The Yule Creek Valley in the Raggeds Wilderness

My home in the Crystal River valley is bordered to the northeast by the Snowmass-Maroon Bells Wilderness and to the southeast by the Raggeds Wilderness.  There are many fantastic trails in this under-traveled area.  My favorite is easily Yule Creek.  From just below the top of the quarry road south of Marble, Colorado, the trail climbs about 1,500 feet in the first mile and a half.  At this point, you're on an overlook above a beautiful hanging valley.

I call those three peaks "the Baby Bells," because of their resemblance to the Maroon Bells - the most photographed feature in the state.  The taller one on the right is Mt. Justice.  The wide area below is Thompson Flats.

If you descend to Thompson Flats, there's a stream crossing (which is running very high and fast this year).  I recommend a pair of water shoes, as I try my best to keep my shoes and socks dry for my hiking comfort.

From here, the trail is relatively easy for the next mile or two as it winds through wildflower meadows and past rapids and small waterfalls.  Eventually it climbs to Yule Pass.  At this point, some hikers will do an about-face and traverse the slope to Yule Lakes, whose exit streams crossed the trail along the way up.

The Yule Creek valley

Colorado's Holy Cross Wilderness Area

Of the four wilderness areas close enough to my home for day hiking, the one to which we most frequently return is the Holy Cross Wilderness Area.  Named for the Mount of the Holy Cross, and dominated by the Sawatch Range, the Holy Cross Wilderness Area is most easily accessed from the south via the Fryingpan River valley, and from the north via several roads leading out of the Eagle-Edwards-Avon corridor along I-70.

Some of our favorite hikes, including those we do annually, include:
Lyle and Mormon lakes
Savage Lakes (and the Savage-Carter loop)
Josephine Lake
Eagle Lake

Coming out of the Roaring Fork valley, these are the ones most accessible to us, but the area is rich with great trails, and contains some of the best scenery you'll find anywhere.

Josephine Lake in the Holy Cross Wilderness

To the west of Savage and Carter lakes in the Holy Cross Wilderness Area is Josephine Lake.  It's a longer and more strenuous hike than the Savage-Carter loop, but one worth doing once you've done the others.

To reach the trailhead, take the North Fork Road (#501), a left turn from the Frying Pan road, a little ways east of Thomasville.  It's the same road you take to reach the Savage Lakes trailhead, but you don't need to go nearly as far.  Keep a lookout for the signs indicating the trailhead on your left.