Alyssa Teboda
Colorado based graphic designer with a serious case of wanderlust and passion for travel + adventure! Sharing my voyages around the world and local travel through the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Southwest desert and beyond.
There's nothing wrong with Mt. Elbert per say, but it's not the most thrilling or spectacular 14er out there. The hike isn't terrible, just a long slug up a rocky path after you leave tree line. The view of Twin Lakes is the coolest feature.
4.0
Quandary is by far my favorite 14er that I've done. We started at the trailhead with headlamps and by the time we were getting out of tree line, the sunrise was starting. There are alpine lakes and rugged peaks which add to the beauty of this hike. We also saw some mountain goats frolicking in the morning light. It was really special! Not too crowded either, but it probably helps when you start the hike SO early in the morning, you are rewarded with having the trail all to yourself.
5.0
I had every intention of doing Mt. Democrat, Mt. Cameron, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Bross but Mother Nature had a different plan! I checked the weather forecast the morning of and there was no rain. The day started out beautiful but by the time I had summited Mt. Democrat, I could see some ominous looking clouds moving quickly through the sky. Decided it was best to call it a day with 1 summit and I'm glad I did! As soon as I reached my car there was thunder and lightening over head and it started to pour rain. With that kind of weather the last place I would want to be is on top of a 14er. Great views at the top though, will try to go back one day for the other 3-14ers I missed.
5.0
I think the trip reports I read about the road leading up to Zapata Falls were a little over exaggerated. My Subaru Forester made it up just fine and there was plenty of parking at the trailhead. Really cool views at the beginning of the hike of the sand dunes in the valley below. Short hike to reach the falls. They were half frozen and half running when I visited, I thought that was pretty cool. I saw some trails that went above the waterfalls, definitely will be back to check out more of the area.
5.0
My parents live in the Midwest and came to visit me in Denver so I decided to take them on a hike here. Dad loves historical places so he was in heaven taking photos of the ghost town. It's close to Denver and a good starter hike for people coming from out of state and need to get acclimated to altitude before diving into longer and more strenuous hikes. Overall it was a good hike, but the one thing I noticed was all the glass on the ground outside the cabins. I picked up two handfuls and put it in an empty ziplock to throw away later. I have no problem drinking and having a good time in nature, but use cans!! That could have been a bad day for one of the many dogs running around.
4.0
I love having this trail so close to where I live. There are interconnecting trails all the way around and I visit frequently so I mix it up by choosing different paths each time. Being that it's so close to Denver it's a great place for that week night trail run or hike. You'd be surprised how much wildlife you can see here since it's very close to residential neighborhoods. But I've seen deer, coyotes, rabbits, and rattlesnakes. Watch out for the rattlesnakes, they love it here in summer.
5.0
I'm biased because I love hikes that give you a glimpse of Colorado history (fire lookouts, mining towns, etc) and this one did not disappoint! Plus the ranger that looks after the fire lookout is super informative and fun to chat with. Next time I would love to hike up there at sunrise or sunset because the views go on forever and would make for great photos.
5.0
The hike is short and I'd rate it as easy to moderate. No snowshoes needed as there wasn't enough snow when I did it, but I did use micro spikes after a nice couple at the trailhead told me it was icy in spots. I downgraded the hike because I couldn't go up to the fire lookout since it was occupied for the evening. Next time I'd like to go up at sunrise (when not in use) OR rent the fire lookout myself. I've always wanted to stay in one.
4.0
Horseshoe Bend is a classic bucket list location in the west. The depth of the canyon is breathtaking. It's hard to capture the grand scale of everything in photos, but seeing it in person and watching a tiny boat cruise down the Colorado River really put it into perspective! The hike to reach the bend is short and well maintained and its popularity due to social media obviously means there will be crowds. But the canyon rim is really wide so there is plenty of room to find solitude.
5.0
Arches National Park has no shortage of beautiful, short hikes. But with that comes the crowds. Plan to visit early in the morning or late at night especially on weekends. The parking lot for this hike is large, but it does fill up fast with how many people come to visit Double Arch and neighboring hikes. Beautiful arches and landscape though! Please remember to stay on the trail and not trample the delicate crypto soil. There are signs everywhere, but I still saw so many people stepping off trail. This soil can take YEARS to grow.
4.0
I love the Great Sands Dunes because it's so unlike any other place in Colorado. I've been a few times and I always get excited driving up to the park entrance and seeing the dunes start to peek over the horizon and come into view. It's not easy hiking up to High Dune, but it's so worth it to see the entire dune field tucked up against the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Plus when you're done with that you can reward yourself by hanging out at Medano Creek. Bring a camp chair, a few beers, and cool off your hot and sweaty feet in the creek. There are a lot of great things to do in this area of Southern Colorado.
5.0
We backpacked about 6.5 miles from the trailhead before setting up camp in the trees in between a meadow and lake. Finished the rest of the loop the next day. We saw a lot of people camped within the first few miles, but after that no one. Spotted a moose across the meadow late in the evening and we had one come through camp while we slept (read: tried to sleep, but sat awake trying to figure out what was outside the tent. Ha!). In the morning we found the tracks and confirmed it was indeed a moose that came to visit. While we were wandering around in the forest near camp we noticed scratch marks from bears on some of the trees. Great place to see wildlife, they are active here!
5.0
Great place to hang out and enjoy some drinks and escape the heat by playing in the water. Makes for a great low level day around Moab when you're tired from other adventures. Water is shallow and you have to be accurate when jumping into the water from the cliff in order to actually hit the deep spot. Just don't do it, a lot of people get injured and it's a quick way to ruin the rest of your Moab vacation! Just my two cents, otherwise cool place to hang out for a few hours.
4.0
Blue John has a little bit of everything! Beautiful tight slot canyons, open canyons, down climbing, stemming, and a major final rappel before the hike out of Horseshoe Canyon. We did the entire Blue John Canyon and it ended up being about 20 miles from point to point and it took our group of 6 approximately 12 hours to complete. We were an experienced group, but the size did slow us down on some tight areas having to go one by one down long narrow passages. Seeing the petroglyphs was a great way to end the adventure! This is a canyon I would highly recommend as long as you have good endurance and the proper skills to complete it...this is not an easy hike but the views are worth it.
5.0
Shelf Road is great for climbing all year round. In the winter you can climb the walls that get too hot in the summer since they receive the most direct sunlight. Sometimes it gets so warm I forget it's the middle of winter!
5.0
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