when my friend invited me to climb Culebra with her (and another friend, who unfortunately had to cancel) this… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Bridal Veil Falls
I’m just going to come right out and say it: this might be the most underrated waterfall in Rocky. Given the deluge of rain we received in May and early June this year, I figured it would be an optimal time to hike to a waterfall. And boy, was it ever. Of course, we also… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Green Mountain (Denver)
April May showers bring May June flowers. That’s how that saying goes, right? Here in Colorado this year, at least, that’s what happened. In a 45 day period spanning from May through the second week of June, we received almost 11 inches (27 cm) of rain; that’s about 3/4 of our average annual total! Now,… Continue reading
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Colorado Destinations: Chautauqua Park
The Flatirons are a prominent facade of five slanted rock slabs that rise above the town of Boulder, Colorado and are probably one of the most recognizable features in the entire region. Their outline and/or name appear all over logos and businesses in Boulder and their sharp profile is visible from many miles away on… Continue reading
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Day Hikes in: Conifer, Colorado
A while back, I put together a post about a handful of short hikes near the Colorado mountain town of Evergreen. Today I’ll be doing the same thing for a different – but nearby – location: Conifer. The town of Conifer is located along Highway 285 about 30 minutes west of Denver. Over the years,… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Hartenstein Lake
I’m not going to sugar coat it: this was not an overly enjoyable hike. It was a combination of factors. The snow conditions were terrible; it was soft and squishy and slippery, and at times it felt like we were walking on sand in our snowshoes. We also hadn’t been at such high elevation in… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Two Rivers Lake & Lake Helene
We haven’t had a lot of luck with this hike. The first time, we began our hike under blue skies, but as soon as we sat down at Lake Helene to eat a snack it began to rain. Between the precipitation and the low-hanging clouds obscuring the mountains, it wasn’t very enjoyable and we couldn’t… Continue reading
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Day Hikes in: Evergreen, Colorado
I have a terrible tendency to discount shorter or easier or lower elevation hikes because I’d much rather be above tree line on a summit or way in the backcountry at an alpine lake. I’m certain this bias has caused me to overlook many hiking opportunities over the years. But Colorado continues to remind me… Continue reading
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Colorado Fall Colors: Backcountry Taproom and Caribou Ranch Open Space
Three years ago, we attended Upslope Brewing’s annual Backcountry Taproom and had a blast. After one year off due to Covid, the event was resurrected last year and we attended again. In the aftermath, I was telling my mom about it and she mentioned she’d like to come with us sometime. So this year, when… Continue reading
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On Top of Colorado (and Colorado 14ers #8): Mount Elbert via Black Cloud Trail
In September, two of my travel goals collided when I summited my eighth Colorado 14er… which also happens to be the highest point in Colorado! A few days later, as I sit down to begin writing this post, I’m conflicted about whether to title it ‘Colorado 14ers’ to match my other 14ers posts or ‘On… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Lake Haiyaha
Up until June 2022, Lake Haiyaha looked like this. On June 28, 2022, there was a rockslide on the mountainside above Lake Haiyaha. On this peaceful, sunny morning, a large section of the landscape broke free and began to tumble down Chaos Canyon. Rocks ranging in size from small pebbles to apartment-sized boulders began to… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Tuhare Lakes
Two years ago, my friend and I made plans to hike to Tuhare Lakes with our husbands. Two years ago was also an absolutely awful summer for wildfires in Colorado; forest closures, evacuation zones, and suffocating smoke thwarted many plans… including this one. The original plan was to reschedule for summer 2021 instead, but we… Continue reading