This hike starts at the Powell parking lot, at the intersection of Gold Camp Road, High Drive and North Cheyenne Cañon Road. Go past the gate and follow Gold Camp Road up and over closed Tunnel #3. You're not going to St. Mary's Falls, so you bear left at the sign pointing towards the falls,…

The "original" Daniels Pass Trail in North Cheyenne Cañon Park is known for its difficulty. It's unreasonably steep and often covered with ground-up Pikes Peak granite that makes climbing difficult — and makes going down dangerous. Add to that some heavy erosion, unmarked trailheads and havi…

This 6-mile semi-loop hike in the San Isabel National Forest will provide a little bit of a workout, some great views and, depending on the time of year, either lots of wildflowers or fall colors — or both, if you're lucky.

Indian Cave Trail #705 through Missouri Gulch is an oasis of non-motorized entertainment in an area with a lot of trails that otherwise allow vehicles. While motorized recreational users are as entitled as any other group to trails — they pay taxes just like anyone else, after all, and even …

The Silver Circle Trail, in the San Isabel National Forest, west of Colorado City and Rye, is the starting point of a hike that ends at the iconic Bishop Castle. The famous (God only knows why) landmark appears to be what you'd end up with if you mated kitsch, a tourist trap and Rube Goldber…

The recent Leave No Trace week in Colorado Springs was a reminder of how to be nice to our public lands. While Leave No Trace principles are mostly about being a good steward of nature and wildlife, the Seventh Principle is "Be Considerate of Other Visitors," and is a good segue to a convers…

I predicted in last week's column that the fall colors along the Highway 67 corridor would be better last weekend than this coming one... but the colors have hung on, and great leaf-peeping should persist at least through Saturday. With colder weather predicted in Divide for Sunday and snow …

If you've been waiting for the right time to see the turning of the aspens in the Pikes Peak region, this is the weekend to do it. The fall colors along the Highway 67 corridor from Divide to Cripple Creek were, as of Wednesday, changing pretty rapidly when compared to as recently as last Sa…

An iconic sight, the East and West Spanish Peaks loom high over southeastern Colorado, luring people to hike, camp, fish, backpack and even do some leaf-peeping. There are plenty of trails around the two peaks, including one to the summit of the West Spanish Peak, which at 13,626 feet, is th…

Fall is here, and with it, leaf-peeping season. So far, this fall looks to be a great one. We've had plenty of moisture, and the aspens look healthy and vibrant. Keep your fingers crossed it holds up. 

With about 6.5 miles of new or rerouted trails, the latest additions to Colorado Springs' North Cheyenne Cañon Park will not only offer new experiences, but also solitude and some great views. The project is part of the current master plan for the park. 

The great thing about outdoor recreation in Colorado: There's something for everyone. Want to climb a 14er? We've got 58 of 'em. Hikes to high altitude lakes? There are more than you can count. Want to fish, hunt or go birding? Got ya covered. Cycling, horseback riding or motorsports? Yep, h…

When I decide to hike a new trail (based on a squiggly line on a map and brief — and often dated — description on a Forest Service website), it's a gamble.  The trail might not actually even exist, which has happened more times than I care to think, or it may have fallen into disrepair, beco…

For sheer beauty and solitude, Colorado Springs' South Slope Recreation Area is hard to beat. Located on property owned by the Colorado Springs Utilities, the recreation area was off limits to the public until 2014, when it was opened to hiking, cycling and fishing.

If you're like me, you prefer a nice loop hike to an out-and-back trek. On a loop, every step is different, offering a different view. Of course there are some great out-and-back adventures, such as hiking the many fourteeners here in Colorado, or any one of the beautiful alpine lakes that d…

The popular Catamount Trail in Green Mountain Falls was closed "until further notice" on Aug. 4 due to an "ongoing property dispute," according to a post on the town's website and Facebook page, signed by Town Manager Angie Sprang. In response to an email asking for more information, Sprang …

As I wrote in a column about a year ago, the Highway 165 corridor from Colorado City to Highway 96 has plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities. Hiking, biking, fishing and camping can all be done in the shadow of Greenhorn Mountain. On a recent visit there, I explored a couple of trails, …

The Buffalo Creek Recreation Area, west of the town of Deckers in Pike National Forest, has many trails for cycling and hiking. The Colorado Trail, which goes from Waterton Canyon just outside Denver to Durango, is just one of many trails that traverse the area.

Here's a follow-up to Tuesday's column regarding the land dispute over the Horsethief Park Trail.

If you want to hike to the very popular Pancake Rocks or Horsethief Falls, you'll want to do it soon. Real soon.

Two trails in Roosevelt National Forest to the west of Fort Collins provide not only enjoyable hikes, but also a demonstration of the resilience of nature and its ability to recover from wildfire.

One of the fun things about writing about hiking and outdoor recreation is looking for new places to go. Sometimes (OK, often), it involves spreading maps out on the living room floor and looking for a dotted line I haven’t visited before, and sometimes it involves watching social media post…

Now that summer is here — at least judging by the temperature — more and more of us will be out hiking, cycling and camping. Sure, any real Coloradan enjoys the outdoors year-round, but summertime allows us to go further away and to explore places that we may not have been able to get to dur…

This Saturday, as with every first Saturday in June, is National Trails Day. Established by the American Hiking Society — with partner federal agencies the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Transportation — the day is celebrated with …

Colorado Highway 82 over Independence Pass will be reopened for the season by the time you read this, and with the opening comes some great hiking opportunities.

Ten things that make Colorado great:

It's no secret that outdoor recreation is more popular than ever, and there are few (if any) places more popular than Colorado for indulging in wanderlust. An ever-increasing population, along with more and more visitors, have created not only an economic boom, but also seasonal crowding at …

The Colorado Springs Parks Department has unveiled a plan to expand the use of electric powered bikes ("e-Bikes") on its trails and in its parks. Under existing rules, "Class 1" e-bikes, those in which the electric motor provides power only while the bike is being pedaled by the rider, were …

The Care for Colorado Coalition has made the Care for Colorado theme for March "Responsible Recreation with Pets." Dogs are a major part of many Coloradans' lives and we like to take them hiking, camping, snowshoeing or on other activities. My own dog, Coal, frequently accompanies me on hike…

If you want to go hiking on the popular trails in Green Mountain Falls this summer, you may have to pay to park. The very small town, with a correspondingly very small budget and very small staff, has struggled over the last few years with how to manage the increasing numbers of users, and t…

Dick Bratton, a tireless advocate for trails, parks and open spaces in the Pikes Peak region, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Green Mountain Falls last Thursday. He was 84 years old.

With eight avalanche-related deaths so far this winter season, including three in a single incident near Silverton on Feb. 1, Colorado may be on pace for one of its deadliest avalanche seasons in recent memory. And, the startling number of avalanche deaths is not limited to just Colorado. As…