Tag
hiking
36 Porch Notes tagged “hiking,” from counties across Colorado.
Outdoors and wildfire - Lake County
Lake County's fourteeners sit on national forest land with its own rules
Mount Elbert, Mount Massive, and the high country around Leadville are managed by the Forest Service through the Leadville Ranger District.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Lake County
Two main trailheads reach Mount Elbert, and they start in different places
Mount Elbert has a North and a South trailhead off different roads south of Leadville, and knowing which one you want saves a long, confusing drive.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Summit County
Climbing Quandary Peak in summer means a parking reservation or a shuttle
Quandary Peak is the popular 14er south of Breckenridge, and in summer you reach its trailhead by a reserved parking spot or a shuttle, not by parking on the road.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Chaffee County
Chaffee County's fourteeners sit on national forest land
The Collegiate Peaks above Buena Vista are public peaks managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and some of the high country is designated wilderness with its own rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Lake County
Mount Massive sits in a designated wilderness with stricter rules
Mount Massive and the country around it are inside the Mount Massive Wilderness, where wilderness rules limit what you can do beyond ordinary national forest.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Gilpin County
Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a Gilpin County doorstep, not just a destination
Golden Gate Canyon State Park straddles the Gilpin and Jefferson County line and is close to southern Gilpin County, with state-park access rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Mineral County
The Wheeler Geologic Area is a maze of volcanic rock that takes real effort to reach
Wheeler Geologic Area near Creede is a striking field of eroded volcanic ash spires reached only by a long hike or a rough four-wheel-drive road, with seasonal access and wilderness camping rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - El Paso County
Barr Trail: hike all the way up Pikes Peak
Barr Trail is the footpath that climbs from Manitou Springs to the Pikes Peak summit, a classic big-elevation hike that most people enjoy most when they split it over two days.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Douglas County
Castlewood Canyon is a state park, with state-park rules
Castlewood Canyon State Park near Franktown is managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, so it follows state-park access, pass, and seasonal trail rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Ouray County
The Uncompahgre Wilderness is big, quiet, and closed to motors and bikes
The Uncompahgre Wilderness covers a large stretch of the San Juans east of Ouray, with several trails leading in from the west and the usual wilderness limits on motors and bikes.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Garfield County
The Flat Tops Wilderness has different rules than a regular trail
Part of the Flat Tops Wilderness reaches into northern Garfield County, and designated wilderness comes with its own access and use rules that differ from ordinary national forest land.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Las Animas County
At Fishers Peak State Park, the summit trails close in spring for nesting raptors
Fishers Peak State Park sits just south of Trinidad, and its upper trails close part of each year so peregrine falcons can nest undisturbed, so the day you can reach the top depends on the calendar.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Summit County
Eagles Nest Wilderness in the Gore Range has stricter rules than regular forest
The Eagles Nest Wilderness in the Gore Range west of Silverthorne is a designated wilderness, so no bikes or motors are allowed and camping and campfires follow special limits.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Ouray County
A foot trail loops the whole town of Ouray
The Ouray Perimeter Trail is a roughly 6-mile loop that rings the town on foot, passing Cascade Falls, the Ice Park, Box Cañon, and a string of bridges and waterfalls.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Grand County
Byers Peak Wilderness rises right above the Fraser Valley
Byers Peak Wilderness sits in the Arapaho National Forest above Fraser, and reaching its high trails takes a long forest-road approach.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Gilpin County
James Peak Wilderness: a wild corner of Gilpin County with strict rules
The James Peak Wilderness reaches into western Gilpin County, and as designated wilderness it bans campfires, bikes, and motors, with leashed pets and small group sizes.
Read note ->Water and land - Ouray County
Switzerland of America: two big waterfalls within reach of downtown Ouray
Cascade Falls is a short, steep quarter-mile walk from the edge of Ouray, and Bear Creek Falls drops right beside the Million Dollar Highway.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Teller County
The Crags Trail: Teller County's granite window onto Pikes Peak
A short, family-friendly hike from Crags Campground near Divide threads granite spires below Pikes Peak, and the same trailhead launches the strenuous back route toward the summit.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Weld County
The Pawnee Buttes Trail has a spring closure for nesting raptors
The Pawnee Buttes Trail in northeast Weld County is open year-round, but parts near the bluffs close each spring to protect nesting hawks, eagles, and falcons.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Bent County
The Red Shin Trail loops the quiet side of John Martin Reservoir
The Red Shin Trail at John Martin Reservoir State Park is a named loop below the dam and around Lake Hasty that ties together prairie, wetland, and a Santa Fe Trail marker.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Gunnison County
Crested Butte, the Wildflower Capital of Colorado
The Colorado legislature named Crested Butte the state's Wildflower Capital in 1990, and the valley's summer meadows back up the title.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Saguache County
The Crestone Group: a wall of serious 14ers above town
A tight cluster of fourteeners rises straight off the valley floor above Crestone, free to admire from town and a real objective for prepared climbers.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Alamosa County
Zapata Falls: a short hike, a rough road, and slick rocks
Zapata Falls is a waterfall tucked in the Sangre de Cristo foothills south of the Great Sand Dunes, reached by a rough gravel road and a short hike that ends with wading over slippery rocks.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Lake County
The Leadville fish hatchery is a trailhead for hikes and wildlife watching
The grounds of the Leadville National Fish Hatchery double as a trailhead, with named trails climbing toward the Mount Massive Wilderness and good odds of seeing elk, deer, and birds.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Huerfano County
The West Peak Trail climbs high enough that afternoon storms matter
The West Peak Trail from Cordova Pass climbs the flank of West Spanish Peak into open, high country where summer lightning is a real hazard.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Otero County
Vogel Canyon offers short trails, springs, and old rock art near La Junta
Vogel Canyon in the Comanche National Grassland south of La Junta has short hiking loops, canyon springs, ancient rock imagery, and old stage-route ruins, all on Forest Service land.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Otero County
You can walk the Santa Fe Trail to Sierra Vista Overlook near Timpas
A marked section of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail runs from the Timpas area to Sierra Vista Overlook in the Comanche National Grassland, letting you walk the old route on foot.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Pueblo County
Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness rises in Pueblo County's Wet Mountains
Greenhorn Mountain Wilderness sits in the Wet Mountains southwest of Pueblo in the San Carlos Ranger District, a quiet, trail-limited wilderness with strict wilderness rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - San Juan County
Ice Lake Basin near Silverton is steep, popular, and short on parking
The Ice Lake Trail off South Mineral Road near Silverton is a strenuous climb to a wildflower basin, with limited parking in summer and burn-area hazards from the 2020 Ice Fire.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Pueblo County
Prairie rattlesnakes live in Pueblo County's grasslands and bluffs
The prairie rattlesnake is common in the lower country around Pueblo, including trails at Lake Pueblo, and a few calm habits keep encounters from becoming dangerous.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Fremont County
Tunnel Drive Trail near Cañon City follows an old water pipeline through three blasted-rock tunnels
Tunnel Drive Trail is a gravel out-and-back west of Cañon City that runs along a retired irrigation pipeline bed through three granite tunnels above the Arkansas River.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Park County
Buffalo Peaks Wilderness, near Fairplay, is quiet meadow country with bighorn sheep
On the southwest edge of the Mosquito Range, the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness offers walkable meadow-and-forest backcountry close to Fairplay and Hartsel, with one of Colorado's largest bighorn sheep herds and strict wilderness rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Park County
Lost Creek Wilderness, near Tarryall, is granite-dome country with wilderness rules
The Lost Creek Wilderness in eastern Park County is known for rounded granite domes and arches reached from Tarryall Road, and as designated wilderness it has stricter rules than ordinary forest.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Summit County
McCullough Gulch trailhead also uses summer parking limits
McCullough Gulch, a waterfall-and-alpine-lake hike on the north side of Quandary Peak, falls under the same summer parking reservations and shuttle system as Quandary.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Mesa County
Mount Garfield is a steep, sun-baked climb above the Grand Valley
The Mount Garfield trail near Palisade climbs sharply up the Book Cliffs with little shade, so heat and footing are the real concerns on this short but strenuous hike.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire - Summit County
The Gore Range and Wheeler trails are Summit County's long ridge walks
The Gore Range Trail and the Wheeler National Recreation Trail are long, high routes near Copper Mountain that connect to the Eagles Nest Wilderness and the Continental Divide Trail.
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