Table of Contents
Acknowledgments x
Meet Your Guide xii
Introduction 1
Weather 2
Flora and Fauna 3
Wilderness Restrictions/Regulations 6
Winter Hiking 7
Hiking with Dogs 7
Levels of Difficulty 7
Getting Around Colorado 8
How to Use This Guide 12
How to Use the Maps 13
Trail Finder 14
Map Legend 18
The Hikes
Eastern Plains 19
1 Homestead Trail (Springfield) 22
2 Picket Wire Canyonlands (La Junta) 28
3 Paint Mines Interpretive Park (Calhan) 32
4 Dawson Butte Ranch Open Space (Castle Rock) 39
5 Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (Commerce City) 44
6 Pawnee Buttes (Ault) 50
Honorable Mentions
A Santa Fe National Historic Trail (La Junta) 57
B North Sterling Reservoir (Sterling) 57
Front Range 58
7 Fountain Valley and South Rim Trails (Littleton) 61
8 Mount Falcon Park Upper Loop (Morrison) 67
9 M. Walter Pesman Trail (Idaho Springs) 73
10 Bear Canyon Trail (Boulder) 80
11 Bluebird Lake (Estes Park) 87
12 Kruger Rock Trail (Estes Park) 93
13 Lory State Park Loop (Fort Collins) 98
In Addition: Winter Hiking 104
Honorable Mentions
C Spruce Mountain (Larkspur) 106
D Meyer Ranch Park Loops (Morrison) 106
E Sisters/Bearberry Loop-Alderfer/Three Sisters Park (Evergreen) 107
North Central Mountains 108
14 Wheeler Trail (Frisco) 111
15 North Mount Elbert Trail (Leadville) 116
16 Notch Mountain (Minturn) 122
17 Mount Thomas Trail (Eagle) 128
18 Granite Lakes Trail (Basalt) 132
In Addition: What Is Wilderness? 138
19 Silver Creek Trail (Kremmling, Yampa) 140
20 Lulu City Site (Grand Lake) 145
21 Kelly Lake (Walden) 151
22 Seven Lakes (Walden) 156
Honorable Mentions
F Hagerman Tunnel Trail (Leadville) 162
G North Vail Trail System (Vail) 162
Northwest 164
23 Storm King Mountain Memorial Trail (Glenwood Springs) 167
24 Coyote and Squirrel Trails (Rifle) 173
25 Marvine Loop (Meeker) 179
26 Black Mountain (West Summit) Trail (Craig) 186
27 Gates of Lodore Nature Trail (Craig) 191
28 Devils Canyon (Fruita) 195
Honorable Mentions
H Harpers Corner Trail (Dinosaur) 202
I Trail Through Time (Fruita) 202
J Monument Canyon Trail (Grand Junction) 203
K Crag Crest National Recreation Trail (Grand Junction) 203
Southeast Mountains 204
29 Twin Rock Trail (Florissant) 207
30 Aiken Canyon (Colorado Springs) 212
31 Thompson Mountain (Canon City) 218
32 Newlin Creek Trail (Florence) 224
33 Spanish Peaks Traverse (La Veta) 229
34 Reilly and Levsa Canyons (Trinidad) 236
35 Fishers Peak State Park (Trinidad) 241
Honorable Mentions
L Blackmer Loop (Colorado Springs) 247
M Vindicator Valley Trail (Victor) 247
N Petrified Forest Loop (Florissant) 247
South Central Mountains 249
36 Sand Dunes Hiking (Alamosa) 252
37 Middle Frisco Trail (Del Norte) 258
38 Alberta Peak: Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (South Fork) 264
In Addition: Leave No Trace 270
39 Devils Creek and Lake (Lake City) 273
40 Washington Gulch Trail (Crested Butte) 279
41 Ptarmigan Lake (Buena Vista) 285
42 Chipeta Mountain (Poncha Springs) 291
Honorable Mentions
O Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge (Alamosa) 298
P Piedra River (Pagosa Springs) 298
Southwest 299
43 Big Dominguez Canyon (Delta) 302
44 North Vista Trail (Crawford) 310
45 Boskoff Peak (Telluride) 316
46 Jud Wiebe Memorial Trail (Telluride) 323
47 Cascade and Portland Loop (Ouray) 328
48 Richmond Pass (Ouray) 333
49 Pass Creek and Coal Creek Loop (Silverton) 340
50 Petroglyph Point Trail (Mancos) 347
Honorable Mentions
Q Hope Lake (Telluride) 354
R Sand Canyon (Cortez) 354
S Ute Mountain Tribal Park (Cortez) 355
In Addition: Colorado's Long Trails: The Colorado and Continental Divide Trails 356
Appendix A Local Clubs and Organizations 357
Appendix B Further Reading 359
Index 362
