A brief history Established as a national park in 1906, Mesa Verde preserves the historical heritage of the Ancestral Puebloan tribes. The park protects thousands of archaeological sites and some 600 cliff dwellings in southwestern Colorado, offering visitors a glimpse … Read More
Wanting to bag one more 14er before leaving the San Juans, we headed northeast to the Redcloud Peak Wilderness Study Area, nestled between Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, to hike Redcloud Peak. With gales forecasted for the entire week we … Read More
Located in the Lizard Head Wilderness, straddling the western swath of the San Juan Mountains, Lizard Head Peak is one of the area’s most recognizable summits. Standing at 13,113’ in elevation, the summit is crowned with a 500-foot-tall vertical volcanic … Read More
Having been able to complete our first 14er and a number of trails that traversed gorgeous alpine lakes, we were psyched that southern Colorado’s mid-autumn weather was affording us so many amazing hiking opportunities. When we settled on spending a … Read More
A fairly popular route in the Mt. Sneffles Wilderness, the Blue Lakes Trail winds its way up to three jewel-tone pools just below the summit of rugged 14er Mount Sneffles. About a 45-minute drive from the town of Ouray, the … Read More
Standing at 14,321 feet, Uncompahgre is Colorado’s sixth highest peak. A moderate class 2 hike1 in the rugged San Juan Mountains, Uncompahgre’s summit offers stunning views of the surrounding Uncompahgre Wilderness Area. Although thousands flock annually to climb Colorado’s 54 … Read More
One of 31 All-American Roads in the U.S., the San Juan Skyway traverses some 230 miles of southwest Colorado’s striking San Juan Mountains. The scenic byway passes through the Uncompahgre Wilderness and San Juan National Forest, navigating high mountain passes … Read More
On an episode of his beloved PBS series, painter Bob Ross once said, “we don’t make mistakes. We have happy accidents.” A budding artist growing up, I loved watching The Joy of Painting at my grandparents’ house. Whenever he whipped … Read More
Columbine Lake is somewhat of a hidden gem. Just north of the Ice Lakes Basin, and about 7 miles from Silverton just off the Million Dollar Highway, the trail is reasonably accessible but still quite lightly trafficked. The road to … Read More
Quite possibly the most recognized route in the San Juan Mountains, Ice Lakes Basin has seen its popularity soar in recent years as it continues to be touted as one of Colorado’s most scenic day hikes. Its beauty and accessibility … Read More
