Trail Hiking Boulder CO

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Length: One-Way: 7.1 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 9000 feet
Maximum Elevation: 11775 feet
Best Season: June to October
Difficulty: Difficult
Usage: Heavy

Description: Devil’s Thumb Trail crosses gently sloping terrain interspersed with steep stretches of trail. Along the way, it passes through forest, riparian woodland and sunny, rocky slopes. If you choose to skip driving through the water and park on the Fourth of July Road, take the quarter mile long Columbine Trail which starts at the bottom of the first hill, just before the water. It is a recently constructed trail that bypasses the flooded part of the road and comes in at the Hessie Townsite. From the Townsite, the road continues rough and with large mud puddles another quarter mile to the Hessie Trailhead. There is very little parking at the trailhead itself. From the trailhead, cross the footbridge and take the Devil’s Thumb Trail, which climbs steeply for about a half-mile on an old road. The Devil’s Thumb Bypass turns right in 0.8 miles, just before the bridge. Either the Devil’s Thumb Trail or the Devil’s Thumb Bypass will get you to the same destination – the distance is about the same either way. The bypass trail crosses open meadows to the north of the creek. The main trail follows an old road along the south side of the creek, staying right past the junctions with the Lost Lake Trail, King Lake Trail and Woodland Lake Trail. It is 1.1 miles from the trailhead to the Lost Lake Trail junction, which is right at the top of a hill. From there it is a flat 1/4 mile to the King Lake Trail junction. The Devil’s Thumb Trail enters the Indian Peaks Wilderness just beyond the King Lake Trail junction. It continues fairly level another 1.0 miles to the Woodland Lake Trail junction. In places, the creek has taken over the trail, so hikers have to follow social paths along the bank. The Devil’s Thumb Bypass rejoins 200 yards beyond the Woodland Lake Trail. After the trails rejoin, the old road begins to climb again. This stretch can be very wet, especially early in the summer, so some bypass social trails have developed. In 1.5 miles, the Diamond Lake Trail forks right (north). It leads 3.7 miles up over the ridge past Diamond Lake to connect to the Arapaho Pass Trail 1.2 miles from the trailhead. From the Diamond Lake Trail junction it is another 0.6 miles to Jasper Lake. Jasper Lake is surrounded on three sides with trees and a steep ridgeline to the north. It is a very popular camping area with limited, designated sites. There is no bridge across the spillway, but there is often a plank across a hundred yards downstream. The trail continues another mile over a small ridge, north of a pond and up a slope to Devil’s Thumb Lake. It lies directly below the vertically-walled Devil’s Thumb. Past Devil’s Thumb Lake, Devil’s Thumb Trail wanders across open meadows near treeline, then makes several switchbacks up the steep side of a ridge to reach the Continental Divide. This steep portion of the trail holds snow and ice well into the summer and can be treacherous – crampons may be useful. The Devil’s Thumb Trail does not actually intersect the High Lonesome Trail (part of the Continental Divide Trail) which is a couple hundred yards down the far side of the ridge and not heavily traveled. From the top of the ridge it is another 0.6 miles downhill to the right (north) to Devil’s Thumb Pass or 3 miles to the left (south) to the King Lake Trail. It is not difficult to eventually pick up the High Lonesome Trail from the Devil’s Thumb Trail by just following the ridge, but finding the Devil’s Thumb Trail from the High Lonesome Trail is more difficult. Note that the Devil’s Thumb Trail does not climb to Devil’s Thumb Pass (which has a snowfield most of the year), but ascends the ridge to the south. There is a large cairn where it tops out, just south of the high point at the ridge intersection. To access Devil’s Thumb from 4th of July Trailhead, follow the Arapaho Pass Trail for 1.2 miles, take the Diamond Lake Trail 3.7 miles more past Diamond Lake and over the ridge to hit the Devil’s Thumb Trail 0.6 miles east of Jasper Lake. Turn right (west)

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Great Sand Dunes National Monument
Length: One-Way: 4 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 9600 feet
Maximum Elevation: 11500 feet
Elevation Change: 1900 feet
Best Season: Summer
Difficulty: Most Difficult
Usage: Moderate

Description: The trail to Medano Lake begins at 9600 feet and 0.5 miles west of Medano Pass in a stand of spruce and fir trees. The trail then climbs fairly gently as it follows Medano Creek to Medano Lake. This popular trail gradually rises through the forest with few views until you reach Medano Lake. The dunes can be seen by Hiking to the ridge lines above the lake. Summer and early fall are usually the best times for Hiking at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. And snow may block the trail through June.

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Great Sand Dunes National Monument
Length: One-Way: 6 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 9380 feet
Elevation Change: 2000 feet
Best Season: Summer
Difficulty: Moderate
Usage: Heavy

Description: Sand Creek lakes is popular with hikers and equestrians so trailhead parking can be tight on summer weekends. Hike midweek to find solitude, always purify water taken from natural sources and store your food so it’s safe from bears. Do your best to leave no trace of your stay here. From Music Pass, the trail descends steadily into the Upper Sand Creek drainage. Less than 1 mile from the pass, there is a trail junction; turn right (northwest) for the lakes. The trail south passes several nice campsites then follows the creek downstream through very dense timber. Heading north from the junction, the trail crosses Sand Creek, then forks again. Turn left to reach the lower lake (.6 mile from here) or right to reach the upper lake (1 mile further on). Note older maps do not reflect recent trail re-routing. The very steep sided, rocky peak is Tijeras Peak (el. 13,604'). To its right is Music Mountain (el. 13,355') and Milwaukee Peak (el. 13,522').

Activities: Hiking

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Length: One-Way: 2.6 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Best Season: June to October
Difficulty: Moderate
Usage: Heavy

Description: From its lower end at the South Boulder Creek Trail #900, the Forest Lakes Trail cuts across the front of a steep ridge on an abandoned road for a half mile to meet up with Arapaho Creek. The creek crossings do not have bridges and can be difficult to cross in the early summer. The trail follows the creek north/northwest on a gentle grade for a mile. At 1.5 miles from the South Boulder Creek Trail, the road ends in a meadow. The Arapaho Lakes Trail #818 turns to the left (west) and crosses the creek. Continuing north, the Forest Lakes Trail is very difficult to follow for the next half mile to the lowest of the Forest Lakes. The last half mile from the lakes to the Forest Lakes Trailhead is a well used trail.

Activities: Hiking, Snowshoeing

Info:
State: Colorado
Location: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Length: One-Way: 3.2 miles
Trail type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 10300 feet
Best Season: June to October
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Heavy

Description: Follow the Niwot Cutoff Trail west out of the trailhead, up a small slope and through the woods, 0.6 miles and 220 feet elevation to Long Lake. At the east end of Long Lake, the Niwot Cutoff Trail ends on the Jean Lunning Trail. Just across the bridge over the Long Lake outlet to the right (north), is the Pawnee Pass Trail. The Jean Lunning Trail enters the Indian Peaks Wilderness and continues west for a mile along the south side of Long Lake on a wide, gentle trail with several wide bridges. A quarter mile beyond the end of the lake, it turns north and ends on the Pawnee Pass Trail. The unsigned Niwot Ridge Trail heads south from the Jean Lunning Trail after a few hundred yards. To hike up Niwot Ridge, follow the Niwot Ridge Trail up the hill. The trail passes through alpine forest and climbs into the delicate alpine tundra. Niwot Ridge has been designated by the U. N. as an International Biosphere Reserve for arctic and alpine research. Some of the strongest winds in North America have been recorded here (160 mph). Since Niwot Ridge is a study area of extreme fragility and uniqueness, please remain on the trail and old road to the south. After snow begins to fall, it is common to see snowshoers and backcountry skiers along the Niwot Ridge Trail.