We tapped seasoned hikers, consulted guidebooks, pored over topo maps, and scrutinized our trail photos to bring you this manual to our home’s most impressive footpaths, all of which are Class 3 or easier during peak season. The result: We’ve got all the purple mountain majesties you could want, not to mention red-rock canyons, wildflower-filled meadows, gushing waterfalls, and golden aspen groves, too.

Behold, the 50 best hikes in Colorado.

5280 September 2024
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Read More: The 10 Hiking Essentials, Colorado-Style

Best Peakbagging Hikes

1. Mt. Elbert

  • Nearest Town: Twin Lakes
  • Trailhead: South Elbert (high-clearance vehicles can start 1.8 miles farther up FSR 125B) in Pike-San Isabel National Forests
  • Peak Season: Year-round (be prepared for deep snow and cold temps in winter)
  • Permit: None

There’s no other view like the one from the tip-top of the state: 14,439-foot Mt. Elbert, where the rest of the broad-shouldered Sawatch Range unfurls beneath your feet in all directions. Of the two main routes to the summit, we prefer the South Mt. Elbert Trail, which is nontechnical but strenuous, gaining 4,800 feet in 5.8 miles. “It’s prettier, with better views” compared with the standard approach, says the Leadville Ranger District’s Leo Pareti. “There’s more area above treeline, and you get to see all the additional peaks for the majority of the hike.” Make it an easier alpine start by crashing at one of the free dispersed campsites near the trailhead.

2. Lizard Head Loop

Lizard Head Peak
Photo by Jeff Zehnder/Alamy Stock Photo
  • Nearest Town: Telluride
  • Trailhead: Lizard Head Pass (the loop ends at the Cross Mountain trailhead, then you’ll have a road walk back to your car) for Lizard Head Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: None

Actually summiting Lizard Head Peak—a thirteener crowned with a 400-foot-tall, crumbly volcanic neck that’s considered one of Colorado’s sketchiest climbs—requires serious mountaineering chops. But the rest of us can hike to its base on the 11.5-mile Lizard Head Loop, a strenuous trail with views aplenty of the formidable tower, plus grassy meadows and a ridgeline walk across roughly 12,100-foot Black Face.

3. Decalibron Loop

  • Nearest Town: Alma
  • Trailhead: Kite Lake ($5 to park) in Pike-San Isabel National Forests
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: None, but you must e-sign a waiver at the trailhead via a QR code

Tag not one, not two, not three, but four fourteener summits in a mere seven miles on this lofty circuit that connects Mts. Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross (technically, you have to skirt the top of Bross to avoid private land, but we say count it). An update to the Colorado Recreational Use Statute in March means the summits, some of which are privately owned and have been restricted in the past due to fears of lawsuits, should remain open to the public. And that’s a good thing for those who love a good circuit—just keep in mind that the downhill path from Mt. Bross is a knee-pounding scree field.

4. Mt. Alice

  • Nearest Town: Allenspark
  • Trailhead: Wild Basin ($30/vehicle for one day; $35/vehicle for seven days) in Rocky Mountain National Park
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: In 2024, a timed-entry reservation ($2) is required to enter most areas of Rocky Mountain National Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until October 14; try to snag one on recreation.gov at 7 p.m. the night before you want to hike.

The journey is every bit as good as the destination on this deep-wilderness hike, where you’ll savor wildflowers, four waterfalls, and superb lake views on the seven-mile approach to Lion Lake No. 1. From there, venture off-trail to the northwest to pass two more lakes and scramble Class 2+ Hourglass Ridge to Alice’s 13,310-foot summit for a 17-mile round-tripper. Tip: The closest campsites are at Thunder Lake, about a four-mile hike from Lion Lake No. 1.

5. Boulder Skyline Traverse

  • Nearest Town: Boulder
  • Trailhead: Lehigh Connector (south) and Goat Path (north) in Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks
  • Peak Season: Year-round (be prepared for ice and snow in the winter)
  • Permit: None

Boulder’s peaks may be foothills, but the town’s finest hiking route boasts stats that bury most trips in the true alpine zone: 16.5 miles (one way; leaving a shuttle car at one end is key), 12,000-plus feet of elevation change, and five separate summits. Start with the stout climb up 8,461-foot Bear Peak and finish with a push up 6,863-foot Mt. Sanitas, tagging South Boulder Peak, Green Mountain, and Flagstaff Mountain along the way. Boulder merit badge, earned.

6. Longs Peak

Longs Peak
Photo by Ethan Welty
  • Nearest Town: Allenspark
  • Trailhead: Longs Peak ($30/vehicle for one day; $35/vehicle for seven days) in Rocky Mountain National Park
  • Peak Season: July through mid-September
  • Permit: In 2024, a timed-entry reservation ($2) is required to enter most areas of Rocky Mountain National Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until October 14; try to snag one on recreation.gov at 7 p.m. the night before you want to hike.

If you’re experienced in the mountains, this 15-mile journey—from the predawn start to the sunrise on the Boulderfield to the harrowing scramble through the Keyhole to the hand-over-hand climbing up the Homestretch to the 14,259-foot summit—is quintessential Colorado peakbagging. Scoring a site at Longs Peak Campground ($30 per night) takes the sting out of your alpine start.

7. Chief Mountain

  • Nearest Town: Idaho Springs
  • Trailhead: Chief Mountain in Arapaho National Forest
  • Peak Season: Year-round (be prepared for ice and snow in the winter)
  • Permit: None

Chief is “the best bang for your buck,” says Stacey Halvorsen, chief education officer for the Colorado Mountain Club, an outdoor recreation and conservation nonprofit. You get the same high-mountain views that you do if you’re climbing a 13,000-foot peak, she says, but with just 1.4 miles to hike (one way), it feels like cheating. Vistas from Chief’s 11,713-foot apex encompass skyscrapers such as 14,265-foot Mt. Blue Sky and 13,361-foot Rogers Peak.

8. Mt. Audubon

  • Nearest Town: Ward
  • Trailhead: Mitchell Lake ($14/vehicle plus a $2 reservation fee for timed parking reservation; get them at recreation.gov at least 15 days in advance) for Indian Peaks Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through October
  • Permit: A backpacking permit is required from June 1 to September 15; $11/person; recreation.gov.

Many mountaineers have kicked off their climbing resumés on this Indian Peaks standout. High enough (13,222 feet, with about 2,000 feet of gain) to deliver a bona fide challenge but with a clear trail and moderate distance (7.6 miles round trip), Audubon serves as the perfect bridge between foothills hikes and technical high-country ascents.

9. The CCY

  • Nearest Town: Estes Park
  • Trailhead: Chapin Creek ($30/vehicle for one day; $35/vehicle for seven days) in Rocky Mountain National Park
  • Peak Season: July through October
  • Permit: In 2024, a timed-entry reservation ($2) is required to enter most areas of Rocky Mountain National Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until October 14; try to snag one on recreation.gov at 7 p.m. the night before you want to hike.

It’s all tundra, (almost) all the time on this 8.5-mile (round trip), triple-play hike in the lesser-traveled yet gorgeous Mummy Range. You’ll pop out above treeline in less than a half-mile and stay there as you tag 12,455-foot Mt. Chapin, 13,054-foot Mt. Chiquita, and 13,515-foot Ypsilon Mountain, three walk-up peaks with views over a remote lake basin.

10. San Luis Peak

  • Nearest Town: Creede
  • Trailhead: Eddiesville South for La Garita Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: None

Get out there—way out there—atop this far-flung giant. San Luis’ remote location means you’re in for an overnight or a long day, but the terrain is straightforward, and the quiet is rare on a fourteener like this. Approach via the longer route (20 miles round trip), on the Continental Divide Trail and up Cochetopa Creek, for the best camping.

Read More: Colorado’s 6 Most Action-Packed Mountain Ranges

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Best Alpine Hikes

11. Vestal Basin

  • Nearest Town: Silverton
  • Trailhead: Elk Park Trail for Weminuche Wilderness (train tickets start at $97 per person for round-trip fare plus a $15 backpack fee per person)
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: Free, self-issued permits are available at the Molas Pass trailhead.

No official trail leads to this dreamy base camp at 12,000 feet, leaving its natural assets to those with the route-finding skills to get there. Trust us, it’s worth a little compass work: Up here, a horizon of Grenadier Range thirteeners (including pyramidal Vestal and Arrow Peaks and the spiky Trinity Peaks) cradles little Vestal Lake and its even tinier siblings, offering at least a weekend’s worth of exploration. “There’s so much back there,” says Jon Kedrowski, author of Classic Colorado Hikes. “There’s good hiking to the upper valley lakes, and you can access everything from a Class 2+ scramble up the back of Vestal Peak to the classic Wham Ridge, a Class 5.”

Hop on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to Elk Park, then take the Colorado Trail to an unmarked path pointing south that’ll get you headed in the right direction; it’s 11 total miles to Vestal Basin, one way.

12. Indian Trail Ridge

  • Nearest Town: Durango
  • Trailhead: Kennebec Pass in San Juan National Forest
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: None

Start high, stay high on this beaut of a ridgeline: The Colorado Trail (aka the Highline Trail right here) never dips below 11,500 feet as it traces a blocky spine strewn with flowers. That means a constant tableau of everything from the pinkish-purple San Juan Mountains to La Plata massif’s pointy-topped bulk. Turn around at the Grindstone Trail junction for an 11.4-miler. Tackle the 20-mile Highline Loop, which tacks on the Grindstone, Bear Creek, and Sharkstooth trails, for a multiday tour de force of alpine splendor.

Read More: The Best of the Colorado Trail: Stony Pass to Durango

13. Pawnee Pass & Crater Lake

  • Nearest Town: Ward
  • Trailhead: Long Lake ($14/vehicle plus a $2 reservation fee for timed parking reservation; get them at recreation.gov at least 15 days in advance) for Indian Peaks Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: You’ll need one to camp at Crater Lake ($11 at recreation.gov)

Like a kid’s drawing of a mountain come to life, Lone Eagle Peak rises above Crater Lake in a perfectly pointy triangle. For a 17-mile round trip, take Pawnee Pass Trail over its 12,541-foot namesake (where you can see teeny Denver to the southeast) to a Crater Lake campsite. Keep an eye out for moose munching on grasses along Cascade Creek at dawn and dusk.

Read More: The 4 Best Backpacking Trips in the Indian Peaks

14. Zirkel Circle

Hiker at Gilpin Lake along the Zirkel Circle
Photo by Noah Wetzel
  • Nearest Town: Clark
  • Trailhead: Slavonia ($5 to park) for Mt. Zirkel Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through October
  • Permit: None

In one day, you can link alpine meadows dotted with glacier lilies and yellow arnica, flowy waterfalls, a pair of peak-ringed lakes (Gilpin and Gold Creek lakes), and a nearly 11,000-foot pass with views of Big Agnes Peak and Mt. Zirkel. Most hikers do the 10.4-mile loop counterclockwise for the best views and fewer steep climbs.

Read More: 4 Expert-Level Colorado Trail Running Loops

15. Twin Crater Lakes–Camp Lakes Loop

  • Nearest Town: Rustic
  • Trailhead: West Branch for Rawah Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through September for drier trails and easier stream crossings
  • Permit: None

The Rawah encompasses a slice of the southern Medicine Bow Mountains that’s thick with flowery meadows, wildlife such as moose and black bears, and so many lakes nobody’s bothered to name them all. Tour the goods on this 18.9-mile loop connecting Twin Crater Lakes, a pair of 11,000-foot tarns cradled under Rawah Pyramid, and Camp Lakes, with 11,200-foot Grassy Pass and at least six other lakes in between. Pro tip: Pack your fly rod.

16. Devils Causeway Loop

The Devils Causeway, a three-foot-wide rock rib in the Flat Tops Wilderness
Photo by Noah Wetzel
  • Nearest Town: Yampa
  • Trailhead: Stillwater Reservoir for Flat Tops Wilderness
  • Peak Season: June through November
  • Permit: None

You’ll need to summon some serious courage to walk this trail’s tightrope of terror: The aptly named Devils Causeway is a 50-foot-long, three-foot-wide rock rib flanked by 60- to 80-foot drops, but it’s a flat, nontechnical hike to cross (just don’t slip). Test your balance—and your mettle—on this 10.7-mile loop starting on East Forks Trail and returning via Bear River Trail. Not into balance beams? You can always turn around before the catwalk begins for a roughly five-mile out and back; we promise we won’t judge.

17. Crag Crest National Recreation Trail

  • Nearest Town: Cedaredge
  • Trailhead: East (steeper) or West in Grand Mesa National Forest
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: None

In the hiking world, ridge-walking is as good as it gets: all the views, very little of the climbing. You will have to gain a bit of elevation to get to the signature crest on this 10.3-mile loop, but once up there, you’ll cruise the ridge for three gorgeous miles, drinking in vistas ranging from the Book Cliffs to the West Elks to the San Juans.

18. Gore Lake–Deluge Lake Loop

  • Nearest Town: Vail
  • Trailhead: Gore Creek in White River National Forest
  • Peak Season: June through October
  • Permit: Free, self-issued permits are available at the wilderness boundary sign

Wild, burly, and host to more mountain goats than people, the Gore Range is known for epic mountaineering routes, but this 13.1-mile loop linking Gore, Snow, and Deluge lakes is accessible to mere hikers—as long as you don’t mind a little off-trail travel to connect Gore and Snow (this is the Gore, after all). You’ll skirt aquamarine lakes ringed with thirteeners, traipse high-elevation meadows, and scramble the pass above Deluge Lake.

19. Four Pass Loop

Backpackers on Buckskin Pass along the Four Pass Loop
Photo by Sarah Banks
  • Nearest Town: Aspen
  • Trailhead: West Maroon ($10/vehicle reservations are required for parking at the Maroon Bells Scenic Area from mid-May through October or $20 for round-trip RFTA shuttle rides day-of from late May through October at aspenchamber.org) for Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: Required for each night of backpacking, $10/person/night plus $6 reservation fee (recreation.gov)

This world-famous trip distills the best of Colorado’s high country—12,000-plus-foot passes, wildflowers for days, jagged peaks reflected in glittering lakes—into 26 miles of mountain perfection. The trip starts with knockout views of the magenta-hued Maroon Bells above Maroon Lake, and it only gets better from there.

20. Lost Man Pass

  • Nearest Towns: Twin Lakes and Aspen
  • Trailhead: Linkins Lake for Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness (you’ll end at Lost Man Reservoir trailhead, a four-mile walk or shuttle west along CO-82 from your vehicle)
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: None

This trek strings together three idyllic lakes—Linkins, Independence, and Lost Man—and a lovely reservoir in roughly nine miles in the high-country heaven off of Independence Pass. You’ll go up and over 12,800-foot Lost Man Pass, which grants views of crinkled ridges cradling Lost Man Lake, along the way.

Read More: 10 Great Alpine Lake Hikes in Colorado

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Best Lake Hikes

21. Lily Lake

  • Nearest Town: Walsenburg
  • Trailhead: Upper Huerfano/Lily Lake (high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle required) for Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: None

About 3.4 miles from the trailhead, Lily Lake perches like an infinity pool on the edge of a cliff, cradled in a basin rimmed by lonely thirteeners and mirroring 14,055-foot Mt. Lindsey from across the valley. The region’s other giants, such as 14,350-foot Blanca Peak and 14,057-foot Ellingwood Point, loom large as you trace the Huerfano Valley south then make the final push to your private alpine shoreline.

22. Sky Pond

  • Nearest Town: Estes Park
  • Trailhead: Glacier Gorge ($30/vehicle for one day; $35/vehicle for seven days) in Rocky Mountain National Park
  • Peak Season: July through October
  • Permit: In 2024, a timed-entry reservation ($2) is required to enter most areas of Rocky Mountain National Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until October 14; try to snag one on recreation.gov at 7 p.m. the night before you want to hike.

Sky Pond sits in its 10,800-foot cirque like the prettiest pearl on a necklace, the highest of a chain of beautiful lakes and waterfalls pouring down from the high country. One of the park’s most striking features, the granite minarets of the Cathedral Spires, rises steeply to the northwest, and thirteeners Taylor Peak and Powell Peak guard its western and southern shores. The 4.5-mile (one way) trail passes two waterfalls (30-foot Alberta Falls and 100-foot Timberline Falls) and two other lakes (the Loch and Lake of Glass) to boot.

23. Blue Lakes Trail

  • Nearest Town: Ridgway
  • Trailhead: Northern Blue Lakes for Mt. Sneffels Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: At press time, the Uncompahgre National Forest was considering a permit system; check the latest regulations before you go.

They weren’t kidding when they named this trio of high alpine lakes resting in the shadow of 14,155-foot Mt. Sneffels: Glacial sediment turns their waters an unreal shade of cobalt. An approximately eight-mile round-trip trek hits all three.

24. Willow Lake

  • Nearest Town: Crestone
  • Trailhead: Willowbrook for Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through October
  • Permit: None

Colorado is blessed with an embarrassment of scenic alpine lakes, but here’s one with a little something extra: Willow Falls, a lacy ribbon pouring off the cliff face on Willow Lake’s eastern edge. Climb 4.5 miles and 2,586 feet into the hanging valley that holds Willow. It’s another 1.3 miles to Upper Willow Lake.

25. Fancy Pass Lake Loop

  • Nearest Town: Red Cliff
  • Trailhead: Missouri Lakes/Fancy Pass for Holy Cross Wilderness
  • Peak Season: June through October
  • Permit: None

This 10-mile circuit lets you ogle Fancy, Treasure Vault, and Missouri lakes from all angles. The roller-coaster route crosses flowery meadows, passes through mini canyons, and tops out on two passes.

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Best Waterfall Hikes

26. Upper Fish Creek Falls

  • Nearest Town: Steamboat Springs
  • Trailhead: Fish Creek Falls ($5 to park) in Routt National Forest
  • Peak Season: Year-round (expect ice and snow in winter); the Forest Service typically closes the first bridge during high runoff, so call ahead in spring to check conditions.
  • Permit: None

Most hikers turn around at 283-foot Fish Creek Falls, a quarter-mile into this trail, but true adventurers are just getting started. Continue another 2.5 miles through a conifer forest pocked with aspen groves, steadily gaining elevation as you skirt the edge of a bouldery canyon. Your final destination: Upper Fish Creek Falls, a 20- to 30-foot cascade that’s smaller than its downstream sibling but, with its wild setting and solitude, an arguably more beautiful one. “Go early in the day, when it’s cooler,” says Katie Hughes, director of marketing and e-commerce for the Steamboat-based camping brand Big Agnes. “The trail is more exposed at the top, and the spray from the falls will feel amazing.”

27. Bridal Veil Falls Trail

Bridal Veil Falls
Photo by Cavan Images/Alamy Stock Photo
  • Nearest Town: Telluride
  • Trailhead: Bridal Veil Trail in Uncompahgre National Forest
  • Peak Season: April through October
  • Permit: None

The two waterfalls you’ll pass first on this new-in-2020 trail are mere warm-ups for the real showstopper: 365-foot Bridal Veil Falls, the state’s tallest by a wide margin. Grunt up almost 1,000 feet in 1.2 miles to reach the base of the waterfall, which careens off the edge of a towering cliff in dramatic fashion.

28. Zapata Falls

  • Nearest Town: Alamosa
  • Trailhead: Zapata Falls in Zapata Falls Special Recreation Management Area
  • Peak Season: Year-round (expect ice and cold temps in winter)
  • Permit: None

Most waterfalls show off, but not Zapata: You have to splash up slippery South Zapata Creek to get a good look at the 25-foot gusher tucked deep into an ebony gorge. Hike roughly half a mile to get into the canyon’s refreshing spray zone. Also superlative: a winter visit to the frozen cascade.

Read More: 28 of the Best Waterfall Hikes in Colorado

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Best River Hike

29. Piedra River Trail

  • Nearest Town: Pagosa Springs
  • Trailhead: First Fork (start); Piedra River (end) in San Juan National Forest
  • Peak Season: May through October
  • Permit: None

Box canyons, aspen groves, and fishing opps aplenty: There’s a little bit of everything on this 11.2-mile (one way) riverside ramble along the banks of the Piedra. Explore the whole thing on a point-to-point hike starting from the southwest for the best views.

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Best Hot Springs Hike

30. Conundrum Hot Springs

Conundrum Hot Springs
Photo by Jack Brauer
  • Nearest Town: Aspen
  • Trailhead: Conundrum Creek for Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: Required for each night of backpacking, $10/person/night plus $6 reservation fee (recreation.gov)

The 8.5-mile approach, which gradually climbs 2,500 feet through the lush Conundrum Creek Valley’s aspen stands and meadows, with views of the surrounding thirteeners and fourteeners, would be stunning enough. The fact that there’s a natural hot spring waiting at its terminus is almost gilding the lily (not that we’re complaining). Soaking your tired feet in the steamy Conundrum Hot Springs pools as alpenglow paints the Elk Range pink is a Colorado life-list experience. Make it an overnight at one of the forested campsites below the springs.

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Best Wildflower Hikes

31. Crested Butte to Aspen via West Maroon Pass

  • Nearest Town: Crested Butte or Aspen
  • Trailhead: West Maroon ($10/vehicle reservations are required for parking at the Maroon Bells Scenic Area from mid-May through October or $20 for round-trip RFTA shuttle rides day-of from late May through October at aspenchamber.org) for Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. It costs $55/person for a shuttle from Crested Butte to West Maroon trailhead; it’s $90/person for a shuttle back to Crested Butte from Aspen (crestedbutteshuttle.com).
  • Peak Season: Mid-July to mid-August for flowers; the trail is usually snow-free into September
  • Permit: Required for each night of backpacking, $10/person/night plus $6 reservation fee (recreation.gov)

A unique alchemy of geology, temperature, and moisture comes together in the Elk Range to produce the state’s most dazzling wildflower display, and the best trail to immerse yourself in the blooms is this 11-miler. David Kish, executive director of the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, says the stretch on the Crested Butte side is particularly special. “Waist-high wildflowers for four or five miles—it’s the prettiest place I’ve seen in my life,” he says. Or start on the Aspen side for a more gradual climb to 12,490-foot West Maroon Pass, then get ready for a riot of columbine, paintbrush, blue flax, alpine sunflowers, and larkspur. You’ll need to book a shuttle to the trailhead, then hike back for a repeat performance (or arrange for a shuttle ride back).

32. Rustler Gulch

Rustler Gulch
Photo by Nat Moore Photography
  • Nearest Town: Crested Butte
  • Trailhead: Rustler Gulch (high-clearance vehicle recommended; other cars can park about a mile away near the East River) in Gunnison National Forest
  • Peak Season: July through September
  • Permit: None

Wildflowers decorate the meadows along this moderate, seven-mile out-and-back like handfuls of rainbow confetti. Just make sure to look up once in a while to enjoy views of 13,378-foot Precarious Peak at the valley’s head.

33. Cooper Lake

  • Nearest Town: Lake City
  • Trailhead: Cooper Creek in Red Cloud Peak Wilderness Study Area
  • Peak Season: June through October, but July and August have the best flowers.
  • Permit: None

Fourteeners Redcloud and Sunshine peaks draw most of the hikers in these parts, leaving the abundance of columbine, elephant’s head, and fireweed blooms along Cooper Creek all for you. Follow the Cooper Creek valley through pine forests and prime wildflower meadows, then push up the final, steep mile to serene Cooper Lake at 12,750 feet for an eight-mile out-and-back.

Read More: 5 Unbelievable Wildflower Hikes in Colorado

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Best Fall Foliage Hikes

34. Horse Ranch Park Loop

  • Nearest Town: Crested Butte
  • Trailhead: Horse Ranch Park in Gunnison National Forest
  • Peak Season: June through October, with the best fall color from late September to early October
  • Permit: None

There’s no better place to marvel at Colorado’s famed aspen foliage than the largest grove in the state, found on Kebler Pass. The vast golden forest is actually a single organism—one of the largest in the world. Wrap your head around that fact on this moderate six-mile loop connecting the Dark Canyon and Dyke Mountain Bike trails, which delve into the grove’s heart yet still treat you to peekaboo views of Ruby Peak and the Beckwith Mountains.

35. West Bench Trail

  • Nearest Town: Mesa
  • Trailhead: West Bench in Grand Mesa National Forest
  • Peak Season: June through October
  • Permit: None

There’s no tricky terrain here: This mellow, mostly flat path cruises along at about 9,800 feet, leaving you free to daydream under a spectacular canopy of rustling aspen leaves. Turn around at the first ski lift at Powderhorn Mountain Resort, just below the bench, for a 7.4-mile round trip.

36. Raccoon Trail

  • Nearest Town: Rollinsville
  • Trailhead: Raccoon ($10/vehicle) in Golden Gate Canyon State Park
  • Peak Season: June through November, but September and October offer peak color.
  • Permit: None

Aspens steal the show come fall on this moderate, 2.5-mile loop through several stands, plus a spruce-fir forest, with a spectacular view of the Continental Divide from Panorama Point.

Read More: The Best Fall Dayhikes Near Denver

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Best Hikes for Viewing Wildlife

37. Cub Lake Loop

  • Nearest Town: Estes Park
  • Trailhead: Cub Lake (start; $30/vehicle for one day; $35/vehicle for seven days) in Rocky Mountain National Park; Fern Lake (end); from May to October, the free park shuttle can take you back to the Cub Lake trailhead.
  • Peak Season: Year-round, but visit in September and October for the rut.
  • Permit: In 2024, a timed-entry reservation ($2) is required to enter most areas of Rocky Mountain National Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until October 14; try to snag one on recreation.gov at 7 p.m. the night before you want to hike.

Few animal sightings are as quintessentially Rocky Mountain as the elk in Colorado’s most popular park. Every fall, the broad-antlered ungulates gather en masse in valleys like Moraine Park for their annual rut (aka mating season). Cub Lake Trail traces the western edge of this elk hot spot, granting excellent wildlife watching (stay at least 75 feet away, for their safety and yours). Continue to Cub Lake, then connect to Fern Lake Trail for an 8.5-mile loop, including the short spur up to Fern Lake that offers another kind of wildlife encounter: trout fishing in the Big Thompson River.

38. Upper Piney River Trail

  • Nearest Town: Vail
  • Trailhead: Upper Piney River for Eagles Nest Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through October
  • Permit: None

Moose love to hang out in Piney Lake (their smaller cousins, elk and mule deer, also make frequent appearances), and bald eagles and peregrine falcons often soar over Upper Piney River Trail. You’ll pass multitiered Piney River Falls at mile three and continue along the unmaintained trail for a chance to spot even rarer creatures. “I’ve seen black bears, mountain goats, and even a mountain lion one time,” says Classic Colorado Hikes author Kedrowski. The round-trip hike, a straightforward cross-country journey that ends at Kneeknocker Pass, is about nine miles.

39. Main Canyon

Wild horses at Book Cliffs
Photo by Randy Langstraat
  • Nearest Town: Palisade
  • Trailhead: Coal Canyon in Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range
  • Peak Season: May through September, but fall has the best weather.
  • Permit: None

More than 100 colorful wild horses—blue and red roans, paints, palominos, and Appaloosas—roam these chunky orange canyons, and the odds of seeing them are very good on the 11.6-mile round-trip hike up Main Canyon. Beyond laying eyes on the mustangs, you’ll also enjoy mesa views framed by steep canyon walls.

Read More: Camping with Colorado’s Wild Horses

40. Abyss Lake

  • Nearest Town: Grant
  • Trailhead: Abyss Lake for Mount Evans Wilderness
  • Peak Season: July through October
  • Permit: Free, self-issued permits are available at the trailhead.

This one’s a twofer. One, your chances of spotting the lake’s resident bighorn sheep and mountain goats tiptoeing on ledges in its rocky cirque are good. Two, the aspen-peeping gets real a couple of miles in. It’s a stiff 8.1 miles to Abyss Lake, a tarn tucked between Mt. Bierstadt and Mt. Blue Sky, so this trip is best done as an overnight. Pitch a tent near Helms Lake.

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Best Canyon Hikes

41. Big Dominguez & Little Dominguez Canyons

  • Nearest Town: Delta
  • Trailhead: Bridgeport in Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area
  • Peak Season: April through June and September through November
  • Permit: None

Big and Little D are the stuff of canyon country postcards: soaring sandstone walls, ancient petroglyph panels, and desert bighorn sheep picking their ways along red-rock cliffs. These canyons are just a few miles apart, but the terrain makes connecting them in a loop difficult. Instead, start by exploring Big Dominguez’s panels of Ute and Archaic petroglyphs, camping anywhere beyond the first three miles (both canyons are about 15 miles long). Then backtrack to Little Dominguez, which sees a fraction of its big sibling’s visitation numbers, for another night out under the stars.

42. Rattlesnake Arches

Hikers by a rock arch along Rattlesnake Arches Trail, McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, Colorado.
Photo by Cavan Images/Alamy Stock Photo
  • Nearest Town: Fruita
  • Trailhead: Pollock Bench in McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area
  • Peak Season: March through June for moderate temps and higher likelihood (although it’s not a guarantee) of finding water to filter along the way; September and October are also temperate, but you’ll have to carry all of the H2O you’ll need.
  • Permit: None

Let the crowds go to Utah—we have a trove of rock arches right here. McInnis Canyons boasts the second-highest concentration of natural stone spans in North America, most of them in a cluster within Rattlesnake Canyon: punched-out Hole in the Bridge Arch, delicate Centennial Arch, and 120-foot-high Rattlesnake Arch among them. Getting there is, of course, part of the fun. The strenuous, 15.5-mile round-tripper requires scrambling up and down four- to five-foot cliffs and navigating steep slickrock.

43. Pinyon Draw

  • Nearest Town: Crawford
  • Trailhead: North Rim Campground ($30/vehicle for seven days) in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
  • Peak Season: May through October (the North Rim Road closes during the winter and early spring)
  • Permit: Limited, free permits are required for both day and overnight hikes into the inner canyon; pick one up at the visitor center or ranger station.

Calling this vertiginous scramble to the bottom of Black Canyon a hike is a stretch. It’s more like falling down 1,800 feet in 1.75 miles with style. If that weren’t enough of a challenge, the route also throws chest-high poison ivy at anyone who dares descend. Your reward for such suffering? Utter solitude, gold-medal trout fishing in the Gunnison River, and unbelievable stargazing, should you choose to make a night of it down there.

Read More: A First-Timer’s Guide to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

44. Irish Canyon Petroglyph Trail

  • Nearest Town: Maybell
  • Trailhead: Irish Canyon (off Moffat County Road 10N) in Irish Canyon Area of Critical Environmental Concern
  • Peak Season: Year-round
  • Permit: None

Isolation is a given in this ultra-remote canyon in far northwestern Colorado, and the effort-to-reward ratio is off the charts. The super-short (less than half a mile), flat, and fully accessible loop grants an up-close look at a petroglyph panel from the Fremont people, who lived in these parts from roughly 300 to 1300 C.E.

45. Gates of Lodore Trail

  • Nearest Town: Maybell
  • Trailhead: Gates of Lodore Campground in Dinosaur National Monument
  • Peak Season: April through October
  • Permit: None

The plunging cliff walls that guard the entrance to Lodore Canyon, aka the Gates, force the Green River to a dramatic pinch point at the north end of this wild gorge. Stroll this easy, one-mile round-trip trail for a front-seat view over jade river waters to the natural fortress.

46. Petroglyph Point Trail

  • Nearest Town: Cortez
  • Trailhead: Spruce Tree House Overlook ($30/vehicle for seven days, May 1 to October 22; $20/vehicle for seven days, October 23 to April 30) in Mesa Verde National Park
  • Peak Season: Year-round; hike in the morning in the summer for more comfortable temperatures, and wear traction for snow and ice in the winter months.
  • Permit: None

Walk in the footsteps of the Ancestral Puebloans—quite literally, as this trail was once a path frequented by the Spruce Tree House community—on this scrambly, 2.4-mile loop to a 35-foot-wide petroglyph panel. You’ll navigate steep drop-offs, slither between boulders, peer into Spruce and Navajo canyons, and Spiderman up a stone staircase en route.

Read More: Unlocking the Secrets of Mesa Verde National Park

47. No Thoroughfare Canyon Trail

  • Nearest Town: Grand Junction
  • Trailhead: Devils Kitchen ($25/vehicle for seven days) in Colorado National Monument
  • Peak Season: March through October, but spring rains can make for a mucky hike; check the monument’s website for conditions.
  • Permit: None

Bask in this desert oasis during the spring, when a series of waterfalls form in this quiet canyon filled with bighorn sheep. It’s a moderate, four-mile (round-trip) jaunt to the second cascade, which burbles over a striated rock wall. Warning: Flash floods are possible here; hike only during clear weather.

48. Big Hole Wash–Bent Rock Loop

  • Nearest Town: Wellington
  • Trailhead: Red Mountain Open Space parking lot
  • Peak Season: The park is open March through November, but March through May and October through November bring the best hiking weather.
  • Permit: None

What’s more incredible—the soaring red-rock formations and curvy canyons on this easy 5.2-mile loop or the fact that you’ll have it all to yourself? Find out by linking the Sinking Sun, Big Hole, Ruby Wash, and Bent Rock trails at this secluded high grassland preserve.

49. Perkins Central Garden Trail

  • Nearest Town: Colorado Springs
  • Trailhead: Garden of the Gods
  • Peak Season: Year-round
  • Permit: None

Wander among the highest and most fantastical of the garden’s rusty red fins, spires, and towers on this flat, 1.5-mile, fully ADA-accessible loop. From the Tower of Babel to the Kissing Camels to the stegosauruslike South Gateway Rock, the gang’s all here. And since this park, owned by the city of Colorado Springs, rests at the relatively low elevation of 6,400 feet, the gang can include your favorite flatlanders, too.

Read More: The (Not-So-Touristy) Guide to Garden of the Gods

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50. The Dunefield

Sand Dunes
Photo by Ian Shive/Tandem Stills + Motion
  • Nearest Town: Mosca
  • Trailhead: Dunes Parking Lot ($25/car for seven days) in Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
  • Peak Season: Year-round, but September and October have the best weather.
  • Permit: None

Smack between the high-desert grasslands of the San Luis Valley and the snow-topped Sangre de Cristos, you’ll find the unlikeliest sight in Colorado: a Sahara-style ocean of sand. This 30-square-mile field of shifting sands holds the tallest dunes in North America. There are no trails here, just sinuous, sandy ridgelines to follow and pyramidal dune summits to climb—but if you need a destination, 736-foot Star Dune, a six-mile round-trip hike, makes for a full day in the sandbox.

Read More: How to Backpack in Great Sand Dunes National Park

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You can’t shine as brilliantly as these trails do without attracting attention. Many of them are no secret, and some are downright mobbed. When visiting these beloved paths, you can dodge some of the crowds by going in the offseason and/or arriving at the trailhead early. Carpool and take hiker shuttles when possible, and brush up on Leave No Trace principles to keep these showstoppers healthy. If a hike requires a permit, remember that you might not get one the first time you try. Don’t give up.