Hiking Places In Colorado – Colorado is a couple’s dream and the perfect travel destination. With four national parks, eight national monuments and 42 state parks, Colorado offers something for the outdoors.
In a short time, you can visit the Colorado Global Desert on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountain Alps and the vast expanse of the Eastern Colorado Plains.
Hiking Places In Colorado
From high altitude climbing to brisk river walks to mountain biking, lawns, wildflowers. Traveling the streets of Colorado must be full of adventures.
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Important note: When traveling in all our common destinations, please practice good road etiquette and remember to track. This means packing away all waste (including toilet paper) to show respect for others on the law-abiding busy road.
Rocky Mountain National Park is located in northern Colorado and is a great place to experience wildlife, photograph the snow-covered landscape, and embark on an amazing hike and outdoor adventure. With more than 60 peaks above 12,000 feet and more than 150 alpine lakes, this park is the perfect base for Colorado excursions.
I spent 10 days in Rocky Mountain National Park and explored some great day hikes, including the Chasm Lake Trail and the short but beautiful Emerald Lake Trail. To help you plan your Rocky Mountain National Park adventure, use our beginner’s guide for tips, including where to camp and what to pack.
Crested Butte, Colorado, is a small adventure town nestled in the foothills of the Rockies. In the winter, Crest Butte is a winter resort, but in the summer and fall, it’s a great place for mountain biking, camping, hiking, and fishing.
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For mountain bikers, Evolution Bike Park is a great place to spend the weekend or ride the 401 or Dr. Park for great cross country rides.
For climbing, the Scarp Ridge Loop is great. Walk through the valley with spectacular views of Oho Happy Valley and Peeler Basin. It is especially beautiful in autumn when the aspen leaves turn golden.
Great Sand Dunes National Park is home to the highest desert in North America. Located in the foothills of the majestic Sangre de Cristo Desert, the desert is backed by high peaks that are often covered in snow, making it one of the most beautiful and unique landscapes in Colorado.
For outdoor adventures, snowboarding and tobogganing are popular activities. Go to the top of the mountain and slide down! There are also several hiking trails in the park that lead to lakes, high alpine lakes and the peaks of the Herat mountains, which offer spectacular views of birds in the desert below. For night sky photographers, Great Sand Dunes National Park is one of the best places in the world, so be sure to pack your tripod and camera.
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Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado is famous for its cliffs, especially Cliff Palace, the largest in North America. Although you can get a park ranger to visit the Cliff Palace (highly recommended) to protect the temples, you can escape the crowds miles beyond the mountain.
For an adventurous hike, take the 2.4-mile Petroglyph Trail, which winds through a narrow valley before passing an ancient petroglyph.
Phil’s World is one of Colorado’s best kept mountain biking secrets. Located on extensive BLM public land just outside of Cortez, southwestern Colorado, Phil World is a 28-mile network of hiking trails built for mountain bikers. This trail is a mix of traditional cross-country trails and challenging wheelchair trails. Road difficulty varies from beginner to intermediate, with most trails suitable for any rider.
If hiking is on your Colorado trail radar, then Phil’s World is not to be missed. For top mountain biking tips, look to hiking instructor and blogger Becky Timbers.
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Once an old mining town, Silton, Colorado is now the place to be for outdoor activities and rural adventure. A cinnamon crossing is a must if you have a 4×4 vehicle with high clearance. The 12-mile trail is part of the 63-mile Alpine Loop that spans Cinnamon Pass and Engineer Pass in the San Juan Mountains.
This sign can be done in one day (although we heard the engineering part of the pass is attractive and best done by Jeep or ATV) or the Cinnamon Pass section can be done in a few hours. Animas Forks near Cinnamon Pass is a historic ghost town. Animas Forks at its peak was home to 450 bars, saloons, post offices and general stores. Only a few of the original buildings remain today, but it’s an interesting glimpse into the past.
There are many hiking opportunities in Silverton, including access to the continental trail in the Wiminchu Desert in the area surrounding the San Juan National Forest.
Red Rocks Natural Amphitheater is just twenty minutes west of Denver. It is a large outdoor theater built of natural stone with spectacular views of Mesa and the Far Denver skyline.
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Catching a concert at Red Rocks is an unforgettable bucket list in itself (I’ve seen the fear spread there and it’s really cool!) Mountain biking on the trails in the mountain park around the concert venue will make the evening even more memorable.
Red Rocks is open to the public during non-event times. Or you can book tickets for yoga classes outside of concerts, gym classes, or other events related to your trip to Colorado.
A former Victorian mining town, Telluride is a popular summer and winter destination for nature lovers. This charming town is surrounded by miles of spectacular hiking trails, like the nearby Hope Lake Trail and the Blue Lake Trail (pictured at the top of this post) that traverse the Sniffles Wilderness.
Telluride is the site of a new mountain bike park built by Whistler’s Gravity Logic, a city-less vehicle and a scenic hiking trail along the San Miguel River.
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If you’re looking for a slightly different adventure, the Telluride Via Ferrata is a fun way to hike and trek in Telluride. The via ferrata doesn’t require a guide, but if you want someone to guide you, you can hire a local master like San Juan Mountain Guides to show you the ropes, literally and figuratively.
The Maroon Bells are some of the most famous mountains in Colorado and rightfully so. Located an hour and a half southwest of Aspen, they are the two most popular peaks on Elk Mountain. During the summer, these 14,000-foot mountain trekking and backpacking trips are filled with bleak mountains, beautiful wildflowers, and wildlife like mountain goats. Autumn is an equally beautiful time to visit when the aspen leaves turn golden and the first snow falls on the high peaks.
A popular Marn Bells hike is West Maron Pass, a 13-mile round trip from Lake Marion to West Maron Pass. Along the way, it passes through the crater lake with a spectacular 360-degree view.
Due to the popularity of the Maroon Bells area, visitors should take an hour and twenty minute bus ride from the Aspen Highlands bus station or drive to Maroon Bells before or after a scheduled bus ride, which usually runs for an hour. 8 am to 5 pm For 2020, reservation for private vehicles is mandatory.
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Leadville Twin Lakes is a pair of glacial lakes deep in the Rocky Mountains. They are located on Mount Elbert, the 14th highest point in the state, and are located on Colorado Route 82, which passes through the majestic Independence Pass.
There are numerous campsites scattered around Twin Lakes, and you can take a short walk to the top of Mount Elbert. If you have a kayak or paddle board, the sunset over Twin Lakes is incredible.
Colorado is full of beautiful, charming towns, and Buena Vista is no exception. Located in central Colorado on the Arkansas River, Buena Vista is known for having some of the best whitewater horses in the world. The Arkansas River flows through Buchanan Canyon National Monument, which has beautiful valleys, high cliffs, aspen forests and incredible pools.
In Buena Vista, you can also find craft beers, bike trails, star mountains, nearby hot springs, and endless hiking opportunities.
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If you’re looking for an adventurous town off the beaten track, Buena Vista is your answer.
Durango is Southwest Colorado’s adventure center for winter and summer activities. Surrounded by the sandstone cliffs of the Animas Valley and the rugged San Juan Mountains, Durango has it all.
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