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.

Huntsman's Ridge

Running north from McClure Pass, Huntsman's Ridge wraps around the west side of the Coal Basin west of Redstone, Colorado.  The trail climbs about 1,700 feet before leveling out.  This used to be a 4WD road, but the gate appears to have been closed the entire season (it was open last fall when I went up there, and a number of hunters had made camp part way up).  The sign says that dirt bikes and ATVs can still use it, but they obviously are not.  Given the downed trees across the road/trail, I can't imagine how even an ATV could navigate this.

I wasn't in the mood to drive far for a hike today, and this one is just a few miles from my home.  I like how steeply it rises (great for exercise), how quiet it is (I was surprised when I saw two other hiking parties on my way down), and the incredible views of the Crystal River and North Fork (Gunnison) valleys.

panorama from the meadow

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crooked aspens

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colorado, mountains, aspen, trees

Hayes Creek Falls

Hayes Creek Falls is south of Redstone, Colorado.  It flows year-round, but freezes in winter and is used by ice climbers.  In the spring, melt-off fuels its surge as it runs into the Crystal River.

colorado, waterfall, redstone, crystal river

Another early season hike up Avalanche Creek

I've posted a few times to this blog about my favorite early season hike.  Because it's relatively exposed, and tops out at only 9,000 feet, the Avalanche Creek trail is a great one to do when the others are muddy or choked with snow fields.

We saw a number of folks out enjoying the trail yesterday, as it was a Saturday and the weather was great.  Here are a few shots showing the scenery and high water.

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panorama from the overlook

avalanche creek, colorado, hiking

avalanche creek, colorado, hiking
Hell Roaring creek

colorado, wildflowers
shooting stars

avalanche creek, colorado, hiking

The Avalanche Creek trail begins at the eastern end of the USFS Avalanche campground, several miles east of highway 133, between Redstone and Carbondale, Colorado.