Lyons, Colorado

The way up Evergreen Mountain is actually a few different trails stitched together throughout Alderfer/Three Sisters Park. The trail connects to both parking lots in the park, so if one is full you can just start from the other one, giving you lots of options for a quick day-hike.  If you start ...

Located at the base of Mt. Evans Road, Echo Lake sits next to Squaw Pass Road, providing a great jumping-off point for numerous adventures. The park serves as a trailhead for hiking or snowshoeing into the Mount Evans Wilderness, offers picnic areas, and includes a nearby campground with 17 site...

This is a great hiking area an hour outside of Denver, Colorado. It's still easily accessible in the winter and most of the time it can be hiked without snowshoes. Starting at the Echo Lake parking lot, hike around the right side of the lake until you reach a fork in the trail. Follow the path on...

While the Mt. Evans Wilderness never has a shortage of visitors, thanks to its proximity to Denver, it is possible to find a more private hike if you know where to look. Lincoln Lake Trail, accessible from Echo Lake year-round, is not as glamorous as its sister trail, Chicago Lakes, but is a wond...

From the parking lot, stay to the right of Echo Lake and you will run into the Chicago Lakes Trailhead. Follow the switchbacks down and across Chicago Creek. After crossing the creek, follow the sign indicating that the trail follows the dirt road and hang a left; from here, you'll reach the Idah...

The name is uninviting, but Hell’s Hole is a scenic, shallow basin in the Mount Evans Wilderness near Idaho Springs. Starting elevation is about 9500 feet. Right after the trailhead, you pass through a few camping sites in the Chicago Creek Picnic Area. About five minutes into the hike is the per...

With a name like 7:30 Mine Road, this is one hike I had to investigate to see if it lives up to its name. Even though this is an easier hike than I normally choose, what it lacks in challenging terrain, it makes up for in historic interest. The view isn’t too bad, either.7:30 Mine Road is about t...

On the way to the summit of Mt. Evans sits a small 160 acre preserve of some of the world's oldest living trees. The Mount Goliath Natural Area protects a rare site of Bristlecone Pines that make excellent photographic subjects.Immediately after parking you're surrounded by a miniature forest ful...

September is famous in Colorado for clear, deep blue skies,sublimely perfect temperatures, and gold-digging – of the leaf variety, thatis. On September 9, wildflower season was recently past and the best of theleaves were yet to come, but it was the perfect, clear and sunny day to checkout the hi...

Its sister trail, Butler Gulch, is an all-time favorite hike (both summer and winter), and since they share a trailhead, I knew Jones Pass would be special as well.Jones Pass is not the type of trail I normally take, since it is actually a 4x4 road that is used for Jeeping in the summer and snowm...

The Argentine Central Railroad Grade trail is just what it says: it follows the old rail bed of the Argentine Central line. All railway remnants have long since been removed, and in its place is a wide, well-defined trail with an easy grade. With just a 900-foot incline over the course of about t...

To locate these campsites all you have to do is type in Jones Pass Road into google maps or your iPhone and it will take you straight there. There are road signs once you get off I-70 that will help you the rest of the way that say Jones Pass. Once you hit the dirt road and pass the Jones Pass Tr...

Butler Gulch is a pristinely beautiful day hike in the heart of the Arapaho National Forest near Idaho Springs, Colorado. Easily accessible from Denver, Butler Gulch is full of jaw-dropping views in all seasons, and anyone in good health can enjoy this gem. The hike is five miles long and rated ...

NOTE: This property is currently closed as NeverSummer, the yurt operator, is no longer in business.  The yurt is located near the small town of Walden, CO (coordinates: 40 33'57.43"N , 105 59'16.93"W) about two hours west of Fort Collins. In the winter, there are many backcountry ski runs, cros...

Located just outside of Evergreen, this beginner hike is a great escape from the city for a few hours. There are three different options to hike to the falls: Maxwell Falls Lower Trail (4 miles), Upper Maxwell Falls Trail (1.1 miles), and Maxwell Falls Bluffs Cliffside Trail Loop (5 miles). On th...

I need to start by saying I stayed here on Memorial Day weekend, a very busy camping weekend in Colorado. Online searches for a suitable campsite were useless, everything was booked. It is hard to drive 2 plus hours to an area and hope you find a place for dispersed camping. Thankfully a friend t...