snowshoeing
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Colorado Hikes: Forest Lakes
After somewhat of a lull in hiking in the latter portion of 2023, my 2024 hiking pursuits began just three days into the new year when S invited me on a snowshoeing excursion to Forest Lakes. These lakes had been on my to-do list for a while but never seemed to make it close enough… 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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Colorado Hikes: Lower Coney Lake
Lower Coney Lake, located in the Indian Peaks Wilderness of Colorado, is beautiful. Getting there was awful. This was partly due to weather and partly due to the fact that, all in all, this was not my best day on the trail. My friend, her husband, and I arrived at Beaver Reservoir around 7:30am, and… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Wind River/Glacier Basin Loop
Normally I’m excited for snowy mountains and frozen alpine lakes and snowshoeing, but this past winter I had trouble locating my enthusiasm. It might have been because winter took its sweet time arriving in Colorado. The mountains ended the year with snowpack that was far below normal, and it didn’t actually snow on the plains… 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: 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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Colorado Destinations: Snow Mountain Ranch
Winter is a risky time of year to make partially-non-refundable reservations for anywhere in the Colorado Rockies. Weather can change in an instant, closing mountain passes and rendering travel downright dangerous. But it’s when we could go, so we made the reservation and crossed our fingers and ended up getting pretty lucky. At the suggestion… 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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A comprehensive guide to winter hiking
I never really gave any thought to winter hiking until we moved to Colorado. I’d been snowshoeing twice, but that’s about it. Here in Colorado, though, there are some truly stunning winter hiking opportunities, so we decided to tackle a new challenge. Before heading out for a hike in winter conditions, there are some additional… Continue reading