Cañon City, Colorado

The Basics: Picture this: Winter on Colorado's Front Range. It snowed yesterday. You're stir crazy because today it's 60 degrees and sunny outside, but the trails are a muddy mess! Cue Oil Well Flats. Located just an hour outside of Colorado Springs, this trail network rarely sees precipitation, ...

Shelf Road, which was once a toll road from Cripple Creek to Canon City, is now a maintained dirt road that most high clearance two wheel drive cars can make.  It will take over an hour to travel the 25 miles or so, and it can be completed going from north to south or the opposite.  I will explai...

Shelf Road is secluded, rural, and has great climbing. There are so many areas to choose from and it has a great diversity of route levels (mostly sport routes). My personal favorite area is "The Gallery" and "The Bank." Everyone is friendly and gives each other a hand.Sand Gulch Campground, righ...

Construction of the Skagway Plant began in 1899 and was complete in 1901. In 1965, 15 days of rain brought floods washing out a lot of the pipeline and other infrastructure. Fixing the power plant didn’t make sense and funds weren’t in place. The land was reverted to the government. The hike b...

Start at the Music Pass trail head south of Westcliffe, Colorado off County Road 119. You will need a 4x4 with high clearance to get to the actual trailhead as the last 2.5 miles are rough. Otherwise, park at the Crape Creek TH and walk the 2.5 miles up to Music Pass Trailhead.Once on the trail...

Venable-Comanche Trail is a loop trail that takes you by a lake located near Westcliffe, Colorado.

Located below the dam of the Eleven Mile Reservoir, Eleven Mile Canyon is a scenic spot for camping, fishing, hiking and climbing. There are four different campgrounds to choose from (Cove, Riverside, Spillway and Springer), though only one campground remains open during the off season. Getting t...

Along Rampart Range Road there are about 30 free BLM camping spots that offer scenic views of Pikes Peak and the surrounding forest. The road in is about 6 miles of gravel, however a 2WD Sedan was able to make the journey just fine! The camping spots are designated by a pre-existing fire ring and...

Nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, Willow Lake offers a stunning destination to a rigorous hike. The hike is approximately 9 miles out and back with 2800 feet of elevation gain. The trail is well marked and maintained. However, the hike rarely levels off. Be prepared for a steady incline...

There are a couple different trailheads that lead to Kit Carson Peak, but the one from Willow Creek Trailhead will give you the opportunity to peak another fourteener, Challenger Point, and let you pass through and/or camp at Willow Lake, which is a beautiful destination by itself. If approaching...

Lovell Gulch Trail is a loop trail that takes you by a river located near Woodland Park, Colorado.

Joyful Journey hot springs offers the full hotel and spa treatment, but in a valley where most people live off the grid, we chose the more rugged experience.The yurts gather together like penguins huddling not far from the springs. The wooden slates offer welcome relief from the frigid valley wea...

This is an awesome camp spot for individuals who do not have a 4x4 or AWD and want a secluded getaway! It does require to drive about 3 miles along a dirt road before arriving at the dead end of 188A, but can be easily cleared. From what I could see on the drive in there were only 4 camp spots de...

Looking for a place to hone your crack climbing technique?  Turkey Rocks is the place with some old school ethics and stiff grades. Turkey can be accessed from the town of Westcreek north of Woodland Park.  From here, head west on Abbey Road and then south on West Creek Ave.  About a mile down t...