guanella pass
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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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History and hiking in the Georgetown-Silver Plume Historic District, Colorado
Like most Colorado mountain towns, Georgetown and Silver Plume were founded by miners. Georgetown was named after prospector George Griffith, who struck gold in the area in 1859. While this triggered a small gold rush, the gold mining operations in the region were only mildly successful due to the relative lack of gold in the… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Silver Dollar and Murray Lakes
My mom and I left home just before sunrise and headed up to Guanella Pass and the Silver Dollar Trailhead, looking forward to a lovely hike to multiple lakes. There are two starting points for this hike… the lower trailhead and the upper trailhead. Had we planned ahead better and driven the Subaru we could’ve… Continue reading
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Colorado 14ers #2: Mount Bierstadt
I’ve been hiking since I was too young to remember, and in that time I’ve accumulated quite a few hiking accomplishments. But one thing I’d never done in all 30+ years of my life was go hiking alone. In general, I don’t consider myself an anxious person. Sure, I have my moments of anxiety when… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Helms Lake (the winter version)
As I’ve spent more time in Colorado and gained more knowledge and confidence in my winter hiking abilities, I’ve begun to push myself harder. I’ve tackled longer and more challenging hikes, and been rewarded with gorgeous snow-covered views and relative solitude. But I’ve also established some limits on just how much I’m willing to challenge… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Burning Bear Trail
The Guanella Pass area is moose territory. So when we headed up Burning Bear Trail one January morning, adjacent to an expanse of willows, I was on the lookout. Just a few minutes up the trail we encountered a fellow hiker who informed us there were four of them just ahead in the willows. Despite… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Shelf Lake
My Colorado readers can verify this: no matter where you are in the state, there’s always that one person who somehow manages to make it up a terribly rough dirt road in their low clearance car. Trailhead parking lots will inevitably be filled with trucks and SUVs… and a Toyota sedan. The very first thing… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Helms Lake
I feel very fortunate to be a member of a local women’s hiking group. There are always people looking for hiking buddies, and hosted group hikes occur very frequently. I’ve been lucky enough to secure spots in a few of these hikes, including this one from last fall! Helms Lake is located 6 miles (9.6… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Square Top Lakes
Fall arrived late to Colorado last year, thanks to the fact that winter persisted in the mountains until early July. Typically, fall colors peak in the mountains in mid-September, but this year they didn’t arrive until the end of the month. And then it promptly snowed all over everything, putting an abrupt end to the… Continue reading