North Face Denver CO

Activities: Hiking, Road Cycling

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Length: One-Way: 1 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Elevation Change: 650 feet
Best Season: Year-Round
Difficulty: Moderate

Description: The “High Dune” is not the tallest in the dunefield – it is about 650 feet from base to top – but it is one of the highest dunes above sea level in the dunefield. Since the High Dune is the most accessible of the big dunes, the hike to the top is a popular endeavor. The soft sand and steep slopes make Hiking the High Dune more strenuous that you’d expect. From the base, zigzag up the dune ridge lines. You should hike before noon in summer to avoid extremely hot sand and sun. You’ll gain terrific views of the dune field, the surrounding mountains and the San Luis Valley from the top.

Activities: Hiking, Snowshoeing

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Pike & San Isabel National Forests
Length: One-Way: 8 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 10000 feet
Maximum Elevation: 11412 feet
Best Season: Summer, Fall
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Moderate

Description: Beginning at the southern end of the Gold Dust Trail, the route is steep for the first mile. After reaching an elevation of 10,400 feet, the trail continues to climb, but now less steeply than before. The trail then descends into South Tarryall Creek drainage. The Gold Dust Trail crosses this creek and 2 others before reaching County Road 50 and Gold Dust Trailhead. From the trailhead, the path ascends and crosses Tarryall Creek and a four-wheel drive road. After crossing the road the trail becomes Old Boreas Wagon Road and continues to ascend to Boreas Pass Road and an elevation of 11,412 feet. Much of the Gold Dust Trail above County Road 50 generally follows an old flume which diverted water from North Tarryall Creek and its tributaries to mining operations located in the upper Tarryall Drainage. After snow begins to fall, it is common to see snowshoers and backcountry skiers along the Gold Dust Trail.

Activities: Hiking, Snowshoeing, Fishing, Photography

Info:
Location: Near Denver
Setting: Mountainous
Difficulty: Intermediate
Length: 3 mile roundtrip
Elevation Change: 1,000 feet
Trailhead Elevation: 11,200 feet

Description: This is not a long hike, yet the air, being thinner at a higher altitude may cause you to take longer if you are unaccustomed to it. There is occasional steepness on the trail that will make the hike challenging but the view makes it more than worthwhile to do the hike. The trail will lead to two small lakes that are well above the treeline. The first lake, Naylor Lake, is privately owned and you are not permitted to trespass on the property. Please respect the owners wishes, and look but don’t wander onto the property. Naylor Lake, which is private property is the first of the two lakesThe second lake is actually Silver Dollar Lake and is public property, available for your use. The trail takes you well above the trees and photography opportunities for below as well as views of wildlife are more than worth the time in making the hike.

Activities: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Snowshoeing

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Pike & San Isabel National Forests
Length: One-Way: 1.5 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 7600 feet
Maximum Elevation: 9100 feet
Best Season: Summer, Fall
Usage: Heavy

Description: The 7 Bridges Trail is a heavily used trail. There are numerous side trails but the main trail turns into Pipeline Trail # 668 which goes to Frosty Park. The 7 Bridges Trail is also known as North Cheyenne Creek Trail. Many of the bridges have been destroyed due to floods.

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.