The Rockies Archives - Page 3 of 21 - ETB Travel Photography

Happy Hiking: Grouse Lake Trail

Every time I pass through Minturn and Vail, I tell myself, next fall I will hike there. Due to previous travel and mistiming my visits, I wasn’t able to take full advantage of the magnificent fall foliage until this past week when I hiked Grouse Lake Trail.

VANgo

Not only did I enjoy amazing fall colors, I took VANgo on her maiden voyage, all be it only as a cargo van for now, not a decked-out camper. VANgo handled the roads nicely and has some get up and go power. It will be interesting to see how she operates when she is filled to the brim! I’m looking forward to the full build which will start in December because camping was a little cold! But I digress.

HAPPY HIKING!

Happy Hiking: Chicago Lakes

WOW! I have wanted to hike Chicago Lakes Trail for a while, but I had no idea what I had been missing. The scenery on this 9.6-mile trek is nothing short of spectacular.

The trailhead for Chicago Lakes begins at Echo Lake at the top of Squaw Pass Road. This popular area is is situated next to Mount Evans Road which leads to the summit of one of Colorado’s famous 14ers.

HAPPY HIKING!

Happy Hiking: Gold Dust Trail

Depending on the source, the distance of the Gold Dust Trail is variable. Both the unknown length and the popularity among mountain bikers may deter hikers, but aspen lovers might want to reconsider.

HAPPY HIKING!

Happy Hiking: Huron Peak

When the wildflower season is over the fall colors haven’t begun, it is 14er season for me. Warmer weather, less chance for storms, and rewarding summits are just a few reasons why to save 14ers for the end of August and early September.

While I generally avoid hiking 14ers on weekends or holidays, with a surprise, early snowstorm in the forecast, I headed to Buena Vista with my friend Colin to bag my third 14er for the season after getting the hole in my heart closed in January.

I had subconsciously taken a five-year hiatus from the popular peaks due to feeling so rotten after hiking them. Who knew I wasn’t getting enough oxygen? While I can’t say I feel perfect after summiting them now, at least I can function afterwards.

HAPPY HIKING!

Happy Hiking: Mt. Sherman

I had a bit of a scare on Missouri Mountain a week ago, so I decided to “get back on the horse” and hike Mt. Sherman. Mt. Sherman is an easier 14er than Missouri Mountain. The hike is shorter, only 5.25 miles, and there is less exposure, so it was a good one for me to try.

Having said that, it would be my first solo 14er. While I hike alone regularly, I was a little nervous to go alone this time as many more things can go wrong at 14,000 feet. At the same time, there is usually someone around, so help isn’t too far away. As a result, I talked myself into climbing Mt. Sherman on a beautiful Monday morning.

HAPPY HIKING!

Five Fall Hikes Near Denver

People who know me, know I live in Colorado to enjoy the summer and the fall as I am not a cold weather person. Specifically, I prefer from mid-July to early August for wildflower season and mid to late September for fall colors. In fact, I’ve become a bit of a hiking snob, and no longer hike much outside of these time frames. As a result, I try to find the best hikes in the state.

Below is a list of five fall hikes within 1.5 hours of Denver off the 285 corridor:

Happy Hiking!

Rocky Mountain National Park: Three Hikes for Exercise

Continuing with the stay at home and hike theme of COVID 2020, I recently completed three hikes on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Actually, the summer and the fall are when I stay home in Colorado anyway to enjoy its natural beauty.

I recently took a housesitting job in Longmont on Trusted Housesitters. As a result, I shortened my drive to Rocky Mountain National Park by 45 minutes, and it only took me about one hour to get to each of the three hikes.

I’d call these trails good for exercise. What I mean by that is the hikes were either somewhat challenging or easy enough to run, and aside from the final destination, which was beautiful, getting there wasn’t quite as pretty as other hikes I’ve enjoyed this summer. Consequently, I’d rank them as good hikes to get the heart rate going.

Happy Hiking!

Roadtrip to the Rockies: Fraser

I’m fortunate to have a handful of Denver friends who also have homes and condos in Fraser and Winter Park. This week I got to join Brad and Angie at their beautiful home in Fraser. While at Brad and Angie’s, when we weren’t discussing camper vans and photography, we were hiking. At least Angie and I were, as Brad would rather mountain bike and had to work.

Happy Hiking!

Happy Hiking: Woodland Trail

Woodland Trail
Distance: 10.2 miles
Type: Moderate, out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 2,263 ft
Other: Dogs Allowed
All Trails Link

I enjoyed such nice views at Old Baldy yesterday that I returned to the area to hike Woodland Trail to Skycraper Reservoir. To my surprise, this hike was significantly different from Old Baldy despite beginning just 3 miles south at Hessie Trailhead.

The previous day while driving to Old Baldy, I took note of the Hessie Trailhead parking situation. Just before 8am on a Thursday, there were a few spots left, so this Friday, I made sure to arrive just before 7:30am. Many cars lined the road, but I did find a designated spot which is important as illegally parked vehicles will be ticketed!

HAPPY HIKING!

Happy Hiking: Old Baldy

Old Baldy
Distance: 8.3 miles
Type: Moderate, out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 2,847 ft
Other: Dogs Allowed
All Trails Link

So just as there are multiple “Blue Lakes” in Colorado, there is more than one “Baldy”. I decided to tackle the Old Baldy Summit in Roosevelt National Forest near Nederland, Colorado. The hiking in this area is spectacular, but the parking in this area is atrocious. As a result, I don’t go as often as I’d like.

HAPPY HIKING!