Emergency Hiking Gear Denver CO

Activities: Hiking, Snowshoeing

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Length: One-Way: 10.5 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 8346 feet
Maximum Elevation: 11906 feet
Best Season: June to October
Difficulty: More Difficult
Usage: Moderate

Description: The Arapaho Creek Trail follows Arapaho Creek through the heavily forested creek valley. The trail climbs very gradually, gaining only 200 to 300 feet per mile with one short set of switchbacks. About 2 miles short of Arapaho Pass, the forest opens up in Coyote Park, filled with emerald green wet meadows where wildflowers abound. The climb from Coyote Park is moderate, breaks in the forest offer glimpses of North and South Arapaho Peaks to the east. The trail levels out some as you pass Caribou Lake, nestled in a steep-walled cirque basin. Beyond Caribou Lake, the trail switches back and forth for a 1 mile, 800 foot climb to Arapaho Pass. After snow begins to fall, it is common to see snowshoers on the Arapaho Creek Trail.

Activities: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Snowshoeing

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Length: One-Way: 4 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 8600 feet
Maximum Elevation: 10643 feet
Best Season: June to October
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Light

Description: The Hell Canyon Trail is accessed from either Cascade Creek Trail or Roaring Fork Trail. The Hell Canyon Trail is appropriately named, as it is a steep, rugged, unmarked and unmaintained trail. Hikers find fallen logs across the trail and report that the footway is often obscured. It is, however, possible to follow the stream north and northeast to Stone and Upper Lakes. When the snow falls, the Hell Canyon Trail becomes the domain of snowshoers.

Activities: Hiking, Snowshoeing

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Pike & San Isabel National Forests
Length: One-Way: 4.5 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 9800 feet
Maximum Elevation: 10400 feet
Best Season: Summer, Fall
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Light

Description: The Apishapa Trail will tie into the Wahatoya Trail at mile 1 1/2. You can continue on for 2 miles to tie in with the West Peak Trail. This trail is good for car shuttle because of the trailheads being located on the same county road #46. Directions Take State Highway 12 from LaVeta to Cucharas Pass turn left on County Road 46 and travel 10 miles to the Apishapa Trailhead located on County Road 46. Comanche Trail State: Colorado Location: Pike & San Isabel National Forests Length, One-Way: 5.1 miles Trail Type: Out and Back Minimum Elevation: 9100 feet Maximum Elevation: 11720 feet Best Season: Summer, Fall Difficulty: Difficult Usage: Light Trail Information The 5.1 mile long Comanche Trail provides access to Comanche Lake and the Phantom Terrace. This hike is in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which is one of the longer mountain ranges on earth. It extends from New Mexico up into central Colorado. The “Sangres” started forming during the Laramide mountain building episode (70 to 40 million years ago) along with a number of other ranges in the Rockies. However, uplift activity in the Sangres continued longer, ending about 25 million years ago. While other Laramide uplifts were being leveled by erosion, this one was still growing. Some faults on the west side of the Sangres are still active. As you hike up the valley and as you look out at the surrounding mountains from Comanche Peak, you may notice something odd. It looks as though the rock outcrops in many places have linear features that are slanting and sometimes almost vertical. The linear aspect relates to the originally horizontal bedding planes that formed during the deposition of sediments, which later became cemented into rocks. During mountain building, these rock units were faulted, uplifted and strongly tilted in response to forces deep in the earth.

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Pike & San Isabel National Forests
Length: One-Way: 11.3 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 8160 feet
Maximum Elevation: 9940 feet
Best Season: Spring to Fall
Difficulty: Moderate
Usage: Moderate

Description: This trail provides a less-crowded alternative to the Goose Creek Trailhead. The trail accesses the east side of the Lost Creek Wilderness by following the Wigwam Creek drainage up to an open meadow called Wigwam Park and on to a saddle at the end of the valley. Beyond the saddle, the trail drops down into East Lost Park, then crosses Lost Creek and continues west up the creek to the Lost Park Trailhead. Granite domes along the trail present many opportunities for rock climbing and the nearby streams provide good fishing. Because the trail is almost entirely in designated wilderness, Wilderness regulations apply. From the Wigwam Trailhead parking area, follow the signs a short distance on an old logging road to a sign on your right where the trail leaves the road. The trail heads generally northwest along Wigwam Creek. The trail rises with a moderate, gradually steepening grade into Wigwam Park. Wigwam Park has a number of beaver ponds and campsites. Be sure your campsites are at least 100' from the trail and stream. The last stretch to the park has several short, steep, rocky sections of trail. In Wigwam Park the trail intersects the north end of the Goose Creek Trail, which runs up a valley to the south and over a pass into the Lost Creek drainage. Just to the west of the Goose Creek junction, the trail intersects the south end of the Rolling Creek Trail. From here the Rolling Creek Trail climbs steeply to the north, over a ridge and down the north side to the Colorado-Rolling Creek trailhead on Forest road 560, west of Wellington Lake. From Wigwam Park the trail continues its gentle rise to the pass at the end of the valley and then descends into East Lost Park, an open valley surrounded by outcrops and domes of Pikes Peak granite. In the middle of the park, the trail crosses Lost Creek and then follows it upstream to the Lost Park Trailhead and its intersection with the Brookside-McCurdy Trail.

Activities: Hiking, Mountain Biking

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Pike & San Isabel National Forests
Length: One-Way: 3 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 9000 feet
Maximum Elevation: 9500 feet
Best Season: Year-Round
Usage: Moderate

Description: The McQuaid Trail crosses the rolling Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir and Aspen country of the eastern foothills of the Buffalo Peaks. It makes for a nice day hike and also provides a biking connection through this country, with the Midland Trail and Buena Vista to the south and a trail system that reaches to Breckenridge to the north.