No matter what you prefer to see whilst hiking, you are sure to find it right here in Colorado. From the paved trails around the Mile High City to the sandy hills of the Great Sand Dunes all the way to the tropical-feeling Hanging Lake, there are so many incredible sights to behold! If you are looking for an epic hike to take with your family, however, we recommend checking out this one trail in particular that will lead you to extraordinary ancient ruins:
Please note, Chimney Rock National Monument is temporarily closed.
Located in the scenic San Juan National Forest near beautiful Pagosa Springs lies the Chimney Rock National Monument; a massive 4,726-acre national monument that is managed for "archaeological protection, public interpretation, and education." Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, Chimney Rock consists primarily of an old Ancestral Puebloan site that is thought to have housed some 2,000 Native Americans between AD 925 and 1125. When you visit the area, make sure to take some time to see the monument's jaw-dropping Great House Pueblo, which consists of two kivas, 36 rooms, and stones and materials that were all hauled by hand up the steep ridge line. Since Chimney Rock National Monument and its dwellings are extremely delicate, the area is highly protected; however, tours are given by knowledgable guides every day from May 15th through September 30th, giving visitors the chance to get up close and personal with this fascinating piece of history.
Do you like hiking? Do you like hot springs? Do you like hiking to hot springs? If so, a trip to Rainbow Hot Springs should be in your future. This remote, natural, undeveloped hot springs is a joy at the end of a beautiful trail.
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The Rainbow Hot Springs Trail starts at the West Fork Trailhead outside of Pagosa Springs. If you're visiting The Springs Resort in Pagosa, then a hike to Rainbow Hot Springs is a great addition. While The Springs Resort is absolutely lovely and is one of the best hot springs resorts in Colorado, it's a luxury resort for a high-end, classy experience. It's a wonderful place to relax and be pampered and to relax in a vast number of maintained hot springs pools at a variety of different temperatures. It's truly fantastic.
Rainbow Hot Springs is at the opposite end of the spectrum of hot springs, but it is equally lovely and fantastic in an entirely different way. The two hot springs pools that make up Rainbow Hot Springs are located on the bank of the San Juan River. Hot water enters the river from its sides into the cooler, flowing river; visitors have created hot springs pools by stacking rocks, and you can adjust the pool's temperature by moving rocks to allow or prevent cool water from entering the pool. This type of hot spring pool is as natural as it gets, and its beauty is the fact it is so primitive.
You'll love relaxing in these hot springs pools after the long hike to reach them. To get to the trailhead, you'll go northeast from Pagosa Springs on US 160 for 16 miles; turn left on West Fork Campground Road (CR 648) and continue seven miles to the West Fork Trailhead.
From there, you'll follow the trail for about four or five miles past the Borns Lake cabins until you come to the campground. The hot springs can be reached by following trails down to the water near sites six, seven, and eight. Look for stacked rocks in the water to located Rainbow Hot Springs - and get in!
There's an upper and lower pool here; be sure to try both. The lower pool averages about 95 degrees, but the smaller, upper pool runs about 105. Both pools will be quite pleasant after your hike.
Of course, remember to pack out whatever you brought in to help keep Rainbow Hot Springs beautiful for other visitors.
You will have experienced about 1000 feet of elevation gain on your hike to Rainbow Hot Springs, but don't worry - it's almost entirely downhill on the way back to your car. This hike is beautiful - you'd be sure to enjoy it even if it didn't have a pair of hot springs at its end - so be sure to take your time along the way and take lots of pictures. Rainbow Hot Springs is an adventure worth undertaking! You'll love this hike and soak combination - plan a visit today.
The Hidden Valley Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park is a trail that is not like any other trail you've hiked before. This unique trail is rated hard and is highly ranked on hiking sites like AllTrails.com and by anyone who undertakes it. What makes this trail different from others is that it gives hikers the opportunity to explore the slopes of a now-defunct ski area, and furthermore, it's rather freeform and is mostly unmarked. The views on this trail are spectacular, and you'll find it exciting and interesting no matter what time of year you choose to take it on. We think that it's one of the best hikes in Colorado!
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Hidden Valley was a popular ski area in Colorado from 1955 to 1991. However, people began skiing Hidden Valley even earlier than that. In the 1930s, Rocky Mountain National Park began plowing Trail Ridge Road, and locals and visitors alike brought their ski equipment to this area to ski in the park. When the ski area was developed in the 1950s, it offered a base lodge with a cafeteria and gift shop, ski patrol, and a large parking area, along with a 2,000 foot vertical drop from 11,400 feet to 9,400 feet. It included trails for beginners, intermediate, and expert skiiers.
At first, this ski area offered only T-bar and Poma lifts, but in 1971 the area added a double chairlift as well. Due to the fact that Hidden Valley was quite a distance from other Colorado ski resorts, residents of northern Colorado visited this ski area frequently and it became well-known and popular quickly.
However, as time passed, it soon became clear that Hidden Valley couldn't compete with other, larger Colorado ski resorts. Further, the National Park Service wanted to get out of the ski resort business, and didn't want to make snow in an otherwise natural area. Hidden Valley closed in 1991, but its trails are still obvious and easy to identify as they clearly cut through a wooded area.
Today, the easy, 0.5 mile Hidden Valley Nature Trail at the base of the ski area; it's popular with families and with people of all hiking abilities. Beyond that trail, though, the Hidden Valley Trail continues 2.2 miles up the slopes and is unmarked. Hikers can continue vertically up one of the former runs and leads to incredible views of the valley below. Anyone undertaking this trail in the summer months will enjoy following Hidden Valley Creek up into the woods.
In the winter, snowshoers also enjoy following this trail up the slope. Backcountry skiers and snowboarders also traverse these slopes and ski or ride back down to the bottom. The park advises, however, that anyone attempting this steep trail in the winter should come with winter. mountaineering experience, as weather conditions can change rapidly in the park, especially at high elevations like those you'll find on the Hidden Valley Trail. Avalanches and winter storms are likely.
This hike may be relatively short at just 2.2 miles in length, but it's challenging in any season. But, it's very different from any other trail in the area and that alone makes it worth it. While hiking, it's easy to imagine the thousands of people who enjoyed this trail when it was a popular ski area for so many decades, and the views from it - due to the fact that the slope is open and treeless - are spectacular. You'll love this trail. It's easy to see why we think it's one of the best hikes in Colorado!
Of course, you'll have to pay the entrance fee to the park to access this trail, but there are so many amazing things to see and do in Rocky Mountain National Park in addition to this trail, you'll be glad that you paid it - prepare to spend at least a day in the park, if not much more. Happy trails!
