Boulder: Bear Peak

This hike kicked my ass. Maybe it was the mad dash I made to find cover in a sudden hailstorm that did it, but my legs were hurting for at least three days after.

Fact: this is the highest peak in Boulder, elevation 8,461'. It is a 4-5 hour hike, so get started early.

Serious!

I was led to the trailhead by a Denver native, who navigated us through suburbia and parked along some street that I don't remember. After consulting a map which can be found here, I concluded that we ascended Bear Peak from the east (using the Fern Canyon trail), but I don't know what other trails we used. I remember that it took quite a bit of navigating, but there was plenty of signage to take us where we needed to go.

This was definitely one of the best hikes I took in 2011. The trails wind through areas of lush forest, rocky outcroppings, and steep drop-offs. The hike was absolutely exhausting but the view at the top was worth it.

My crew at the top

Tips for the hike: bring snacks and lots of water! And wear a good pair of shoes that won't give you blisters- ouch. Also, leave early in the day- like climbing a 14er, you want to be out off the peak by the time afternoon thunderstorms come rolling in. We got to experience one first hand, and it was pretty crazy.

Golden: White Ranch Park

Despite the seemingly racist name, this is my favorite hike in the neighborhood so far!

Golden: Apex Park

For the record, this is more of a mountain biking trail than a hiking trail, and the *official* trail head forces hikers to climb a huge elevation gain for about 5 miles. However, renegades like us make our own trail head!  Which just happens to be right across from this person's pimpalicious cabin in the mountains. If you look closely, you can see that it has a moat! 

If you like funny trail names, then this is the hike for you. I believe we did the "Grubstake" loop, which was about a 2 mile trek through a nicely forested area, with not much change in elevation. This is an ideal hike for when you're hung over and want to get some fresh air, but don't want to sweat all that delicious tequila out of your blood stream. And since the actual trail head is so far away from this section of the park, you will probably only ran into one or two mountain bikers, if anyone. Also, the views of Denver and Golden are phenomenal! This picture was taken on a hazy day, but you get the picture. 

Directions from Denver: Take I-70 to the Golden exit. Drive until you come to the Hwy 93/Hwy 6 intersection, and turn left onto Hwy 6. Turn right onto Lookout Mountain Road, and drive until you crest the mountain. Turn left onto Grandview Road, a left onto Bellview, and a right onto Parkview. This is a very residential neighborhood, and you might get some strange looks from the locals- a rabid looking beagle even started chasing our car! Drive until you see a road on your left, with a small gravel lot for parking on the right- you will see the trail from the road. Park here and walk left to the trail, where you'll see this sign. Enjoy!

Golden: Windy Saddle Park

Laura, Julie, and I stumbled upon this trailhead after looking for Apex Park (to no avail). Both Windy Saddle Park and Apex Park (apparently) are off of Lookout Mountain Road, which is a beautiful drive with plenty of fantastic overlooks of Denver and Golden. The trails in the park are dog-friendly, unlike the Lookout Mountain Nature Preserve (which is right next door), and the trail head is super easy to find. The trail was pretty flat and went through areas of shaded forest and exposed rock. We followed the Beaver Brook trail for about an hour and then turned around, but not before we got to a nice overlook.

Directions: from NE Denver, take I-70 to the Golden exit (US 58) and take a left at the first intersection (onto US 6). Turn right onto Lookout Mountain Road- there will be signs for the Nature Preserve, so it's hard to miss. Drive about 2 miles and turn into the trail head on the right- there is a large parking area, and will probably be a good number of cars if you go during the weekend.

Morrison: Red Rocks

Aspen: Castle Peak

Colorado Springs: Garden of the Gods