front-wheel-drive passenger car named Ruby. However, a handful of drives were pretty rough on Ruby, and it would have been better to have a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle. Those cases are noted. The main car-beaters are Grays Peak (Hike 64) and High Lonesome (Hike 61), two hikes too incredible not to include in this book.
A word on parking. In the driving directions included with each hike, a “small” parking area means space for fewer than a dozen cars. “Large” means room for more than 50. Anything in between is listed simply as “parking.” Regardless of lot size, it is important to arrive early in the morning or later in the afternoon to ensure a space, especially in summer. At the end of the driving directions, I have indicated how long it takes to drive to each trailhead from downtown Denver under optimal driving conditions.
About three quarters of the trailheads have no entrance or parking fees. Several are in Colorado state parks, which charged $7 per vehicle in 2018. Several more are on municipal open spaces that levy about the same fee; all cases are noted. It is a good idea to carry some $5 and $1 bills and/or a checkbook to facilitate payment, as cards are not always accepted, and many trailheads have self-pay envelope stations. The highest entrance fee is for Rocky Mountain National Park, which was $25 per day per vehicle in 2018, and was likely to go up.
Hike Ratings
Each hike description contains an “At a Glance” table, in which ratings of 1 to 5 are assigned in the following categories:
Difficulty mostly reflects distance and elevation gain, with higher ratings meaning “more difficult.” As an average hike is 7 miles with 1,500 feet of gain, a rating of 3 corresponds roughly to that, taking into account Trail Condition.
Trail Condition evaluates a trail with respect to width, continuity, smoothness, and grade. A 3-rated trail has no washouts or vanished portions, requires no tricky stream crossings, and is not overly steep, narrow, rocky, or full of tree roots. The 4- and 5-rated trails are good choices for people with mobility challenges.
Children is a harder rating to assign. Difficulty largely drives it. When the two ratings don’t inversely correlate, it is because there are rewarding features early in the hike, after which folks can turn back, and/or wonderful features later on that appeal to children and make it worth the effort. Low-rated hikes tend to be long, with lots of elevation gain and not much in the way of “fun” unless your child is a fitness enthusiast.
Scenery is not all about breathtaking high-mountain vistas or spectacular rock formations. A 3-rated trail might have lovely forests, streams, vales, and meadows but few expansive views. Ratings of 1 and 2 are uncommon; the Front Range is a gorgeous place!
Photography is usually rated the same as Scenery but is sometimes dialed up or down a level. Some great scenery just doesn’t photograph all that well, and some modestly scenic hikes have features like curious rock formations, an iconic vista, or waterfalls that make for dynamite photos.
Solitude ratings are fairly evenly distributed between 1 and 4, with only two hikes garnering a 5. One was completely empty on a gorgeous Friday in mid-August (Ute Peak, Hike 69); the other, aptly named High Lonesome (Hike 61), was nearly so, and although it was an epic drive to reach, too amazing not to include. Ratings of 1 and 2 indicate the trail will almost certainly be crowded in summer and on weekends, and may also present parking challenges.
Time to Hike!
Estimated hiking times are just that: hiking times, not “not-hiking” times. Rest breaks aren’t included since those are entirely up to you. As you use this book, a correlation should emerge between your pace and the 101 Hikes pace, which is roughly:
1 to 2 miles per hour uphill, closer to 1 when the trail is very steep, high-altitude, and/or rocky
2 to 2.5 miles per hour for moderate ups and downs on decent-quality trail
3 miles per hour on flats and downhill on smooth trail
It feels funny to write about how to walk, but I feel compelled to do it because I see so many people doing it “wrong.” Throughout my hiking career I’ve found great truth in the adage, “To climb a big mountain quickly, you must do it slowly.” The most important words here are “do it,” meaning you should try to keep moving and minimize rest breaks.
The main problem with rest breaks is that they don’t really help you. If you are tired and you stop for a bit, chances are you will feel just as tired within a few minutes of restarting, and want to stop again. A much better strategy is to slow down but not stop, even if it means a tortoise pace. Hiking is not a race. Go as slow as you want, but keep going! Find a steady, comfortable slog, one that you can maintain for an hour, two hours, a day.
Another thing about rest breaks, which should be obvious but isn’t, is that they bring your progress to a grinding halt. Even if you are going at only a half mile an hour, your projected completion time is within hours. Once you stop, your projected completion time is never.
Other than pace, the most important thing about timing, especially in summer, is to get up early. It’s a good idea to arrive at the trailhead at dawn. This gets you out of the city before traffic builds and, more importantly, ensures you a parking space. Arriving late morning on a summer Saturday almost guarantees parking trouble. An early start in summer also gives the treat of clear blue skies almost every day until afternoon, when the clouds build and often burst. If solitude is important to you, arriving early also means you’ll have the trail and backcountry mostly to yourself. If you get lonely, don’t worry, you can greet plenty of folks hiking in as you’re on your way out.
If you don’t like to get up early, the next best thing to do is get up late, especially during the long days of June through August. The threat of thunderstorms often clears out the trails and parking lots by mid-afternoon, but by 3 or 4 p.m. the storms have usually passed, if they have come at all, giving way to gorgeous sunny late afternoons and evenings when the effects of the slanting light on the mountains can be mesmerizing. Even the three fourteeners in this book (peaks over 14,000 feet) can be hiked after 3 p.m. on long summer days, and though each is wildly popular, you might find yourself alone on the summit as I did on both Grays (Hike 64) and Quandary (Hike 75).
Clothing and Equipment
You don’t need any special clothes or equipment to do these hikes. Just walk. Good shoes and good legs are a plus, but you can start with whatever shoes and develop the legs. If you hike more than a little, you’ll do well to invest in a pair of good-quality, lightweight hiking boots, ones made from water-resistant synthetic materials. Or you can buy a cheap pair and see how long the soles last. Trail runners—beefed up running shoes—are fine on dry trails, but not so good in mud, snow, and loose rock.
Other than shoes, the most important items to bring are water and extra clothes—and a pack to carry them in. A good rule for tap water is two liters per person, plus treatment tablets in case you run out and are forced to drink creek or lake water. Of course, you will want to add your favorite trail food to the pack. As for clothes, know that temperatures can swing several dozen degrees during a day. Don’t ever go up very high without a hat, gloves, an extra sweater or two, long pants, and a wind/water shell.
Other things to have in the pack are sunscreen, insect repellent, and a first aid kit. A topographic map and compass are highly advised. Bring your cell phone too (you will often have reception) and a camera if you prefer to use one instead of your phone. Be sure to carry a flashlight; you may be having so much fun that you want to stay out late and need it for the final stretch to the car. I also like to pack a collapsible umbrella. I can’t tell you how pleasant it makes hiking in a non-thunderstorm drizzle.
Trekking
