How do you visit a National Park on their busiest day of the year? You go to the most remote corner of an out of the way park that you can find! I worked on the van all week, and by the holiday weekend it was ready to go on the road, and ferry my … More National Parks Hack
Though I’ve hiked a couple of 14’ers in the area, I’ve never made it to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. This warm, Spring weekend presented a perfect opportunity to check this spot off of my Colorado to-do list. Not wanting to camp in the dune fields themselves, we decided to head to the park … More Playing in Colorado’s Sandbox
Over the past few months, I’ve checked out some of the parks that are considered part of the Front Range, and are close to home. Most are part of the Jefferson County Open Space system and contain networks of gently winding switchbacks with good elevation gain. Alderfer Three Sisters and Bergen Peak hikes are located … More Front Range Fun
When it’s nice and hot where you live, and the snow is long gone, you don’t generally think that there’s still winter in the mountains, and snowy conditions may require winter gear. Two of us decided on an 18mi/4.5k elevation gain shuttle hike along Ben Tyler Trail off of I-285 to the Colorado Trail, which … More Spring Backpacking Fiasco
I know, I know. Everyone and their mother has been there hundreds of times. Still, there’s just something magical about this lake high up in the canyon, with it’s turquoise see through waters, and hundreds of little streams cascade down from the waterfall above. Whenever there’s time, I like to stop here for a short … More Hanging Lake
TIPS for BEATING THE CROWDS AT A NATIONAL PARK Plan which hikes you will do ahead of time and determine if any require permits Get there before the visitor center opens – this will let you avoid the crowds of tourists that clog up the entrance booths, and perhaps even get in for free if … More Adventures in Arches
Today the weather was warm, and the Front Range was clear of snow & ice. It was the perfect time to explore a local rite of passage: Manitou Incline in Colorado Springs. Built on the spot where an old railroad track used to be, the Incline is a brutal 2k climb on stairs made from … More Stairway to … Heaven?
The Colorado/Utah border, that is. What do you do when it’s still wintry and cold, and you’re yearning for some warm weather? You head west towards Utah, of course! About 4hrs along I-70 brings you to the McInnis Canyon area – it’s still Colorado, but full of red-rock canyons and sandstone cliffs that resemble Utah’s … More Train-ing all the way to the Border
What’s a runner to do when it dumps a foot of snow on the city overnight? If you’re in Denver, go skiing, of course! Hailing from Arizona originally, I’d never had much exposure to the flurries outside of my hike on the PCT and the snowy sections of the Sierras. Hence when it snowed, I … More Backyard Skiing
I added a few pics to the page including the dangerous Maroon and Crestone peaks. I still have Pikes Peak to do and one other undecided to put me at the half way mark to cap off the season.
Where is Bronson? 