Misc Hiking Mountains in Colorado

**RockChalk** · 02-02-2016, 09:26 AM

Planning on taking a trip out to Colorado in September/October. One of the things my group wants to do is hike a mountain. Some of them have done Pike's Peak and Mount Massive, so we have some experienced hikers and everyone is generally in good shape.

As of now, some family friends have a place near Breck that we could stay at, so we'd like to find a mountain to hike closer to there, but we are open to any suggestions.

I know Rainman will be of good help on this subject, but I have to believe there are some other CPers who have hiked in Colorado. Any advice/suggestions/insight would be much appreciated!

**loochy** · 02-02-2016, 09:34 AM

Are you talking day hike or are you talking multi day backpack?

Call the closest ranger office and talk to them. They'd probably be the best option.

DJ's left nut · 02-02-2016, 09:38 AM

I don't know how much in the way of advice I can offer but I've hiked Holy Cross in Colorado as well as a few days in the Maroon Bells.

Maroon Bells was stunning but !@#$ing hard. If you're going to take that one on, try to get out there 3 days or so early and spend a few days getting yourself acclimated to the thin air. A whitewater trip should occupy a day fairly easily. Maybe set up a base camp down low for a day or so and do a day hike to get your sea legs.

When we did Holy Cross our passes were snowed in so we set up a camp at Lake Patricia and day hiked from there for the next 3 days. It wasn't as involved (or rewarding) as the hike across the passes in the Bells but it was much simpler and enjoyable for different reasons.

If you've backpacked before, I can't imagine there's a lot of logistic I need to go into but suffice it to say, pack light. I brought what I wore on day 1, one extra pair of jeans, one extra pair of shorts and 2 t-shirts to go with 2 extra pairs of socks. If you're buying gear, don't go cheap. If you're buying low end stuff, you can get it light or you can get it warm but you can't get both. When you're lugging around an extra 20 lbs or freezing your ass off, you'll wish you'd have splurged on the legit gear.

I don't even think they sell packs with external frames anymore and probably with good cause. My old external pack was a nightmare compared to the internal frame model I rented last time out.

Oh yeah, and save weight for vodka. No hangover and getting a little buzz on under the night sky with a nice campfire is a hell of an experience. Make sure you check beforehand that there's not a no-burn order in effect; not having a good campfire is a hell of a buzzkill (as for campfires, a folding camp saw is also an item worth spending a few more bucks on).

**RockChalk** · 02-02-2016, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loochy

Are you talking day hike or are you talking multi day backpack?

Call the closest ranger office and talk to them. They'd probably be the best option.

Day hike. Start early morning, hike to top, and then hike back down.

**loochy** · 02-02-2016, 10:05 AM

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/white...a/?recid=40417

Look down and expand the day hiking area. Unfortunately they don't list the start/finish elevations and elevation gain. The Dillon District ranger office should be able to help with that and make general recommendations on scenery, trail type, and trail difficulty.

Get a detailed topo map. I have a National Geographic that I used for Carson National Forest in New Mexico and it's wonderful.

Use this link and zoom in to find out which map you need:
http://ngmaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/E...ue&theme=light

http://www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps...s/colorado?p=2

DMAC · 02-02-2016, 10:13 AM

Check out the trails from the Fourth of July campground. Many possibilities to loop or in and out.

DJ's left nut · 02-02-2016, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockChalk

Day hike. Start early morning, hike to top, and then hike back down.

Well you're not next door to Aspen by any means, but if you wanted to go that route, Maroon lake is a nice setup for day hikes. If my memory serves, it's about 2 hours to the lake itself where you could set up a camp and hike out of there.

You won't be able to get to Crystal lake (which is the major payoff for the Bells, IMO), but I believe you can get to Crater lake and maybe West Maroon Pass.

I'm several years removed from the trip now; get a topo map and you can plan a route through there pretty easily.

Red Dawg · 02-02-2016, 10:18 AM

Didn't you see the Revenant? Don't go out there.

**Donger** · 02-02-2016, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockChalk

Planning on taking a trip out to Colorado in September/October. One of the things my group wants to do is hike a mountain. Some of them have done Pike's Peak and Mount Massive, so we have some experienced hikers and everyone is generally in good shape.

As of now, some family friends have a place near Breck that we could stay at, so we'd like to find a mountain to hike closer to there, but we are open to any suggestions.

I know Rainman will be of good help on this subject, but I have to believe there are some other CPers who have hiked in Colorado. Any advice/suggestions/insight would be much appreciated!

Are you looking at 14ers, or something less challenging?

**RockChalk** · 02-02-2016, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Are you looking at 14ers, or something less challenging?

At this point, anything. 14ers are a definite option though. My gf has done a few 14ers and she's part of the group, so I know that's what she is wanting to do.

**Donger** · 02-02-2016, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockChalk

At this point, anything. 14ers are a definite option though. My gf has done a few 14ers and she's part of the group, so I know that's what she is wanting to do.

Well, in that case, you could always go for Elbert. Not too far from Breck and you could collapse in Leadville afterwards.

**RockChalk** · 02-02-2016, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Well, in that case, you could always go for Elbert. Not too far from Breck and you could collapse in Leadville afterwards.

Thanks, I'll add that to our list

REDHOTGTO · 02-03-2016, 06:01 PM

While I don't hike down in that area at all , I do caution you to be prepared. Do plenty of pre hikes and drink tons of water for weeks before going. Make sure to acclimate a few days before taking off on a hike, you will feel a ton better. If you do all of these things you will have a great time as Colorado is a beautiful place to hike.

**Rain Man** · 02-03-2016, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Are you looking at 14ers, or something less challenging?

That was going to be my question. If there are people in the group who haven't done high-altitude stuff, a 14er is a tough place to start.

I always hear that Bierstadt is a good starter 14er, in part because you start at around 12k or something at the trailhead.

At some point I think it would be cool to do the hike from Crested Butte to Aspen, but I'm not really a wilderness guy. I do best when there's someone around for me to follow.

I also like the area around Telluride a whole lot. It's not a 14er, but I'd like to do the hike from Ouray to Telluride. In fact, I may doing that as a race this fall if I can time it right and get into shape.

mr. tegu · 02-03-2016, 07:30 PM

I have no idea where these places are in relation to Estes but that's where we go. Chasm Lake below Long's Peak is our longest one so far.

02-02-2016, 09:26 AM
RockChalk Dirty Bit Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Lake of the Woods Casino cash: $3650002	Hiking Mountains in Colorado Planning on taking a trip out to Colorado in September/October. One of the things my group wants to do is hike a mountain. Some of them have done Pike's Peak and Mount Massive, so we have some experienced hikers and everyone is generally in good shape. As of now, some family friends have a place near Breck that we could stay at, so we'd like to find a mountain to hike closer to there, but we are open to any suggestions. I know Rainman will be of good help on this subject, but I have to believe there are some other CPers who have hiked in Colorado. Any advice/suggestions/insight would be much appreciated!
Posts: 6,757

02-02-2016, 09:34 AM	#2
loochy Hey Loochy, I'm hooome! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: PooPooKaKaPeePeeShire Casino cash: $1860752	Are you talking day hike or are you talking multi day backpack? Call the closest ranger office and talk to them. They'd probably be the best option. __________________ Hey Loochy, I'm hoooome!
Posts: 40,601

02-02-2016, 09:38 AM	#3
DJ's left nut Sauntering Vaguely Downwards Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Columbia, Mo Casino cash: $2719099	I don't know how much in the way of advice I can offer but I've hiked Holy Cross in Colorado as well as a few days in the Maroon Bells. Maroon Bells was stunning but !@#$ing hard. If you're going to take that one on, try to get out there 3 days or so early and spend a few days getting yourself acclimated to the thin air. A whitewater trip should occupy a day fairly easily. Maybe set up a base camp down low for a day or so and do a day hike to get your sea legs. When we did Holy Cross our passes were snowed in so we set up a camp at Lake Patricia and day hiked from there for the next 3 days. It wasn't as involved (or rewarding) as the hike across the passes in the Bells but it was much simpler and enjoyable for different reasons. If you've backpacked before, I can't imagine there's a lot of logistic I need to go into but suffice it to say, pack light. I brought what I wore on day 1, one extra pair of jeans, one extra pair of shorts and 2 t-shirts to go with 2 extra pairs of socks. If you're buying gear, don't go cheap. If you're buying low end stuff, you can get it light or you can get it warm but you can't get both. When you're lugging around an extra 20 lbs or freezing your ass off, you'll wish you'd have splurged on the legit gear. I don't even think they sell packs with external frames anymore and probably with good cause. My old external pack was a nightmare compared to the internal frame model I rented last time out. Oh yeah, and save weight for vodka. No hangover and getting a little buzz on under the night sky with a nice campfire is a hell of an experience. Make sure you check beforehand that there's not a no-burn order in effect; not having a good campfire is a hell of a buzzkill (as for campfires, a folding camp saw is also an item worth spending a few more bucks on). __________________ "If there's a god, he's laughing at us.....and our football team..." "When you look at something through rose colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags."
Posts: 60,763

02-02-2016, 10:05 AM	#5
loochy Hey Loochy, I'm hooome! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: PooPooKaKaPeePeeShire Casino cash: $1860752	http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/white...a/?recid=40417 Look down and expand the day hiking area. Unfortunately they don't list the start/finish elevations and elevation gain. The Dillon District ranger office should be able to help with that and make general recommendations on scenery, trail type, and trail difficulty. Get a detailed topo map. I have a National Geographic that I used for Carson National Forest in New Mexico and it's wonderful. Use this link and zoom in to find out which map you need: http://ngmaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/E...ue&theme=light http://www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps...s/colorado?p=2 __________________ Hey Loochy, I'm hoooome! Last edited by loochy; 02-02-2016 at 10:11 AM..
Posts: 40,601

02-02-2016, 10:13 AM	#6
DMAC MVP Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Springfield, MO Casino cash: $10008735	Check out the trails from the Fourth of July campground. Many possibilities to loop or in and out.
Posts: 11,651

02-02-2016, 10:18 AM	#8
Red Dawg Going home eventually Join Date: Dec 2002 Casino cash: $4562858	Didn't you see the Revenant? Don't go out there. __________________ If you're not first you're last!
Posts: 30,472

02-03-2016, 06:01 PM	#13
REDHOTGTO Veteran Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: INDEPENDENCE,KANSAS Casino cash: $7248961	While I don't hike down in that area at all , I do caution you to be prepared. Do plenty of pre hikes and drink tons of water for weeks before going. Make sure to acclimate a few days before taking off on a hike, you will feel a ton better. If you do all of these things you will have a great time as Colorado is a beautiful place to hike.
Posts: 1,918

02-03-2016, 07:30 PM	#15
mr. tegu Forever Royal Join Date: Mar 2012 Casino cash: $1691300	I have no idea where these places are in relation to Estes but that's where we go. Chasm Lake below Long's Peak is our longest one so far.
Posts: 24,154