Co Trail Guides

American Lakes Trail

📍 Walden, CO

Strenuous 📏 5.0 Out-and-Back

The American Lakes Trail leads deep into the heart of the Never Summer Mountains, rewarding hikers with spectacular view…

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Arthur's Rock Trail

📍 Bellvue, CO

Strenuous 📏 3.4 Out-and-Back

Arthurs Rock Trail is the premier hike in Lory State Park, climbing steadily through ponderosa pine forest and open mead…

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Balcony House Tour

📍 Chapin Mesa, Mesa Verde National Park

Strenuous 📏 2.0 Guided

Balcony House is Mesa Verde's most physically demanding ranger-led tour, designed as a deliberately intimate encounter w…

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Barr Camp Day Hike

📍 Manitou Springs, CO

Strenuous 📏 6.4 Out-and-Back

The hike to Barr Camp offers a satisfying and achievable goal along the iconic Barr Trail route up Pikes Peak, turning a…

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Barr Trail to Timberline

📍 Manitou Springs, CO

Strenuous 📏 12.0 Out-and-Back

Barr Trail is one of Colorados most famous and demanding mountain trails, serving as the course for the legendary Pikes …

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Bockman Trail

📍 Walden, CO

Moderate 📏 7.0 Loop

The Bockman Trail explores the gentler, sage-brushed foothills terrain of Colorado State Forest State Park, offering a q…

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Browns Canyon National Monument Trail

📍 Salida, CO

Moderate 📏 4.0 Out-and-Back

Browns Canyon National Monument Trail ventures into the heart of Colorados newest national monument, a stunning granite …

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Canyon Overlook

📍 Rifle, CO

Moderate 📏 2.0 Out-and-Back

Canyon Overlook is a short but steep out-and-back route that climbs 400 feet in just one mile to reach a dramatic viewpo…

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Canyon Rim Trail

📍 Castlewood Canyon State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 4.5 Loop

Canyon Rim Trail is the signature loop of Castlewood Canyon State Park, combining sweeping views of Cherry Creek Canyon …

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Carpenter Peak Trail

📍 Roxborough State Park, CO

Strenuous 📏 6.0 Out-and-Back

Carpenter Peak Trail is the most demanding hike in Roxborough State Park, climbing 1,000 feet over six miles round-trip …

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Chautauqua to Enchanted Mesa

📍 Boulder, CO

Moderate 📏 3.0 Loop

This pleasant loop connects the historic 1898 Chautauqua grounds with the broad summit of Enchanted Mesa, offering a acc…

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Cheesman Ranch Trail

📍 Mueller State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 9.3 Loop

Cheesman Ranch Trail is Mueller State Park's premier long-distance loop, covering 9.3 miles through some of the finest w…

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Cliff Palace Ranger Tour

📍 Cliff Palace Loop Road, Mesa Verde National Park

Moderate 📏 0.25 Guided

Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America, a staggering 150-room village tucked beneath a sandstone ov…

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CO - Durango Terminus Section

📍 Durango, Colorado

Strenuous 📏 13.0 Point-to-Point

The Durango Terminus Section of the Colorado Trail encompasses the final miles of the 486-mile route, descending through…

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CO - Lost Creek Wilderness Section

📍 Lost Creek Wilderness, Colorado

Moderate 📏 14.0 Out-and-Back

The Lost Creek Wilderness Section of the Colorado Trail passes through one of the most geologically distinctive landscap…

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CO - Mount Elbert Section

📍 Mount Elbert, Colorado

Strenuous 📏 14.5 Out-and-Back

The Mount Elbert Section of the Colorado Trail offers an alternate route to the summit of Colorado and the Rocky Mountai…

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CO - Rocky Mountain NP CDT Section

📍 Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Strenuous 📏 20.0 Point-to-Point

The Rocky Mountain National Park CDT Section traverses the Never Summer Mountains and the high tundra spine of the park …

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CO - San Juan Range Section

📍 San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Strenuous 📏 20.0 Point-to-Point

The San Juan Range Section of the Colorado Trail is widely considered the most spectacular segment of the entire 486-mil…

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CO - Spring Creek Pass to Carson

📍 Spring Creek Pass, Colorado

Strenuous 📏 16.0 Out-and-Back

The Spring Creek Pass to Carson segment of the Colorado Trail traverses one of the most exposed and dramatic sections of…

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CO - Waterton Canyon

📍 Waterton Canyon, Colorado

Easy 📏 12.0 Out-and-Back

Waterton Canyon marks the official starting point of the Colorado Trail at mile zero, launching the 486-mile journey fro…

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CO - Weminuche Wilderness Section

📍 Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado

Strenuous 📏 25.0 Point-to-Point

The Weminuche Wilderness Section of the CDT is widely regarded as one of the most rugged and spectacular segments of the…

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Dakota Terraces Trail

📍 Ridgway, CO

Easy 📏 3.5 Loop

Dakota Terraces Trail traverses the upland sage terraces east of Ridgway Reservoir, offering intimate views of the Cimar…

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Dam Rim Trail

📍 Littleton, CO

Easy 📏 4.5 Loop

Dam Rim Trail follows the top of Chatfield Dam and the surrounding earthwork rim, delivering an unexpected combination o…

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Davis Ponds Trail

📍 Staunton State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 4.0 Out-and-Back

Davis Ponds Trail leads to a series of wildlife ponds tucked into the forested terrain of Staunton State Park, offering …

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Eagle Eye Shelter Trail

📍 Morrison, CO

Moderate 📏 4.0 Out-and-Back

The Eagle Eye Shelter Trail leads to one of the most charming and historically significant rest stops in Jefferson Count…

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East Shoreline Trail

📍 Rifle, CO

Easy 📏 3.0 Loop

East Shoreline Trail hugs the eastern bank of Rifle Gap Reservoir on an easy, nearly flat loop that is perfect for famil…

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Emerald Lake Trail

📍 Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Moderate 📏 3.6 Out-and-Back

The Emerald Lake Trail is one of Rocky Mountain National Park's most beloved hikes, stringing together three glacially c…

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First Flatiron Trail

📍 Boulder, CO

Strenuous 📏 2.5 Out-and-Back

The First Flatiron Trail delivers one of Boulders most thrilling ridge-line experiences, culminating on the tilted summi…

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Fountain Valley Trail

📍 Roxborough State Park, CO

Easy 📏 2.5 Loop

Fountain Valley Trail is the signature hike at Roxborough State Park, threading through one of Colorado's most dramatic …

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Fowler Trail

📍 Eldorado Canyon State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 2.2 Loop

Fowler Trail offers an accessible introduction to the spectacular scenery of Eldorado Canyon State Park on a 2.2-mile lo…

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Hecla Junction Trail

📍 Nathrop, CO

Moderate 📏 3.5 Out-and-Back

Hecla Junction Trail climbs from the Arkansas River bottomland to the granite canyon rim above one of the most scenic st…

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Heron Pond Loop

📍 Littleton, CO

Easy 📏 3.5 Loop

Heron Pond Loop circles the quiet ponds and wetland marshes in the interior of Chatfield State Park, offering some of th…

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Horseshoe Trail

📍 Golden Gate Canyon State Park, CO

Strenuous 📏 8.1 Loop

Horseshoe Trail is Golden Gate Canyon State Park's premier backcountry circuit, an 8.1-mile loop that ventures deeper in…

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Inner Canyon Trail

📍 Castlewood Canyon State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 3.0 Loop

Inner Canyon Trail descends into the heart of Castlewood Canyon to trace Cherry Creek along the canyon floor, offering a…

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Lake Agnes Trail

📍 Walden, CO

Strenuous 📏 3.0 Out-and-Back

Lake Agnes sits at 11,400 feet in a glacially carved cirque below the Nokhu Crags, making it one of the most visually st…

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Lake Gulch Trail

📍 Castlewood Canyon State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 5.0 Loop

Lake Gulch Trail is the most comprehensive hike in Castlewood Canyon State Park, linking multiple trail segments to crea…

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Lion Lakes Trail

📍 Staunton State Park, CO

Strenuous 📏 6.0 Out-and-Back

Lion Lakes Trail is the most ambitious hike in Staunton State Park, climbing 1,200 feet over six miles round-trip to a p…

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Little Medano Creek Trail

📍 Point of No Return Trailhead, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Easy 📏 3.5 Out-and-Back

Little Medano Creek Trail traces a shallow riparian corridor along the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, threading…

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Longs Peak Trail

📍 Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Strenuous 📏 14.5 Out-and-Back

Longs Peak stands at 14,259 feet and holds the distinction of being the only fourteener entirely within Rocky Mountain N…

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Manitou Incline

📍 Manitou Springs, CO

Strenuous 📏 2.0 Out-and-Back

The Manitou Incline is arguably the most brutally intense short hike in Colorado, climbing 2,000 feet in less than one m…

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Mill Creek Loop

📍 Bellvue, CO

Moderate 📏 6.5 Loop

The Mill Creek Loop winds through the rolling foothills of Lory State Park, passing through classic Front Range ponderos…

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Mount Falcon Summit

📍 Morrison, CO

Strenuous 📏 6.0 Out-and-Back

The hike to the summit of Mount Falcon delivers exceptional panoramic views of the Denver metropolitan area and Front Ra…

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Mule Deer Trail

📍 Golden Gate Canyon State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 2.0 Loop

Mule Deer Trail offers a compact but rewarding 2-mile loop through the characteristic landscapes of Golden Gate Canyon S…

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Pa-Co-Chu-Puk Trail

📍 Ridgway, CO

Moderate 📏 5.0 Loop

Pa-Co-Chu-Puk Trail, whose name translates to Uncompahgre River in the Ute language, follows the dramatic canyon corrido…

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Prater Ridge Trail

📍 Morefield Campground, Mesa Verde National Park

Moderate 📏 7.8 Loop

Prater Ridge is the highest point accessible by trail in Mesa Verde National Park, topping out at 8,572 feet on a narrow…

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Raccoon Trail

📍 Golden Gate Canyon State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 4.3 Loop

Raccoon Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, a 4.3-mile loop that climbs 800 feet to…

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Rattlesnake Gulch Trail

📍 Eldorado Canyon State Park, CO

Strenuous 📏 3.7 Out-and-Back

Rattlesnake Gulch Trail is the premier hiking route in Eldorado Canyon State Park, ascending 800 feet through a dramatic…

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Ridgway Reservoir Loop

📍 Ridgway, CO

Easy 📏 8.5 Loop

The Ridgway Reservoir Loop delivers one of the most spectacular easy hikes in all of Colorado, circumnavigating the stun…

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Rim Trail

📍 Rifle, CO

Moderate 📏 4.0 Loop

The Rim Trail at Harvey Gap State Park climbs to the canyon rim above Rifle Gap Reservoir, rewarding hikers with command…

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Rincon Trail

📍 Salida, CO

Moderate 📏 5.0 Loop

Rincon Trail traverses a high desert canyon bench several hundred feet above the Arkansas River, looping through a lands…

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Rock Pond Trail

📍 Mueller State Park, CO

Easy 📏 2.5 Loop

Rock Pond Trail provides an approachable entry point to Mueller State Park's renowned wildlife and scenery, winding 2.5 …

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Royal Arch Trail

📍 Boulder, CO

Strenuous 📏 3.8 Out-and-Back

The Royal Arch Trail is one of Boulders most celebrated and challenging hikes, rewarding those who complete it with a na…

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Sky Pond Trail

📍 Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Strenuous 📏 9.0 Out-and-Back

Sky Pond Trail delivers one of Rocky Mountain National Park's most dramatic alpine experiences, ascending nearly 1,700 f…

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South Platte River Trail

📍 Littleton, CO

Easy 📏 6.0 Loop

South Platte River Trail winds through the heart of Chatfield State Park, the most visited state park in Colorado, traci…

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South Rim Trail

📍 Roxborough State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 3.0 Loop

South Rim Trail climbs above the sandstone formations of Roxborough State Park to deliver sweeping aerial perspectives o…

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Staunton Ranch Trail

📍 Staunton State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 3.5 Loop

Staunton Ranch Trail pays homage to the homesteading legacy that shaped this land for over a century before it became a …

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Streamside Trail

📍 Eldorado Canyon State Park, CO

Easy 📏 1.0 Loop

Streamside Trail is the most gentle and accessible route in Eldorado Canyon State Park, hugging the bottom of the canyon…

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Timber Trail

📍 Bellvue, CO

Moderate 📏 4.0 Loop

Timber Trail traces the western hogback ridge of Lory State Park, offering sweeping panoramas of the Fort Collins skylin…

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Walker Home Ruins Loop

📍 Morrison, CO

Moderate 📏 3.5 Loop

The Walker Home Ruins Loop is one of the most historically intriguing hikes in Jefferson County Open Space, combining pa…

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Wapiti Trail

📍 Mueller State Park, CO

Moderate 📏 5.0 Loop

Wapiti Trail — wapiti being the Shawnee word for elk — lives up to its name with exceptional wildlife viewing opportunit…

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