Colorado Hiking Trails
Colorado provides endless hiking opportunities in all types of environments, from arid plains to the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains.
A good rule of thumb to use for calculating hiking times when starting out is “Naismith’s Rule” . Allow one hour for every 3 miles (5 km) forward, plus an additional hour for every 2,000 feet (600 m) of ascent.
The difficulty ratings of hiking Colorado on this site are based on the conditions at the time they were traveled.
Easy
30 minutes – 2 hours, elevation gain minimized.
Moderate
1/2 a day or so, good trail, no technical climbing, several thousand foot elevation gain possible.
Difficult
Whole day hike, usually an alpine start (before sunrise), substantial elevation gain, possibly no trail in sections or entire trip, up to class 3 climbing.
14ers
Whole day hike, usually an alpine start (before sunrise), substantial elevation gain, possibly no trail in sections or entire trip, up to class 3 climbing.
Easy Hikes
Black Canyon of the Gunnison N.P. (8,500′)
Lower Fish Creek Falls (7,420′), Park Range
Potato Lake (9,800′), San Juan Range
Arikaree River (3,317′), Eastern Plains
Trappers Lake (9,627′), Flat Tops
Garden of the Gods (6,400′) Front Range
Almagre Mountain (12,360′), Front Range
Mt Blue Sky (14,268′), Front Range
Zapata Falls (9,250′), Sangre de Cristo Range
Paint Mines Park (6,791′), Eastern Plains
Spruce Mountain (7,635′), Front Range
Alberta Falls (9,400′), Front Range
Mesa Verde National Park (7,500′), Chapin Mesa
Moderate Hikes
Naylor, Silver Dollar, and Murray Lake (12,200′)
Lost Lake (9,850′), Front Range
Arapaho Pass (11,950′), Front Range
Lake Haiyaha (10,244′), Front Range
Bierstadt Lake (9,470′), Front Range
Lake Isabelle (10,910′), Front Range
Estes Cone (11,007′), Front Range
Greenhorn Mountain (12,352′), Wet Mountain Range
Music Pass (11,450′), Sangre de Cristo Range
Lily Lake (12,385′), Sangre de Cristo Range
Pancake Rocks (11,060′), Front Range
Fremont Peak (7,273′), Royal Gorge
The Crags (10,856′), Front Range
Hanging Lake (7,290′), Glenwood Canyon
Lake Helene (10,630′), Front Range
Mills Lake (9,965′) & Jewel Lake (9,990′), Front Range
South Colony Lakes (12,000′), Sangre de Cristo Range
Mt Rosa (11,500′), Front Range
Mitchell and Blue Lake (11,360′), Front Range
Mt Herman (9,104′), Front Range
Nymph (9,705′), Dream (9,905′), and Emerald Lake (10,110′), Front Range
High Dune (8,700′), Great Sand Dunes N.P.
American Basin to Sloan Lake (12,920′), San Juan Range
Carpenter Peak (7,166′), Front Range
Devils Head Fire Lookout (9,748′), Front Range
Mt Morrison (7,881′), Front Range
Difficult Hikes
Handies Peak (14,058′), San Juan Range
Mt Flora (13,146′), Front Range
Star Dune (8,617′), Great Sand Dunes N.P.
Mt Ida (12,880′), Front Range
Mt Sniktau (13,234′), Front Range
Blodgett Peak (9,429′), Front Range
Humboldt Peak (14,068′), Sangre de Cristo Range
Mt Audubon (13,223′), Front Range
Hallett Peak (12,713′), Front Range
Picket Wire Canyonlands Tracksite (4,403′), Eastern Plains
Crater Lake (10,400′) and Mirror Lake (10,325′), Front Range
West Spanish Peak (13,625′), Sangre de Cristo Range
La Plata Peak (14,344′), Sawatch Range
Cheyenne Mountain (9,565′), Front Range
Longs Peak (14,259′), Front Range
Mt Sneffels (14,155′), San Juan Range
Huron Peak (14,006′), Sawatch Range
St Vrain Mountain Trail (12,162′), Front Range
Flattop Mountain (12,332′), Front Range
La Plata Peak (14,344′), Sawatch Range
Quandary Peak (14,272′), Ten Mile Range
Sky Pond (10,900′), Front Range
Missouri Mountain (14,071′), Sawatch Range
Mt Elbert (14,438′), Sawatch Range
Mt Sherman (14,043′), Mosquito Range
Mt Democrat (14,154′) , Mt Cameron (14,248′), Mt Lincoln (14,293′), and Mt Bross (14,178), Mosquito Range
Twin Sisters (11,428′), Front Range
Grays(14,275) and Torreys(14,272) Peak, Front Range
Mt Bierstadt (14,066′), Front Range
14ers
Handies Peak (14,058′), San Juan Range
Pikes Peak (14,109′), Front Range
Humboldt Peak (14,068′), Sangre de Cristo Range
Mt Antero Rd (13,800′) , Sawatch Range
La Plata Peak (14,344′), Sawatch Range
Longs Peak (14,259′), Front Range
Mt Blue Sky (14,268′), Front Range
Mt Sneffels (14,155′), San Juan Range
Huron Peak (14,006′), Sawatch Range
La Plata Peak (14,344′), Sawatch Range
Quandary Peak (14,272′), Ten Mile Range
Missouri Mountain (14,071′), Sawatch Range
Mt Elbert (14,438′), Sawatch Range
Mt Sherman (14,043′), Mosquito Range
Mt Democrat (14,154′) , Mt Cameron (14,248′), Mt Lincoln (14,293′), and Mt Bross (14,178), Mosquito Range
Grays(14,275) and Torreys(14,272) Peak, Front Range