Winter

Colorado maintains an Avalanche Information Center to ensure the safety of anyone who travels in the Colorado winter backcountry. If you don’t know how to read the avalanche report, you don’t belong in the backcountry! It’s that important to your … Continued

This is a list of every alpine ski area I know of in Colorado. I’m sure I’m missing quite a few of the backcountry sites so let me know and I’ll add them. Click on them to go to the … Continued

Keystone has an excellent and reasonably affordable Nordic center if you are interested in using their facilities, but there is also good snowshoeing right along the small Snake River. This short and easy trail wanders along the river behind some … Continued

There is a trail leaving the parking area next to Echo Lake that few people know about. Most people just snowshoe up Mt. Evans road from Echo Lake, but if you follow these tracks you will find a wonderful, but … Continued

This track takes you to Naylor Lake in the Guanella Pass area, near Georgetown. This is an absolutely beautiful area in the middle of winter, a large frozen lake situated at tree line with tall alpine peaks all around. Take … Continued

Fairburn Mountain is an all too often overlooked peak in the Gilpin County high country, in Arapaho National Forest near Black Hawk. It’s easily accessed from Cold Springs Campground. The campground is closed during the winter, but there is room … Continued

  Cold Springs Campground in Arapahoe National Forest near Black Hawk provides the perfect cross-country ski experience. If you follow the route in the direction I have indicated, it’s basically downhill all the way. It’s best if you meet a … Continued

Lost Lake is one of those secluded little gems that few people know about, but the ones who do visit it again and again. This is an excellent winter snowshoe or cross country ski trip near Nederland, complete with backcountry … Continued

This is my favorite short Mount Evans area snowshoe/cross country trail. It’s a very scenic loop with enough up and down for a bit of a challenge, all in the space of a couple hours. The total length is just … Continued