On the recommendation of a friend, I visited Golden Gate Canyon State Park to hike Raccoon Trail. After all, there is likely a reason it is named “Golden”. The state park includes several trails and features many golden aspen trees.
HAPPY HIKING!
Happy Hiking: Mount Princeton
I recently tackled my fourth fourteener of the summer, or should I say the first of the fall, upon summitting Mount Princeton with my friend Cat and Tanya. We selected Mount Princeton to celebrate Tanya’s final summit in the Sawatch range.
HAPPY HIKING!
Happy Hiking: Game Creek Trail
Boy did I hit the gold mine, or should I say the gold colors for fall hiking on Game Creek Trail. What a lucky pick!
I took VANgo on her maiden voyage to Minturn, Colorado. On Thursday, I hiked nine miles to Grouse Lake. I also planned to hike twelve miles on Saturday. As much as I wanted to hike to Booth Lake, 10 miles and 3,000 feet of elevation, it seemed a little daunting for three days of hiking in a row with a bad knee. In addition, it is heavily trafficked with little parking.
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!
Happy Hiking: Missouri Mountain
Until I hiked Missouri Mountain this week, I hadn’t hiked a 14er for four years after having an extreme, two-day debilitating headache on the last double I completed, Shavano and Tabeguache. Now, with the hole in my heart closed and oxygen circulating through my blood correctly, I thought I’d give it another try.
My friend Tanya always summits a few each summer, so we agreed to tackle Mt. Princeton, part of the Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range. Mt. Princeton is located about 2.5 hours southwest of Denver near Buena Vista, Colorado.
As a result of the distance and general best practices of being off the summit by noon, we camped the prior evening to get an early start.
We left Denver in the late afternoon with the intent to find dispersed camping, though we did not have a set location in mind. We first drove to the lower parking for Mt. Princeton and briefly ventured up the four-wheel drive road. Judging by the pace we were going, we were hardly going to cover the 3.5 miles by nightfall.
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!