John Denver was onto something when he wrote about our cathedral mountains, silver clouds, quiet solitude of the forest and the streams, and being a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly.  We are so truly lucky to live in such a gorgeous place, and fortunate to have hiking trails to take a moment and escape from the day to day and feed our wanderlust with nature.

There are so many hiking trails in our area I can’t even begin to scratch the surface here, and I’ve lived here for over a decade now and am still finding new trails I have yet to hike.  I’m going to try and touch on some of my favorites and let you know why I love them, as well as some I’m wanting to try myself!

Beaver Lake – Located on Beaver Creek Mountain, you can actually visit Beaver Creek’s namesake lake!  My favorite way to do this trail is to take the lift up (you can purchase a day lift ticket or use your Epic Pass if you have one) and take the Royal Elk trail across.  From there, you head uphill for a short bit and then the lake appears like out of a movie.  It’s incredible.  From there, you pretty much follow the creek down, and if you’re feeling adventurous you can start taking other trails in Beaver Creek to extend your hiking (one addition I love is to swing to the east at Allie’s Way and take that to Overlook right down to the base of the Centennial Lift.  The reason why I choose to take Royal Elk is because I think it’s a more visually exciting hike, even though it’s easier.  You get to traverse across Grouse Mountain, which is jagged and intimidating looking (so different than “the hills are alive with the sound of music” you see on so much of Beaver Creek!), and then tuck into the glades of Black Bear and Royal Elk.  It’s also super exciting to see where I ski in another season.  So if you’re willing to pay or have a pass, it is worth it.  Also, the hike to Beaver Lake doesn’t have many switchbacks, so you’re pretty much hiking 1,500 vertical feet straight up, which is something I’m not a huge fan of!  So there you have it!

Booth Falls  – Booth Falls was my very first hike I did when I moved out to Colorado.  I did everything wrong.  I was grossly underprepared.  I didn’t bring enough food or water.  I didn’t bring the right clothing.  I went in the afternoon without checking the weather.  And so on…and yet I don’t hate this trail and it will always have a special place in my heart.  Booth Falls is part of a longer Booth Creek Trail, which in itself is considered a “more difficult” trail and 9 miles round trip.  The 60 foot waterfalls, however, are located just shy of mile 2, and because of this the trail is super busy.  There’s limited parking at the trailhead, so overflow parking is at the nearby school.  The trail ascends through a Gore Mountain Range drainage along Booth Creek, going up in elevation through high mountain meadows and tree groves.  Despite it’s short trip to the falls, it’s very steep and begins at almost 9,000ft elevation.  Don’t underestimate this trail like I did all those years ago!  It’s worth the climb though, because the waterfall is absolutely stunning.

Mesquite Trail – Located within the Singletree Community, there are two entrances to the Mesquite trail.  One is located on Mesquite Drive, and the second is on Charolais Circle.  Parking is on the side of the road, so please be kind to the neighborhood and don’t block driveways, utilities, or fire hydrants.  The trail gives beautiful panoramic views with Vail’s Game Creek Bowl and Gore Range to the east, Bellyache Ridge to the west, Beaver Creek, Arrowhead, and the Lake Creek Valley.  It’s gorgeous!  The trail itself is quite short, about 45 minutes to an hour round trip if you go at a steady pace, and has high traffic of locals on both foot and mountain bike.  It connects to Berry Creek 4×4 road, which you can follow uphill for a bit if you’d like to extend your hike.  It’s on the north side of I-70 and gets lots of southern exposure with minimal shade, so don’t forget your sunscreen and water for this one!

Missouri Lakes/Fancy Pass Loop – Homestake is the area where this beautiful loop is located, and is known for its cool waters of the reservoir and local camping spots.  Follow the directions on the one sheet and you’ll get to the shared parking location for this trailhead.  If you head clockwise, you’ll be doing Missouri Lakes first (counter clockwise for Fancy Pass).  The two trails connect to make a super fun loop, but if you’re looking to do a shorter hike you can always just do part of one.  It is considered a moderate to more difficult hike, however I think I would consider it more difficult due to the length and the starting elevation of 10,000ft.  I definitely would not recommend this hike within your first day or so, especially if you’re going to be coming from sea level.  The views throughout are absolutely breathtaking, from the forests at the beginning, to the high alpine lakes once you’ve gotten to treeline.  The water is crystal blue (and cooooold!!!!) and the colors are so incredible, be it the flowers of the summer or yellows and orange of fall. 

Shrine Ridge Trail –  Each year, I do this trail sometime between late July and early August.  It begins at over 11,000ft so if you time it right the wildflowers come alive with the brightest reds, yellows, pinks, and purples.  It’s a beautiful rainbow contrasting the green trees and bluest sky…this trail for me never gets old, and I never miss it.  It’s probably the hike I’ve done most often, and I love sharing it with friends and family.  You’ll be driving on a dirt road to get there, so make sure your car has clearance, and because it is a popular trail the parking lot gets filled up quickly so make sure to arrive early.  You’ll be hiking above treeline for part of the hike, with limited shelter, so keep your eye on the weather.  It can change super quickly!  Cameras are always important for hiking, but definitely make sure you have it with you for this one, especially when you get to the top and see why it’s called “Shrine Mountain.”  Bonus:  there’s a survey marker at the top, too!  Am I the only one who thinks survey markers are super neat?

Ones I want to try:   

• Crystal Mill –  It’s the most photographed place in Colorado and I’ve never been.
• Maroon Bells – The most photographed mountains in Colorado, and again, I’ve never been.
• Lost Lake Trail –  It’s so close to Piney, where I go all the time.  Time to see it!
• Rifle Falls –  Ok, so technically this one is pretty far, but it’s a state park and stunning and waterfalls, so 3 reasons are good enough for me.  And if you’re looking at a good day trip, you can go too!

About Fourteeners:  You’ll probably hear the term “fourteener” at some point during your time in Colorado.  Fourteeners are our 58 mountains over 14,000ft!  In Eagle County, we have Mount of the Holy Cross, however some counties have multiple ones.  The most famous is probably Pike’s Peak, which inspired “America the Beautiful.”  Summiting a fourteener is a badge of honor for many Coloradans, and hiking these rugged peaks are no joke.  Most often, hikers camp out at the trailhead and begin their trek before dawn, with the hike itself gaining thousands of vertical feet—it can even take 12+ hours!   If you’re and avid hiker, you can definitely try summiting a fourteener during your trip to Colorado, however I definitely recommend having a guide with you.  Your guide will ensure you have everything you need for safety, knows the trail (it’s easy to become lost when you’re surrounded by rocks), and is a vital asset for altitude sickness when it comes to these amazing mountains. 

So now we’ve gotten this far and you’re probably wondering why I haven’t talked about Hanging Lake.  Odds are, you’ve probably seen Hanging Lake even if you don’t realize it.  It’s one of Colorado’s most famous landmarks and within the last 5 years has become incredibly popular with travel heavy hitters like Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure, as well as instagram and social media. 

Hanging Lake has become so popular, it needed intervention.  It had unsustainable tourism levels, which came with graffiti, litter, and rule breakers (don’t go on the log and NEVER swim in the lake) to the point where the Forest Service couldn’t keep up.  Our beautiful National Landmark was in jeopardy of being destroyed, so a permit system was put in place, similar to hikes like Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park.  This limited the amount of people who could hike it per day, as well as charge a fee to pay for the upkeep of the trail (which was maintained by an all-volunteer team prior), add rangers for assistance, and keep Hanging Lake pristine. 

To book a reservation for Hanging Lake, please visit:  https://visitglenwood.com/hanginglake/.

There’s a wonderful guide to Hanging Lake written by a Denver blogger, Day Hikes Near Denver.  Aaron has written a phenomenal how-to for Hanging Lake, including information about the trail itself, hiking tips, all about parking and permits, you name it.  Instead of reinventing his fantastic wheel, I suggest visiting his site for everything Hanging Lake!