60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Denver and Boulder

Mindy Sink grew up in Boulder and has lived in Denver for many years. She is the author of Walking Denver (Wilderness Press), which her daughter, Sophie Seymour, contributed to for the book’s second edition. Mindy is also the author of Moon Denver, Boulder & Colorado Springs (Moon Travel), and she contributes regularly to the Denver Post, Colorado Parent, and other publications both in print and online. She also works in healthcare communications. Before becoming a guidebook author, Mindy covered regional topics for The New York Times’s Rocky Mountain Bureau. She earned a degree in journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Mindy lives in Denver with her husband, Mike Seymour; her daughter, Sophie; and the family’s nonhiking cat, Marvel. Kim Lipker grew up in Colorado, loving the outdoors from an early age; and she did most of the hikes in this book, never imagining that her frolics through the forest would ever land themselves in print. Kim coauthored the fourth and fifth editions of Best Tent Camping: Colorado (with Johnny Molloy) and Day & Overnight Hikes: Rocky Mountain National Park (both from Menasha Ridge Press). In addition to writing books, she works in the Department of Language, Culture & Equity at Poudre School District, and she has written a regular parenting column and other features for Rocky Mountain Parent magazine. Kim lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her three children.

Overview Map



Map Legend



Acknowledgments



Foreword



Preface



60 Hikes by Category



Introduction



Denver (Including Foothills and Plains)






Alderfer/Three Sisters Park
Belmar Park
Bluff Lake Nature Center
Clear Creek Canyon Park: Peaks to Plains Trail
Dedisse Park: Evergreen Lake Trail
Deer Creek Canyon Park: Meadowlark and Plymouth Creek Trails
Elk Meadow Park: Meadow View, Sleepy S, and Elk Ridge Trails
Golden Gate Canyon State Park: Mountain Lion Trail
Golden Gate Canyon State Park: Raccoon and Mule Deer Trails
Meyer Ranch Park: Lodge Pole Loop
Mount Evans Wilderness: Hells Hole Trail
Mount Evans Wilderness: Mount Bierstadt Trail
Mount Falcon Park: Western Loop
North Table Mountain Park: North Table, Tilting Mesa, and Mesa Top Trails
Plains Conservation Center Loop
Red Rocks Park: Trading Post Loop
Silver Dollar Lake Trail
Windy Saddle Park: Lookout Mountain Trail
William Frederick Hayden Park: Green Mountain and Hayden Trails



South of Denver






Castlewood Canyon State Park: Inner Canyon and Lake Gulch Trails
Colorado Trail: Segment 3 to Tramway Trail
Devil’s Head Trail
Greenland Open Space: Greenland, Luge, and Kipps Trails
Mount Herman Trail
Pine Valley Ranch Park Loop
Reynolds Park Loop
Roxborough State Park: Willow Creek and South Rim Trails
Spruce Mountain Open Space: Spruce Mountain Trail and Upper Loop
Staunton State Park: Elk Falls
Waterton Canyon Recreation Area



Boulder (Including Foothills and Mountains)






Betasso Preserve: Canyon Loop Trail
Caribou Ranch Open Space: DeLonde Trail and Blue Bird Loop
Chautauqua Park: Chautauqua, Royal Arch, and Bluebell Road Trails
Eldorado Canyon State Park: Eldorado Canyon Trail
Heil Valley Ranch: Wapiti and Ponderosa Loop Trails
Hogback Ridge Loop at North Foothills Trailhead
Indian Peaks Wilderness: Mount Audubon Trail
Indian Peaks Wilderness: Pawnee Pass Trail to Lake Isabelle
James Peak Wilderness: South Boulder Creek and Crater Lakes Trails
James Peak Wilderness: South Boulder Creek Trail
Mount Sanitas, East Ridge, and Sanitas Valley Trails
Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge: Lindsay Ranch Loop
South Boulder Creek Trail from Bobolink Trailhead
South Mesa Trailhead to Bear Peak
Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat and Sawhill Ponds Wildlife Preserve
Walker Ranch: Meyers Homestead Trail



North of Boulder (Including Fort Collins and Rocky Mountain National Park)






Button Rock Preserve: Sleepy Lion and Hummingbird Switchback Trails
Ceran Saint Vrain Trail
Crosier Mountain Rainbow, Glen Haven, and Summit Trails
Devil’s Backbone Open Space: Wild Loop
Greyrock Meadows and Summit Trails
Hermit Park Open Space: Kruger Rock Trail
Horsetooth Mountain Open Space: Horsetooth Falls and Horsetooth Rock Trails
Lory State Park: Arthur’s Rock Trail
Rocky Mountain National Park: Gem Lake Trail
Rocky Mountain National Park: Glacier Gorge and Loch Vale Trails to Timberline Falls
Rocky Mountain National Park: Lily Ridge and Lily Lake Trails
Rocky Mountain National Park: Twin Sisters Trail
Rocky Mountain National Park: Wild Basin and Bluebird Lake Trails
Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain: Eagle Wind Trail



Appendix A: Outdoor Stores



Appendix B: Map Sources



Appendix C: Area Hiking Clubs and Organizations



Index



About the Authors