Although I had planned on hiking one of Colorado's 14ers this summer, I didn't actually get around to it. However, this particular hike brought me pretty darn close to the 14,000 foot mark. Mt. Audabon is one of the tallest mountains in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area at 13,200 feet, and presents a fairly challenging hike. After the first mile or so, the trail climbs relentlessly up to Audabon's rocky summit. The hike starts in dense forest and then proceeds to climb up a sharp cliff. By the time you reach the top of the cliff, you are already essentally above [View Full Entry]

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After getting my hands on a book that focused specifically on hiking in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, I was bound and determined to get up there at least a few times while the weather permitted it. The Brainard Lake area is just outside of the little (and supposedly strange) town of Ward, along the Peak to Peak Highway (CO 72). During my time in Colorado, I've seen some absolutely amazing sites in the Rocky Mountains. I can honestly say that the views from Long Lake and Lake Isabelle are easily amongst some the most breathtaking that I have ever seen. [View Full Entry]

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Thanks to its jagged rock walls, Eldorado Canyon State Park is a very popular spot for rock climbers. The park attracts climbers from all over the state, and especially from nearby Boulder. The canyon itself is really remarkable to see: it honestly looks like someone took a huge bulldozer and jus cut a large swath through the foothils south of the Flatirons. I'm not a rock climber and vertigo will probably keep me from attempting it any time soon, but I have no doubts as to why this place is so popular. While the park is geared more towards rock climbers, [View Full Entry]

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After doing several hikes in the vicinity of Rocky Mountain NP, I decided it was finally time to actually get into the park itself. Just to give you an idea of how variable and extreme Colorado weather can be in the summer, I had tried to do this hike a week earlier and ended up getting rained out before I even started the hike. This week, the temperature in Denver was cracking the 100 degrees mark every day. Even up in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain NP, it was easily in the high 80s or low 90s. Not exactly ideal hiking [View Full Entry]

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One of my reasons for becoming such an avid hiker was my realization a few years ago that many Coloradins (or Coloradoins... I don't know) seem to take the beauty of the mountains for grantid. We know its there, and we know its not going anywhere, so we forget about it. For me, this is kind of what happened with Golden Gate Canyon State Park. I had been there many years ago and then proceeded to forget about it. I'm happy to say that is no longer the case. This was my first of two trips to the park this summer. [View Full Entry]

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Admittedly, I kind of spoiled myself with the previous week's hike. After Hanging Lake, its hard to find your average hiking trail particularly interesting. There's absolutely nothing wrong, per se, with Meyer Ranch Park, but its also nothing to write home about. The park represents another little slice of Colorado history, as it was once owned by the Meyer family, who were prominent ranchers in the Conifer area. The Meyer family eventually sold the property to Jefferson County, with the understanding that the land would be kept undeveloped. Jefferson County turned the land into an open-s [View Full Entry]

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If for some reason I could only do one hike the whole summer (God forbid), this would probably be the hike I would choose. The Hanging Lake trail is one of the most beautiful and unique hikes in all of Colorado. Lush, almost-tropical looking waterfalls and foliage contrast remarkably with jagged, reddish-brown canyon walls lining the trail. At the top is the crystal blue lake itself, being fed by powerful cascading falls. A short trek up reveals the source of these falls: another set of falls shooting out of the side of a cliff face (the aptly named Spouting Rock). The [View Full Entry]

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For this week's hike we (my dad and I) decided not to stray too far from where we were the previous week (Crosier Mountain). Lion Gulch is accessed via a trailhead just off of US 36 on the way up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. This is another good dog-friendly trail, but due to the drought we were experiencing in Colorado, there really wasn't enough water for the two thirsty yellow labs who joined us on this hike (the Vicious Snow Beasts from Hike #3). Anyway, this hike follows the gulch floor, passing under several craggy rock formations. [View Full Entry]

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In one of the dog-friendly hiking books that folks own, this hike was listed as moderate. Hmmm... Well I suppose it was moderate in a few places, but for the most part, this is a pretty steep and rocky seven mile round trip hike northeast of Rocky Mountain National Park. The first mile or so, I didn't really pay too much attention to the view, as I was paying more attention to my footing on the steep switch-backs. The trail finally levels out and provides nice views of the surrounding hills and the valley that I just powered my way up. [View Full Entry]

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So what happend to hikes 1 & 2? Well, I didn't have my digital camera for those trips, so there's no photographic record I'm afraid. Anyway, this hike represented my first of several trips to the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area (just south of Rocky Mountain National Park and northwest of Boulder). So far, I've tried this hike twice, and both times I haven't been able to make it to the end. The first time I attempted it, I got caught in a down-pour and decided to turn back. This time, there was simply too much snow still on the trail, and [View Full Entry]

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