Basic Hiking Gear Denver CO

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Length: One-Way: 7.1 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 9000 feet
Maximum Elevation: 11775 feet
Best Season: June to October
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Heavy

Description: Devil’s Thumb Trail crosses gently sloping terrain interspersed with steep stretches of trail. Along the way, it passes through forest, riparian woodland and sunny, rocky slopes. If you choose to skip driving through the water and park on the Fourth of July Road, take the quarter mile long Columbine Trail which starts at the bottom of the first hill, just before the water. It is a recently constructed trail that bypasses the flooded part of the road and comes in at the Hessie Townsite. From the Townsite, the road continues rough and with large mud puddles another quarter mile to the Hessie Trailhead. There is very little parking at the trailhead itself. From the trailhead, cross the footbridge and take the Devil’s Thumb Trail, which climbs steeply for about a half-mile on an old road. The Devil’s Thumb Bypass turns right in 0.8 miles, just before the bridge. Either the Devil’s Thumb Trail or the Devil’s Thumb Bypass will get you to the same destination – the distance is about the same either way. The bypass trail crosses open meadows to the north of the creek. The main trail follows an old road along the south side of the creek, staying right past the junctions with the Lost Lake Trail, King Lake Trail and Woodland Lake Trail. It is 1.1 miles from the trailhead to the Lost Lake Trail junction, which is right at the top of a hill. From there it is a flat 1/4 mile to the King Lake Trail junction. The Devil’s Thumb Trail enters the Indian Peaks Wilderness just beyond the King Lake Trail junction. It continues fairly level another 1.0 miles to the Woodland Lake Trail junction. In places, the creek has taken over the trail, so hikers have to follow social paths along the bank. The Devil’s Thumb Bypass rejoins 200 yards beyond the Woodland Lake Trail. After the trails rejoin, the old road begins to climb again. This stretch can be very wet, especially early in the summer, so some bypass social trails have developed. In 1.5 miles, the Diamond Lake Trail forks right (north). It leads 3.7 miles up over the ridge past Diamond Lake to connect to the Arapaho Pass Trail 1.2 miles from the trailhead. From the Diamond Lake Trail junction it is another 0.6 miles to Jasper Lake. Jasper Lake is surrounded on three sides with trees and a steep ridgeline to the north. It is a very popular camping area with limited, designated sites. There is no bridge across the spillway, but there is often a plank across a hundred yards downstream. The trail continues another mile over a small ridge, north of a pond and up a slope to Devil’s Thumb Lake. It lies directly below the vertically-walled Devil’s Thumb. Past Devil’s Thumb Lake, Devil’s Thumb Trail wanders across open meadows near treeline, then makes several switchbacks up the steep side of a ridge to reach the Continental Divide. This steep portion of the trail holds snow and ice well into the summer and can be treacherous – crampons may be useful. The Devil’s Thumb Trail does not actually intersect the High Lonesome Trail (part of the Continental Divide Trail) which is a couple hundred yards down the far side of the ridge and not heavily traveled. From the top of the ridge it is another 0.6 miles downhill to the right (north) to Devil’s Thumb Pass or 3 miles to the left (south) to the King Lake Trail. It is not difficult to eventually pick up the High Lonesome Trail from the Devil’s Thumb Trail by just following the ridge, but finding the Devil’s Thumb Trail from the High Lonesome Trail is more difficult. Note that the Devil’s Thumb Trail does not climb to Devil’s Thumb Pass (which has a snowfield most of the year), but ascends the ridge to the south. There is a large cairn where it tops out, just south of the high point at the ridge intersection. To access Devil’s Thumb from 4th of July Trailhead, follow the Arapaho Pass Trail for 1.2 miles, take the Diamond Lake Trail 3.7 miles more past Diamond Lake and over the ridge to hit the Devil’s Thumb Trail 0.6 miles east of Jasper Lake. Turn right (west)

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Pike & San Isabel National Forests
Length: One-Way: 6.4 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 8360 feet
Maximum Elevation: 10650 feet
Best Season: Summer, Fall
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Moderate

Description: The Rolling Creek Trail is a popular trail provides access into the northeast side of the Lost Creek Wilderness. The first third of the trail south from the trailhead are an easy, pleasant hike following gently rolling terrain. However, the second two thirds of the trail is quite steep and the trail up the tight canyon on the north side is often blocked by downed trees. The trail passes around to the west of the Castle and offers some very dramatic views of this prominent pinnacle. This trail, in conjunction with the Colorado Trail, Wigwam Trail and Goose Creek Trail, offer some interesting loops for backpack trips. The gentle first section of the trail, up to the Wilderness boundary, is popular with mountain bikers, but the rest of the trail is entirely in designated wilderness. Mountain bikes are prohibited and Wilderness regulations apply. From the trailhead at end of the road, the Colorado Trail bears right (west) and the Rolling Creek Trail heads left (east). The first part of this trail is very easy to hike, with only minor “ups and downs” and small stream crossings. Just after crossing the much larger Rolling Creek, the Wilderness boundary is reached. Soon thereafter, a tight canyon is entered and the trail becomes very steep. As you climb out of the canyon, the view to the north opens up with views of the Castle, the granite along upper Rolling Creek and the mountains in the distance. The high point of the trail is a saddle between the Rolling Creek and Wigwam Creek drainages. From the saddle the trail continues south down into Wigwam Park, where it meets the Wigwam Trail.

Activities: Hiking, Snowshoeing

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Pike & San Isabel National Forests
Length: One-Way: 0.9 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 8200 feet
Maximum Elevation: 8400 feet
Best Season: Spring to Fall
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Moderate

Description: The Hard Rock Trail is approximately 0.9 miles. It is a self-guided nature trail that explores the diverse life in the Montane life zone. Adjoining the trail is a side trip that can be taken called the Overlook Side Trail. It is 0.6 miles round trip and overlooks Elevenmile Canyon. Elevenmile Canyon is the primary attraction in the area. The Middle Fork of the South Platte River runs through Elevenmile Canyon. The river is popular for fishing. Inner tubing can also be enjoyed in some areas of the canyon. There are 5 campgrounds and 4 picnic areas for recreational enjoyment.

Activities: Hiking, Road Cycling

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Length: One-Way: 7.2 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 8900 feet
Maximum Elevation: 12162 feet
Best Season: June to October
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Heavy

Description: From the St. Vrain Mountain Trailhead, the St. Vrain Mountain Trail starts off on an old road, but soon leaves it to the right. It cuts over to the creek which it reaches about a mile from the trailhead, a third of a mile beyond the Indian Peaks Wilderness boundary. It follows along the creek for another half mile, then takes quite a long switchback to the right (north). It is easy to lose the trail here if there is snow. The St. Vrain Mountain Trail cuts back to the left, crosses the valley and continues a ways across the south side of the valley before switching back and returning to the drainage. After a few more smaller switchbacks, the St. Vrain Mountain Trail comes out above treeline and passes to the south of Meadow Mountain. It pops briefly into Rocky Mountain National Park as it circles the west side of a small unnamed peak, then gains the east ridge of St. Vrain Mountain. At 3.9 miles, the St. Vrain Mountain Trail intersects the unsigned Rock Creek Trail near the St. Vrain Mountain Trail’s highest point, a good place to break from the trail if you want to summit St. Vrain Mountain by an easy bushwhack up the ridge. This junction is marked by a cairn and is south of the head of the Rock Creek drainage. The trail continues down the south side of St. Vrain Mountain to the Buchanan Pass Trail. When the snow falls, the St. Vrain Mountain Trail becomes the domain of snowshoers and backcountry skiers.

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Great Sand Dunes National Monument
Length: One-Way: 6 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 9380 feet
Elevation Change: 2000 feet
Best Season: Summer
Difficulty: Moderate
Usage: Heavy

Description: Sand Creek lakes is popular with hikers and equestrians so trailhead parking can be tight on summer weekends. Hike midweek to find solitude, always purify water taken from natural sources and store your food so it’s safe from bears. Do your best to leave no trace of your stay here. From Music Pass, the trail descends steadily into the Upper Sand Creek drainage. Less than 1 mile from the pass, there is a trail junction; turn right (northwest) for the lakes. The trail south passes several nice campsites then follows the creek downstream through very dense timber. Heading north from the junction, the trail crosses Sand Creek, then forks again. Turn left to reach the lower lake (.6 mile from here) or right to reach the upper lake (1 mile further on). Note older maps do not reflect recent trail re-routing. The very steep sided, rocky peak is Tijeras Peak (el. 13,604'). To its right is Music Mountain (el. 13,355') and Milwaukee Peak (el. 13,522').