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.

The Cimarron Valley, near Owl Creek Pass




The Cimarron River valley in southwest Colorado is filled with groves of aspen trees and many imposing mountain peaks.  I had driven through here after camping below Owl Creek Pass, and was struck the beauty of the area.  Few others were around, even though it was only mid-autumn.  Ever since then, I had wanted to return when the fall colors were at their peak.  I did that this past weekend, and while the weather wasn't cooperating, I did manage to get a few good photographs.