16 Amazing Front Range Hikes

No matter where you live in the Denver-Boulder-Fort Collins-Colorado Springs metroplex, there’s bound to be a trail nearby. Here, more than a dozen close-to-home treks that will get you outside without having to travel too far.

Daliah Singer August 18, 2020

Carpenter Peak Trail, Roxborough State Park. Photo by Daliah Singer

When Denverites wax poetic about the vast Rocky Mountain playground just to our west, we’re not only referring to the high country. There are plenty of trails and lakes and crags to be found right here along the Front Range—a fact that made us even more grateful to call this place home as the novel coronavirus pandemic shrunk our worlds to a 10-mile radius. Although quarantine restrictions have loosened, recreating closer to home is still a savvy move. As is wearing a mask. Per Colorado’s health mandate, you don’t have to keep your nose and mouth covered outdoors, but it’s polite to pull up your face covering when you’re passing others on the trail. (Another common courtesy: following Leave No Trace principles, so we can maintain our natural areas.) Because we could all use some stress relief right now—and spending time in nature is proven to be good for our health—we’re sharing a dozen recommendations for nearby trails no matter where you live. Happy hiking.

A Note About Distances: The mileages listed before each trail description are round-trip. They were measured using a Fitbit Charge 2; in some cases, the distances we measured were notably longer or shorter than the officially listed mileages at each trailhead.