Colorado Hiking Pictures - Photos from Colorado Hiking Trip

Colorado Hiking Trip Pictures

Okay, I know this article has nothing to do with the Great Smoky Mountains, but it's still hiking related. I thought I'd share a few photos that highlight a couple of spectacular hikes we did on our 2008 trip to Colorado. While in the Rocky Mountain State we hiked Huron Peak, Gilpin Lake, the Devil's Causeway and Rabbit Ears Peak.

Here are a few photos from the hikes:

Gilpin Lake

Gilpin Lake is located in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area, just north of Steamboat Springs in north-central Colorado. My photographs probably don't do justice to this area. This just might be the most spectacular hike I've ever done.

The Devils Causeway

The Devil's Causeway is located in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, roughly 50 miles or so southwest of Steamboat Springs. The Devil's Causeway is a land bridge at an altitude of roughly 11,800 feet. The bridge is roughly 100 feet long and narrows to just 6 feet in width. On either side of the bridge are 1000 foot drop-offs! Unfortunately (or fortunately), I didn't get a chance to walk all the way across. Just seconds after shooting the pictures below it began to rain and sleet, forcing us to turn around. We really had to hightail it down the mountain after we began hearing thunder.

Rabbit Ears

This trail is located just east of Steamboat Springs. The name is derived from the rock formation that resembles rabbit ears at the summit of this relatively small mountain. The trail is known for its spectacular displays of wildflowers during the summer, especially the columbine (picture on the right below).

Huron Peak

Huron Peak is located in the San Isabel National Forest, just south of Leadville, Colorado. It sits almost dead center in the state.

We made the hike up Huron Peak on the last full day of our trip in order to acclimate as much as possible and reach the summit of this 14,003-foot peak located in the Sawatch Range.

For anyone interested in hiking any of Colorado's "14ers", I highly recommend a guide book by Gerry Roach, titled, Colorado's 14ers From Hikes to Climbs. By and large it's considered to be the bible for Colorado peak baggers - those people "addicted" to hiking and climbing peaks above fourteen thousand feet in Colorado.

There are 55 peaks over 14,000 feet in Colorado. Many have multiple routes of varying degrees of difficulty to the summit. Many have regular hiking trails with little exposure to dangerous cliffs. However, only a handful of trails are accessible by low clearance, two-wheel drive cars.

Colorado 14ers From Hikes to Climbs provides all the details you need to help you to decide which fourteeners you would like to take a shot at. The book includes route difficulty ratings, round-trip mileage, elevation gain, maps, photographs and directions to each of the trailheads.