The Rio Grande National Forest spans over 1.83 million acres in southern Colorado. You can enjoy…read moremuch of its beauty by hopping on and off your drive along Route 160. We were headed from Great Sand Dunes National Park to Mesa Verde and completely underestimated this stunning drive. It seems as though much of this area is untouched and not visited by many as we were the only ones one the road for miles and miles. Some fun facts: -The Rio Grande which obviously runs through this forest with the same name starts its 1800 mile journey down to to the Gulf of Mexico high up in the San Juan Mountains in the western most part of this forest. -The Continental Divide runs for 236 miles along most of the border on the west side of the Forest and the jagged tops of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the eastern border. -In between the two mountain ranges, Sangre dr Cristo and San Juan sits the San Luis Valley which is said to be the largest agricultural alpine valley in the US! -The Forest is 7600 ft above sea level and peaks at 14,300 feet Warnings: -The elevation is NO JOKE! I definitely felt it here. The kids didn't mention anything however. Come prepared with a electrolyte fluids and/or electrolyte bands. (I get mine on Amazon) -The roads are curvy and much of them remain without a guard rail. That in combination with the potential weather and slippery roads, and the wildlife...I don't suggest driving on here at night. Plan according to be off the roads before complete sunset, but try to stay on for the beginning of it! Beautiful! -Get gas before entering down this stretch of 160! Not a station is around! -You will have little to no cell reception. The sights are beautiful! Make sure you stop and wander a bit, but don't get lost as it's fairly remote and desolate and you will most likely not have cell reception. There's definitely wildlife as we stumbled upon what I believe was a deer carcass, rib cage and pelt just at the base of the Rio Grande. (There's no school class quite like self exploration for the wee ones) Oh, and if you're an avid hiker and have your filtration water bottle on hand, take some sips of the Rio Grande! How many can say they have? Cool! My kiddos very much enjoyed snowball fights mid April! It seems from the weather reports on their site there's usually snow here even in the summer, just higher up the peaks. So fun! I would come back again to explore and backcountry camp OTG (off the grid) a bit next time. We recommend exploring on your drive through this section of the highway.

After the disappointment of the auto trail at the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, the Alder…read moreTrail at the Rio Grande National Forest provided a much needed dose of nature. The route to the trail was a little difficult to find, but the Alder Creek Guard Station made it easy to see that we were on the right track. The trail itself was fairly steep, but it provided a pleasant glimpse at the forest, mountains, and the flat lands below. We didn't see much in the way of wildlife (with the exception of a few species of birds), but we were put at ease by the beautiful trees and babbling brook. A very peaceful experience for anyone looking for a moderate hiking trail with a great view.

What a cool tribute to John Denver! The garden is beautiful and free!! We were there during…read moreoffseason so I can only imagine what it looks like in the summer. It's a nice walk around, right in the town of Aspen. Kid friendly dog friendly but not wheelchair accessible, it was a rocky path with some stones crossing little streams. If you're in Aspen you should definitely check it out !

What an incredibly gorgeous, peaceful, and ethereal place to take a stroll…read more Im more of a walk-not-hike and I-like-plants-not-nature kinda gal. I could've sat and admired the landscape of this place forever. Wildflowers, and natives, gentle water and little animals about. 10/10 explore if you visit. Bonus if you're the type of person to pull out Zillow and see what some of these places backed against the sanctuary go for. (Seems fair to me!)

Welp it's a long drive for just a day hike....but…read more.. If you want to backpack for a night or two it is an amazing place to explore. Fantastic hike to the lake: Roughly 2.8 miles with about 2000 feet of elevation gain. Lovely vistas and streams the whole way. Wildflowers abound aplenty all along the trail if you hit it right. Great campsites ( please pack out everything and no wood fires). Great hike to Electric Pass with slight exposure. Dogs are allowed on the trail. Smallish parking lot Last mile is on bad road and a small car might have problems....just saying

Such a gorgeous hike that's worth it 100%! Still snowy and having spikes and poles would make it…read moreeasier and not as sketchy, but we did see people in sneakers making it. Amazing views of cathedral peak and other mountains. At the lake there were backpackers that camped out over night to hike cathedral peak. Definitely a climb only for experienced people especially with all the snow. The parking lot is small and up a dirt road that low clearance cars can reach. The path is hard to find in the snow at the top but we just followed footprints and the sound of the water. There is no service on the road and ok the hike. Highly recommend this hike, especially when the lake isn't iced over.

Spring canyon is an amazingly beautiful space with a small lake and multiple wooden bridges. There…read moreare around 10 picnic tables and a couple picnic benches. The lake is available for fishing and small paddle boats. The space is private but I didn't learn of this until after exploring it. There is also a trail with marked numbers and a trail map to guide you. I wasn't able to explore the trail because the snow blocked the path. The area is about 3 miles away from Cottonwood Lake (take the left road when you see the split to get to the lake rather than Spring Canyon).

it's the best way to spend time with your family and the Lord…read more it has activities for you and your family.You can go to service while your kids go to a smaller group!

San Luis peak is a beautiful class 1 14er in the San Juan's mountains. Very remote, out in the…read moremiddle of nowhere on a long dirt road. I will say this was one of the easiest roads I've ever driven up for a 14er which was a nice treat! The hike is over 13 miles with over 3K elevation gain, but no technical skill required. The false summit was daunting but worth it. Views were beautiful and I saw some moose on the trail!

San luis peak is one of the 58 - 14ers in Colorado. It takes a bit of a drive to get over to and…read moreit is extremely remote. There is not really a lot at the trailhead. You can park along the roadside. There is some dispersed camping along the way. This is a class 1 - 14er. Exposure and rockfall potential is low. Route finding and commitment is low. This peak starts at Stewart Creek Trailhead. It starts at 10,500 feet of elevation and summits at 14014 feet of elevation. The total gain is 3600 feet. Round trip length is 13.5 miles. A lot of folks say that they have seen moose, bear and beavers. On our trip however we did not see any wildlife. The beginning 4 miles is through trees and has some gentle incline. After you get above treeline and as you begin to ascend you will start to have some rocks. There is 800 feet of elevation gain in .8 miles. Once you reach the ridge you will have quite a bit of rocks and scree. There is a false summit and then the peak is around behind it. The trail is long. Even though no weather was called for there was storm clouds coming in from all sides. We were being chased all the way down by clouds, thunder and potential rain.. Views from the top were beautiful and there is an actual geological marker up there.

"Experience this 4.4-mile out-and-back trail near Carbondale, Colorado. Generally considered a…read morechallenging route, it takes an average of 3 h 41 min to complete. This trail is great for backpacking and hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are July through October. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas. This is a steep hike with spectacularly rewarding views of the Ragged Mountain Range. Start at Yule Creek trailhead. At about half mile at the Y, stay right until you reach a 4 way intersection (with Anthricite). Go straight and start climbing. Once you reach the ridge, follow the to the highest point; that is Marble Point. The ridge trail continues on to Raspberry Creek Loop at the second valley." 1. be sure to have the trail mapped before going. There is no service in marble. (there is no service from carbondale to paonia. So be sure to have all trails pulled up and also directions also pulled up or screen shotted. 2. There is not really a parking lot. Its more like road side parking and its not really obvious where the trailhead is. There are not any signs. Its only a handful of spots. 3. There are no bathrooms or dog poop bags or trash cans. Be sure to plan on packing out what you pack in (including trash, dog poop. human waste......) 4. The trail is remote. The weeds are tall in areas if you struggle with allergies you may want to wear long pants. 5. It is definitely steep! 6. There is a small sign on a tree where the trail forks. Watch for that or you will end up on the wrong trail. 7. The beginning of the trail is in rough shape. You might want some poles for it. Beautiful view at the top! Was a steep climb but worth it! Hung out at the top for a bit and just took it all in. this area is so lovely.

You have to stop here during fall. Thé color of the water is so gorgeous! The trail is easily short…read moreand accessible, pet friendly and not long at all. Wonderful views and one of my favorite places around this area. Just listening to the water was so relaxing. A beautiful place to visit.

I absolutely loved this hike soooo much . I have a bad foot with so many medical issues . I chose…read morethis trail because is so short . When we reached the ice cave I Decided not to risk lowering myself into the cave only because of my foot. There was another guy who had just had foot surgery and also decided against going down into the ice cave only. But he had made it too all the way down the trail . My husband did and showed me amazing pictures. This hike was just beyond words. I took it slow and was careful . There was a breathtaking waterfall . Of all the things we have done on this trip THIS is my favorite.