Coulson Gulch | Roosevelt National Forest Lyons, CO | 05/06/21 | 6.12 miles | 1,070' gain Coulson Gulch had been on my list for a long time. I'd originally planned to hike just the standard six-mile out & back trail, but after some further research, it looked like I could complete a loop around North …
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: South Rim Overlooks Montrose, CO | 05/02/21 On my way home from Montrose, I wanted to stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Of Colorado's four (4) National Parks, Black Canyon was the only one I hadn't yet visited, so it was a high priority. Since …
Continue reading Black Canyon of the Gunnison: South Rim Overlooks | Colorado | 05/02/21
Ouray Perimeter Trail | Uncompahgre National Forest Ouray, CO | 05/01/21 | 6.36 miles | 1,763' gain Allie and I decided to spend our only full day together in Ouray; hiking, eating, and warm spring soaking. We'd both done a bit of hiking around town but neither of us had completed the Ouray Perimeter Trail, …
Continue reading Ouray Perimeter Trail | Colorado | 05/01/21
Big Dominguez Canyon | Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area Whitewater, CO | 04/30/21 | 5.71 miles | 215' gain Shortly after our Texas/New Mexico trip, my friend Allie moved to western Colorado for her new job in Telluride. While it sucked that she was now six hours away, a fun bonus was that I could come …
Red Mountain Loop | Red Mountain Open Space Wellington, CO | 04/18/21 | 7.78 miles | 899' gain I've come to enjoy my winter hikes at Red Mountain Open Space. This would be my third visit and the last one needed to have hiked every trail. Most people probably wouldn't think to head to the …
Mahogany Loop | Soapstone Prairie Natural Area Wellington, CO | 04/08/21 | 8.59 miles | 704' gain After returning from an awesome trip to Texas and New Mexico, I was back to the grind of work and bland winter hiking. I was ready for green grass and colorful flowers, and sick of the endless brown …
Bayou Gulch Perimeter Loop | Bayou Gulch Open Space Parker, CO | 03/20/21 | 3.9 miles | 229' gain Kyle and I planned a nice, easy loop around Bayou Gulch Open Space. This open space is mostly prairie, sandwiched between the encroaching city and enduring agriculture. We parked at the main trailhead and walked along …
Elk Meadow Loop | Elk Meadow Park Evergreen, CO | 03/17/21 | 5.10 miles | 666' gain Diana and I had planned a weekday summit of Bergen Peak (9,701') near Evergreen. Both of us had climbed Bergen before (though in summer) and while we knew the mountains had gotten quite a bit of snow recently, …
Grizzly Peak D (13,427') | CO Rank: 302/637 "Cupid" (13,117') | CO Rank: 555/637 Front Range | White River National Forest | Dillon, CO 03/06/21 | 6.12 miles | 2,951' gain | Class 2 Some mountains climb easy and some make us work for it. Some of the easiest mountains can be the most mentally …
Continue reading Grizzly Peak D (13,427′) & “Cupid” (13,117′) | Colorado | 03/06/21
A fresh snowfall had closed down Kyle's jobsite and he unexpectedly had a Thursday off work. Unfortunately, those of us who work from home don't get snow days, but I was able to finish up my work in the morning and we headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park for the afternoon. Neither of us …
Continue reading RMNP: February Mini-Hikes | Colorado | 02/18/21
Colorado Chelsea 