CO hikes
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Lion and Snowbank Lakes
We could stay in Colorado for the rest of our lives (personally, I have few objections to this!) and probably never run out of places to backpack in Rocky. There are so many options. I haven’t actually counted, but I’m fairly certain that at least ¾ of the trails in the park extend more than… Continue reading
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Colorado Summits: Lily Mountain
Due to the pandemic, entrance into Rocky Mountain National Park was a little more complicated in 2020. In addition to a fee or pass, one needed to reserve a timed entry permit. This allowed the park to reduce the number of visitors and spread them evenly throughout the day to better facilitate social distancing. Plenty… Continue reading
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Colorado State Parks: State Forest
A vast majority of Colorado’s state parks are in the plains or foothills in the general vicinity of the main population centers. Many of them – especially the ones on the plains – are centered around bodies of water and geared toward water sports. They’re also crowded. Because of these factors, most of these parks… Continue reading
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Colorado Bucket List: Hiking to Ice Lake
Do a google search for “best hikes in Colorado” and you’ll inevitably stumble across Ice Lake within the first 5 minutes of your search. And let me tell you, there’s a reason this hike appears on the majority of such lists. It’s unbelievable! It’s also popular and crowded (let’s be real, most everything in Colorado… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Columbine Lake
Alternate post title: my absolute favorite hike in Colorado! In a world of Instagram and photo filters and photo editing software, it’s common to see a photo of something that looks too amazing to be real. So it’s reasonable to be skeptical. I definitely was the first time I ever saw a photo of Columbine… Continue reading
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Colorado Backpacking: Blue Lakes Basin
(Update: as of 2026, this trail has reopened, though backpacking site availability is limited. A permit system is likely to be implemented for 2027.) The title of this post was supposed to be “Colorado 14ers #2: Mount Sneffels” but, alas, the weather had a different set of plans. In fact, this post and the next… Continue reading
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A Year in Review: 2020
2020 has been a giant dumpster fire. On that, I think we can all agree. Pretty much everything that’s happened this year has been unprecedented. I can only hope that better things are on the horizon for 2021. With all the lockdowns and travel restrictions, I’ve been more grateful than ever to live in Colorado.… Continue reading
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Colorado 13er #3: Mount Audubon
The day began in a fairly typical fashion when it comes to hiking in Colorado: Mount Audubon is a 13er located in the Indian Peaks Wilderness of Colorado. To reach the trailhead, one must enter through the gates of Brainard Lake Recreation Area, which is (a) gorgeous, (b) exceptionally popular and crowded, and (c) a… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Hope Pass
This one is being filed in the category of hikes I will probably never do again. It was pretty. It was definitely really pretty once we emerged from the trees. But it was also brutally steep and, frankly, there are less challenging hikes that will get you above tree line. There are two ways to… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Timberline Lake
As is often the case, I mistakenly assumed that because this hike was only 5.5 miles (8.9 km) round trip, it probably wasn’t going to be that great. And, as is often the case, I was wrong. Timberline Lake is beautiful! In mid-July, we headed off for a weekend camping adventure near Leadville, Colorado with… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Strawberry Lake
The morning after summiting Mount Ida, we packed up our campsite and headed back home… but not before squeezing in one more hike. The hike to Strawberry Lake is only 3.7 miles (6 km) round-trip and the trailhead is a decent drive, so we figured we’d check it off the list while we were already… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Mount Ida
Summiting Mount Ida turned out to be a ‘third time is the charm’ situation for us. We wanted to climb it our first summer in Colorado, but forest fire smoke severely limited visibility for much of the summer and we weren’t about to walk along the Continental Divide and not be able to see anything.… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Beartracks Lake
Even as we consistently check hikes off our to-do list, it never seems to get any shorter. And yes, we’re extremely fortunate to have so many options to choose from. I’m definitely not complaining. But it can also sometimes be overwhelming to decide which trail to tackle each weekend. Case in point: this hike. Hiking… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Chicago Lakes
I think most lists of “best hikes near Denver” include Chicago Lakes. It’s not an easy hike – in terms of length or elevation gain – but it’s certainly worth the effort. Which also makes it extremely popular. We arrived at 6:30am on a Saturday morning to find the ample parking lot already approaching full.… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Hell’s Hole
When we told my brother-in-law we were planning to hike to Hell’s Hole the next morning, he immediately asked if this meant we would be spending the day exploring the devil’s butt crack. (Spoiler alert: we would not.) Your guess is as good as mine for where the name Hell’s Hole came from. I tried… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Lake Isabelle
You know how sometimes you set out for a hike and get a bit too ambitious and then spend the last few miles regretting your ambition? This was one of those days. It was a 70°F/21°C day on the plains in early March, which meant it was also an unseasonably warm day up in the… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Bierstadt Lake
The first time we did this hike, I hated it. In retrospect, I may have overreacted. It’s not my favorite hike in Rocky, but it’s still pretty nice. I’m sure the fact that I was asking my tired legs – which had hiked 10 miles (16 km) the day before – to climb a bunch… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Kenosha Pass
For us, the new decade began with a winter hike along the Colorado Trail at Kenosha Pass. And while both Kenosha Pass and a hike on the Colorado Trail were things I’d been wanting to check off the list for a while, the biggest excitement of this hike was breaking in our brand new snowshoes!… Continue reading
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Colorado Summits: Spruce Mountain
How in the world does one meet people and make friends as an adult? It’s a question I grappled with when we first arrived in Colorado. This wasn’t the first time I’d ever moved to a new state. But this time, my job didn’t start for a couple months, and I realized I needed to… Continue reading
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Beer + hiking + fall colors: Upslope Backcountry Taproom
There’s nothing more Colorado than hiking through beautiful fall colors with hundreds of other people and then drinking some beer in the backcountry. Well, okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. To truly do it Colorado-style, you’d have to climb to the top of a 14er before drinking the beer. But they like to make this… Continue reading