pike national forest
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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 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: 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 13ers: Mount Guyot
August was rapidly approaching and, with it, a fairly intense backpacking trip at high elevation. Hence the two posts in a row about summiting mountains… and the two others that will be coming soon. This was my attempt to regain all the acclimation I lost when I had Covid and whip myself into shape for… Continue reading
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Colorado Hikes: Harmonica Arch
I debated with myself about whether to share this hike with all of you, because this wasn’t exactly a typical excursion. Reaching Harmonica Arch required quite a lot of navigation. We climbed very steep hills… and then had to hike back down them, which was extremely slippery. We walked across large rock slabs that were… 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: Chair Rocks
Have you ever walked along a trail mere minutes before a car went flying off the road and landed on said trail, right where you’d just walked? No? Neither had I… until this hike. My friend and I set out early one Saturday morning, the landscape beautifully dusted with snow from an overnight storm. The… Continue reading
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Colorado Summits: Bison Peak
Above tree line is one of my favorite places to be. I love the panoramic views and the tiny plants and the beautiful desolation of the tundra. Tree line here in Colorado is around 11,600-11,800 feet (3535-3600 m); above that elevation, you can generally expect either an endless jumble of rocks or a vast expanse… 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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Chasing fall colors on Boreas Pass
Autumn in Colorado is never going to be the same as autumn on the east coast. We just don’t have as many trees that turn so many vibrant shades of color. But we do have cottonwoods and aspens and willows, all of which turn yellow (and sometimes the aspens even give us a little bit… 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 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
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Colorado Destinations: Manitou Cliff Dwellings
This past winter began fairly mildly, but by March – right about the time I was ready for winter to end – the snow arrived with a vengeance and lingered for nearly 3 more months. The final snow storm arrived 3 days before Memorial Weekend, throwing a wrench into everyone’s plans and thwarting efforts to… Continue reading
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Shadows of the Past – Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado
When I mention giant redwood trees, Sequoia National Park and California are probably two of the first places that come to mind. But if I’d mentioned giant redwood trees about 34 million years ago, you’d most likely be thinking of Colorado instead! Thirty-four million years ago, what is now the Florissant Valley in the Rocky… Continue reading
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