Welcome to the Colorado backcountry

The vast acreage of wilderness and backcountry beauty in Colorado make it one of the more popular locations for camping, backpacking, and day-hiking.

In addition to a eight National Parks and Monuments, Colorado boasts an equal number of Wilderness Areas, millions of acres of National Forest and BLM land, and over three dozen state parks.

From mountains to deserts, and grasslands to canyons, one could spend a lifetime hiking the trails of Colorado and not cover all of them.

Thomas Lakes and Mt. Sopris



Halfway to the summit of Mt. Sopris, south of Carbondale, Colorado, are Thomas Lakes.  Two large lakes and several smaller ponds sit on a shelf on the north slope of the mountain.  Other than the one time I made an unsuccessful attempt at climbing to the summit, I usually hike to and around Thomas Lakes every year. 

The trailhead can be reached from Prince Creek Road or West Sopris Creek Road.  The trail is about four miles each way, with a vertical gain of 1,600 feet.