Intro Located a few miles past the town of Eldora, the 4th of July trail is a portal to an amazing assortment of peaks, lakes and vast mountain scenery. The trail is named for the old 4th of July mine which is part of the many mine ruins along the

Intro Set in the heart of the San Luis Valley in south-central Colorado, Penitente Canyon was once a refuge for the Penitente Brotherhood of Catholic monks, who lived and worked in relative seclusion near the Colorado/New Mexico border in the early 20th century. The canyon was named for this society,

From Montana’s Livingston Range to the Lechuguilla Desert of southern Arizona, the U.S. region known as the Mountain West is brimming with top-caliber hiking destinations. Narrowing down a list of 10 standouts is no small feat, but we took a stab at it anyway, choosing from the eight states that

With all the mountainous goodness surrounding Boulder, it’s easy to overlook one of the city’s best natural features: Boulder Creek. It is a geological curiosity to consider that the humble stream flowing through the heart of the city is the same agent that carved out the deep walls of Boulder

The word Matterhorn smacks of the golden days of Alpine mountaineering, and summons up the signature, craggy summit that even today tantalizes climbers. Indeed, it’s the Matterhorn of the Pennine Alps—not Everest, not Mont Blanc, not Mount Fuji—that perhaps best embodies the idealized, majestic mountain, particularly its enshrined east and

Grays and Torreys peaks, at 14,270 feet and 14,267 feet, respectively, are two of the most popular 14ers mountains in Colorado. They are often climbed as a pair, thanks to an accommodating trail ascending from Stevens Gulch that links the duo in an 8-mile round-trip. Summer weekends find the trail

Intro Clear Creek Canyon in Golden is about 40 minutes from Boulder. As a sibling to Boulder Canyon, the rock climbing here is less established but offers a bit more variety in terms of rock -- gneiss, schist and sandy granite are all present, most of it relatively solid. Because

A loud bugling throws my eyes open. I’m curled up in the back of my car, zipped tight into my sleeping bag. The windows have frosted over a little bit in the cold. The night before, I’d sped south from Yellowstone in search of some place to sleep before heading

Just minutes up the hill from Boulder, and a mere hour-plus drive from downtown Denver, lies the lesser-known ski “resort” of Eldora. Famed for its less expensive lift tickets and “Just Say No to I-70” slogan—which encourages people to avoid the crowds and traffic at bigger, more popular resorts along the I-70

It’s no secret that Boulder boasts a wealth of top-notch hiking. The foothills and mountains above town represent the eastern terminus of the Rocky Mountains, rising up to elevations more than 8,000 feet—meaning a great workout is almost guaranteed if you’re starting from Boulder, which is roughly 5,400 feet above