We sold our house a few days ago and if all goes as planned we will be back in Washington on April 4th. When we moved here 7 years ago, neither of us were quite sure what to expect. We had heard about the blue skies and knew about the skiing, but there was so much more we fell in love with. The mountain towns, the friendly people, the incredible cycling, the 14ers, the breweries, new friends. I could go on and on. Below are some of my favorite hiking moments in Colorado over the last 7 years.
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| Summit of Mt. Elbert 14,430feet 2008 |
Hiking 14ers
This was our very first 14er, of course we choose the highest in the state and 2nd highest peak in the continental US.
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| Mt Quandary 14,256 feet 2009 |
Our second choice was a little more reasonable, we hiked this on Labor Day weekend in 2009. It's a great hike just outside of Breckenridge, and one of the easier and more accessible 14ers.
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| Mt Bierstadt 14,060 feet 2010 |
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| Mt Bierstadt 2013 |
At this point we had decided we should try to climb one 14er a year, we slacked off in 2013 and 2014, but before that we made it annual tradition.
Bierstadt is one of the closer 14ers to Denver, and I'll admit that the starting point on top of Guanella pass is one of the most beautiful places in all of Colorado. I liked Bierstadt so much that I took my sister up it when she was visiting in 2013. I'm noticing a trend that I tend to wear the same clothes when hiking 14ers. 8-(
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| Mt. Yale 14,196 feet 2011 |
Mt. Yale we hiked while on a camping trip with friends, this one was a bit windy and a bit cold. The Collegiate Peaks between Leadville and Salida are some of the most beautiful mountains in the state.
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| Mt Sherman 14,036 feet 2012 |
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| Grays Peak 14,270 feet 2012 |
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| Torreys Peak 14,267 feet 2012 |
In 2012 we decided to overachieve and we climbed 3 14ers. The first was Sherman, which may hold the title of the easiest to climb. Mostly because you can drive to about 12,000 feet. The highlight of this one is that I chose a different shirt wear. This trend won't continue as you will see in the pics from Grays/Torreys I had returned to my normal garb. Grays and Torreys are close to Denver and there is saddle separating them. Most people hike both in the same day. We did too. This may have been my most spectacular day climbing in Colorado. There was not a cloud to be seen in the entire state.
Other spectacular Hikes
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| Hanging Lake |
A truly spectacular place just outside of Glenwood Springs. A relatively short hike takes you to this magnificent place.
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| Spouting Rock |
This waterfall is just above Hanging Lake and shoots straight out of the side of a cliff, no lake or river above it.
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| Maroon Lake |
Maroon Lake with the Maroon Bells in the background. We visited here 3 times while in Colorado. It's just outside of Aspen and the most photographed spot in the state.
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| South Boulder Peak |
We hiked this area quite a bit. It's just outside of. We also hiked Bear Mountain, Royal Arch and Green Mountain in the same area. A must visit for anyone in the Boulder area.
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| Fulford Lake |
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| Trail to Mystic Island Lake |
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| Mystic Island Lake |
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| Cathedral Lake |
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| Cathedral Lake |
On a camping weekend to Sylvan Lake we found a spectacular hike up to Fulford lake, once there we discovered that there was about a one mile trail that took you up to Mystic Island Lake.
Just outside of Aspen is a trail up to Cathedral Lake, a beautiful hike to an incredible lake. The trail head is pretty close to the Pine Creek cookhouse in the ghost town of Ashcroft. I highly recommend lunch as a well earned reward after the hike. This is just one of many amazing hikes in the Aspen area.
