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Denver - Top Hiking Trails/Things to Do this summer

Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:31 am
Posted by sonicsam
Member since Oct 2012
318 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:31 am
I'm moving to Denver for a summer internship for 8 weeks. During that time, I'd like to do as many activities as possible. Any recommendations?

Please no 420 recommendations.Not Interested.

Thanks!
Posted by High C
viewing the fall....
Member since Nov 2012
54283 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:33 am to
quote:

Please no 420 recommendations.Not Interested.


Dammit. I was gonna say smoke until you fall off a mountain.
Posted by KLSU
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2003
10362 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:37 am to
Posted by AubieALUMdvm
Member since Oct 2011
11713 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:41 am to
Hike a 14er. Even better - do a double hike and hit Mt. Evans and Mt. Bierstadt on the same trip - these are nice entry level ones. You can go to 14ers.com and get all the trail info you ever wanted.
Posted by Shexter
Prairieville
Member since Feb 2014
14143 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:45 am to
Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge through the mountains. Reserve a Jeep rental for when you arrive in Silverton.

This post was edited on 3/28/16 at 10:47 am
Posted by HippieTiger
Boulder, CO
Member since Oct 2015
2129 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:46 am to
If you aren't a total cheesedick I can get you out rock climbing, mountain biking, and white water kayaking
Posted by TexasTiger
Katy TX
Member since Sep 2003
5326 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:47 am to
Rocky Mountain National Park

Drive to Cheyenne WY for Cheyenne frontier days

Drive to Idaho Springs west of Denver and eat at the smokin yard


Posted by Trout Bandit
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Dec 2012
13421 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:49 am to
420 isn't really practiced in Denver. It's pretty much 247365 now baw.
Posted by rds dc
Member since Jun 2008
19846 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:51 am to
The Mt. Evans area is close enough to Denver that you can go pretty much any afternoon and it is basically empty during the week. A lot of purist hate on it b/c of the road to the top but you can easily avoid that but you can also use that to your advantage. You can use the road to access different areas of the mountain to gather beta. The approach from Echo lake via the Chicago Basin offers mind blowing views! If you are adventurous, you can approach from Echo Lake up through the Basin and then return down the front side via Warren, Rogers and Goliath. It is about a 20 mile round trip with a good deal of vert. Also, you can always use the road as a visual anchor if you get disoriented.

Closer in, Clear Creek Canyon offers a lot of fun options. Just head out on 6 and stop at any of the numerous trail heads and start exploring.
Posted by TR20
Dallas
Member since Feb 2009
65 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 10:54 am to
Depends on your hiking / rock climbing experience. If you're a flatlander like me, start with these 14ers:

-Evans
-Bierstadt
-Bross
-Sherman
-Mt Sniktau right off I70 in A Basin area is really nice 13er for starters.

Then I'd move to:

-Massive
-Longs
-La Plata
-Harvard
-Missouri
-Huron

I WOULD NOT try Maroon Bells starting out. Work up to that mountain as it has significant exposure and some loose / falling rock.
Posted by Gradual_Stroke
Bee Cave, TX
Member since Oct 2012
20917 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 11:12 am to
quote:

Please no 420 recommendations.Not Interested.




You seem like a boatload of fun
Posted by Lsupimp
Ersatz Amerika-97.6% phony & fake
Member since Nov 2003
79351 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 11:25 am to
I lived there for a decade and hiking is my deal.

Drive to Boulder. Park. Hike.Chautauqua is a great place to start-there are a myriad of trails . If you want a good challenging hike try Gregory Canyon/Green Mountain. If you want to amp it up try Bear Mountain a mile to the South. If you want a GREAT short (under an hour up) steep trail run try Mt Sanitas. These are all day hikes at the moderate to difficult level (in parts). Do it in the morning and head to Boulder Creek to cool down and then head over to Pearl Street Mall in the afternoon for food /drinks/people watching.Seriously, make Boulder your base and you will Thank me later.

If you have 3/4 days and want a really cool long hike with camping I'll give you a GREAT one that's off the grid. Drive to a town called St Elmo's. Ask a local to direct you to a trail head. Preferably the one that takes you up Mt. Princeton. Enjoy two/three days of perfect solitude. Bring a couple beers in your backpack for the top.



Posted by The Last Coco
On the water
Member since Mar 2009
6842 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 11:32 am to
Keep Staunton State Park in mind. It's near Denver and it's definitely close enough for a day trip. We just did the hike to the Elk Falls overlook, but the park has a ton to offer including horse back riding and rock climbing to go along with the normal hiking trails.

Staunton State Park brochure
Posted by PJinAtl
Atlanta
Member since Nov 2007
12775 posts
Posted on 3/28/16 at 12:02 pm to
Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder and Lookout Mountain in Golden are both very nice, and not quite the altitude as some of the others mentioned (6,983 and 7,377 respectively) so you could start getting acclimated to the elevation before attacking a 14er.

Go to Rocky Mountain National Park.

If you are there in late July/early August make the trip up to Cheyenne for Frontier Days. Really cool, and the rodeo is a blast to check out. Also, go up into the Snowy Range (northern tip of the Medicine Bow mountains). Take Wyoming 130 west from Laramie to Centennial and then up into the Snowies. Beautiful scenery with lakes and such.
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