Final chance to purchase our 2023 Colorado Landscape Calendar! Orders must be place by November 30th!
Hiking and Travel Adventures is excited to announce we are again offering this year a 2023 Colorado landscape photo calendar for sale! The calendar features images of beautiful Colorado landscape and scenery including state parks, national parks, mountain passes, and wilderness areas! Enjoy a little bit of our beautiful state of Colorado every month in your office, home, or anywhere else. Also, the perfect holiday gift for family and friends who love and appreciate the beauty of Colorado!
This year’s featured photos:
Cover: Boreas Pass – Summit County
Jan: South Valley Park – Jefferson County
Feb: South Platte River Trail – Jefferson County
Mar: Sunrise – Chatfield State Park
Apr: Roxborough State Park
May: Crabapples in bloom – South Platte River Trail – Littleton
Jun: Trail Ridge Road – Rocky Mountain National Park
Jul: Shrine Ridge – Shrine Pass
Aug: Summit Lake – Mt Evans
Sep: Mud Lake – Peak to Peak Highway
Oct: Kebler Pass- West Elk Mountains
Nov: Abyss Trail – Mount Evans Wilderness
Dec: Echo Lake and Mt. Evans
Calendar Size: 11×17 when open
Calendar Details: standard 146# satin finish paper, spiral bound
Cost: $25 plus $5 shipping
Please see the previews below of the cover and each month.
We are taking pre-orders for these calendars. Please let us know by commenting and/or sending a PM with name and address for shipping. If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you.
Back in September we spent a couple of nights up at one of the 10th Mountain Division Huts near Leadville. Uncle Bud’s Hut views from the south window-wall include a panorama of 14,421-foot Mount Massive and the bare pate of Bald Eagle Mountain. The hut was built as a memorial to 10th Mountain Division veteran Bud Winter (1925-1945), who was killed in action in Italy during World War II, and was one of 33 soldiers who completed the legendary “trooper traverse” winter ski crossing from Leadville to Aspen in February of 1944. Funds for the hut were given by Bud’s brother, Dr. Fred Winter. His sister Laura contributed the proceeds from her poetry book Laura’s Lines.
The hike in was a little over 5 miles with almost 1,700′ of elevation gain. Our route up to the hut starting near Turquoise Lake.
On the trail. There was a group of 14 of us that made the trek up to the hut.
As we climbed up the trail, the views opened up.
We passed several small ponds/lakes on the way up to the hut.
Arriving at the hut.
Time to relax, enjoy the sun and some afternoon snacks and cocktails!
We had some pretty phenomenal meals while at the hut. As there were 14 of us, we divided the meals up so everyone provided and cooked one of the meals. We had homemade pizzas cooked in the wood stove one night with salad followed by a warm and tasty fruit, pound cake, and chocolate dessert. The other night we had a delicious homemade chili. Breakfasts included egg, sausage and croissant sandwiches, pancakes, bacon and fresh fruit. We certainly did not go hungry on this trip!
We didn’t get pictures of all of the food, but here are a couple.
Fresh fruit, pound cake, and chocolate dessertBreakfast croissant with green chili, sausage, and hash browns!
Sunset from the deck.
Once the sun set, it was time to start a fire and sit around and enjoy the evening and the company.
The sunrises from the hut were pretty phenomenal. So peaceful to watch the sun hitting the tips of the peaks with the beautiful alpenglow and see the rays of the sun slowly light up more of the peaks!
The view from the outhouse. Who doesn’t like an outhouse with a view!
On the second day some of us took a day hike up to Saint Kevin Lake. Saint Kevin Lake is a 3.50 mile roundtrip hike from the hut with about 532′ of elevation gain.
Heading up the trail to the lake.
Taking a break on some rocks along the trail.
Our first view of St. Kevin’s Lake.
St. Kevin’s Lake sits at the base of 12,800′ Galena Peak.
After the day hike to St. Kevin’s Lake, it was back to the hut for some more afternoon appetizers and cocktails.
The third day it was time to pack up and head back down from our beautiful couple of days in the mountains. What a great time to unwind and enjoy the beauty of the High Country in Colorado with great friends. Looking forward to the next adventure with this group!
Hiking and Travel Adventures is excited to announce we are again offering this year a 2023 Colorado landscape photo calendar for sale! The calendar features images of beautiful Colorado landscape and scenery including state parks, national parks, mountain passes, and wilderness areas! Enjoy a little bit of our beautiful state of Colorado every month in your office, home, or anywhere else. Also, the perfect holiday gift for family and friends who love and appreciate the beauty of Colorado!
This year’s featured photos:
Cover: Boreas Pass – Summit County
Jan: South Valley Park – Jefferson County
Feb: South Platte River Trail – Jefferson County
Mar: Sunrise – Chatfield State Park
Apr: Roxborough State Park
May: Crabapples in bloom – South Platte River Trail – Littleton
Jun: Trail Ridge Road – Rocky Mountain National Park
Jul: Shrine Ridge – Shrine Pass
Aug: Summit Lake – Mt Evans
Sep: Mud Lake – Peak to Peak Highway
Oct: Kebler Pass- West Elk Mountains
Nov: Abyss Trail – Mount Evans Wilderness
Dec: Echo Lake and Mt. Evans
Calendar Size: 11×17 when open
Calendar Details: standard 146# satin finish paper, spiral bound
Cost: $25 plus $5 shipping
Please see the previews below of the cover and each month.
We are taking pre-orders for these calendars. Please let us know by commenting and/or sending a PM with name and address for shipping. If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you.
We had been wanting to get down to the Crested Butte area in the Fall to see and photograph the aspens for several years and this year we finally made the trip. Its about a 4 hour drive from the Denver metro area so we never actually took the time to make this drive in the past. Now I’m not quite sure why – this is such a beautiful area and the aspen trees were by far the best and largest aspen groves we have ever seen! We made the trip the weekend of October 8 – 9, 2022.
Our route covered 430 miles over the course of two days. Actually more because we repeated both Ohio Pass and a good part of Kebler Pass on both days.
On Saturday we left home and drover Highway 285 to Buena Vista, then Colorado State Highway 306 & Colorado Road 209 over Cottonwood Pass, then Colorado Road 742 to Colorado State Highway 135 to Crested Butte. This was roughly a 4-hour drive.
Some views from the top of Cottonwood Pass.
We headed down the west side of Cottonwood Pass and past Taylor Park Reservoir and continued on towards Crested Butte. A couple of shots from Jacks Cabin Road heading towards CO-135.
At CO-135 we headed north towards Crested Butte. A view just outside of the city of Crested Butte.
Once in Crested Butte, we headed west on CO Road 12 towards Kebler Pass. Kebler Pass is believed to be the home of Colorado’s biggest living organism and one of the largest living organisms in the United States and world. Many biologists believe that the biggest of all Earth’s living organisms is an aspen grove. Aspen trees reproduce through their roots, known as suckers, which send up new chutes that eventually grow up to become trees. In other words, their root systems are completely interconnected. Entire hillsides can be covered by a single aspen organism.
As we headed up Kebler Pass, the aspen groves began increasing and the views becoming more spectacular around every corner. From reports of Fall colors in this area, we were hitting it right at peak weekend for the best colors and the views did not disappoint!
A view looking to the west of East Beckwith Mountain.
East Beckwith Mountain
We continued up the pass to more spectacular views.
Ruby MountainRuby RangeA view of Marcellina Mountain in the Raggeds Wilderness
After driving for quite a few miles, we turned around to head back towards Crested Butte. We stopped again at the area called “The Dyke”. This area, located near the top of the pass, has several patches of Aspen which turn a brilliant red. This is unusual and stands in stark contrast to golden stands that surround it.
Late afternoon light is great to make the aspen trees pop. The back mountains were in shadows as well as the foreground but the aspens were lit brilliantly by the late afternoon sun!
We continued on back down the road towards Crested Butte. We took the short detour up the Ohio Pass Road, also a very pretty route. The light was beginning to fade somewhat.
We headed back into town for the night for some dinner and to call it a day.
The next morning we headed back up Kebler and Ohio Pass again. We stopped at a lot of the same spots. The morning light provided some good lighting for some of the shots that weren’t as good in some areas in the late afternoon light the previous day. We headed back down Ohio Pass to get a view of “The Castles”.
Back out to Kebler Pass and the view of East Beckwith Mountain.
We stopped to take some walks in some of the many beautiful groves of aspens.
We continued on past the point where we had turned around yesterday to the western side of Kebler Pass.
We eventually made our way over to McClure Pass.
Some beautiful views from the top of McClure Pass.
We continued on into the small town of Redstone. Redstone is a quaint little town. We made a stop at the General Store for some ice cream and live music.
The ice cream was in a trailer back behind the General Store!
After our break of ice cream and music, we continued on down the road. We headed to Glenwood Springs, through Glenwood Canyon and on to Vail. The colors in Vail were beautiful in the late afternoon light!
From Vail we continued east and up to the top of Vail Pass. The views from the top of Vail Pass never disappoint – especially with some fresh snow on the peaks!
From Vail Pass it was on to Summit County and continuing east back home. It was a spectacular weekend to get up into the High Country and view the aspens in all of their glory. Fall truly is a wonderful time of the year in Colorado and we will definitely make this trip again in future Autumns!
Lonesome Lake has the most spectacular view of the jagged peaks and spires of the Cirque of the Towers! We spent two nights camping here after our trek in on the Big Sandy trail over Jackass Pass. We had great weather and I enjoyed capturing the different lighting at both sunset and sunrise. I’m including a lot of shots of the same scene but the lighting changes so quickly and makes for a completely different photo that I couldn’t help myself with capturing so many images! There is something so amazing seeing the sun as it slowly starts to light up the peaks – quite breathtaking!
Sunset photos around Lonesome Lake
Late afternoon light on Mitchell PeakLast light on Mitchell PeakLast light on Mitchell Peak
Trail Length: 18.0 miles (roundtrip) Trailhead Elevation: 9.085’ High Point: 10,790′ (Jackass Pass) Destination Elevation: 10,166’ (Lonesome Lake) Skill Level: Strenuous Trailhead Location: Big Sandy Trailhead is approximately 2 hours (77 miles) from Lander, WY. From Lander, travel 8.8 miles south on US 287, then 33.1 miles south on WY 28 to the Lander Cutoff Road. Turn right onto the Lander Cutoff Road (dirt road) and travel 24.7 miles. Turn right onto Big Sandy Opening Road (also dirt) and travel 9.8 miles and then make a slight right onto Forest Road 850 for 0.7 miles to the Big Sandy Trailhead parking.
I had always wanted to hike/backpack in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. I had heard and read so much about them and the opportunity finally arose this past August to do a backpacking trip in this area with friends. I hadn’t backpacked in a number of years so I hoped I was up for the challenge! I do a lot of day hiking but not backpacking.
We headed up from the Denver area on a Wednesday and spent the night in Lander, WY. The next morning we headed out from Lander to the Big Sandy Trailhead to begin our trip. We weighed our packs at the trailhead – mine came in at 40 pounds – a lot more weight than a daypack! Our first leg of the trip was 4.9 miles up to Big Sandy Lake.
This part of the trail was a pretty easy grade in the Big Sandy valley through a mixture of meadows and pine forest close to the Big Sandy River.
Arriving at Big Sandy Lake
East Temple Peak
At 5.5 miles we reached the northwestern shore of Big Sandy Lake. Shortly beyond that we came to a trail junction branching to the north toward Jackass Pass and the Cirque of the Towers. We took a left onto this trail to begin our ascent up steep switchbacks towards North Lake. The map showing the trail leading from Big Sandy Lake past North Lake and Arrowhead lake, our route.
At 6.5 miles we reach a high point (10,105′) above the east side of North Lake.
North Lake and Warbonnet PeakNorth Lake and Warbonnet Peak
The trail continues along a cairned route that descends along rock slabs and travels high above the east side of North Lake, then curves around the north end of the lake and climbs steep switchbacks up a rocky hillside. Looking back down on North Lake.
Looking back on North Lake, East Temple Peak, Temple Peak, and Schiestler Peak
We continued to climb steeply up boulders, rock outcroppings, and slabs along the steep western flanks of Mitchell Peak. We climbed to a high point (10,775′) above Arrowhead Lake at 7.6 miles. From this high point, we have our first view of the Cirque of the Towers including Pylon Peak (12,378′), the Watch Tower, Block Tower (12,210′), Sharks Nose (12,229′), Overhanging Tower (12,164′), Wolf’s Head (12,163′), Pingora (11,884′), and Bollinger Peaks (12,232′).
If you look right center in the photo below, you can see the trail with the final ascent to the top of Jackass Pass.
From the high point the trail descends steeply down slabs, around outcroppings and through meadows to a junction at the north end of Arrowhead Lake at 7.7 miles.
Looking back on Arrowhead Lake
After climbing the very steep trail, we finally reached the top of Jackass Pass (10,790′), a saddle on the south side of the Cirque between Mitchell and Warbonnet Peaks at 8.2 miles.
After a break on the top of Jackass Pass, we continued started our descent to Lonesome Lake. Beautiful views of Lonesome Lake and the Cirque as we got our first view to the other side of Jackass Pass. Views to the north of Lizard Head Peak (12,842′), Camels Hump (12,492′) and the peaks around Texas Pass form a backdrop for Lonesome Lake.
We continued down into the Cirque and Lonesome Lake. At 9.0 miles near the outlet stream for Lonesome Lake we found a campsite and called it a day. A long, challenging, but rewarding day!
A couple of weeks ago we finally enjoyed an overnight stay at the Tennessee Pass Yurts. We had been wanting to do this trip for several years but had never planned far enough in advance to be able to get a reservation at one of the yurts – they book up months in advance, especially if you want a weekend night. I was able to book a Sunday night a few months ago.
The yurts are part of the Tennessee Pass Nordic Center located at the top of Tennessee Pass off of Highway 24 about 10 miles north of Leadville.
Tennessee Pass Nordic Center
Check-in for the yurts is at the Nordic Center. They have a total of 6 yurts as well as a Cookhouse near the yurts. You may either bring your own equipment (skis or snowshoes) or rent from the Nordic Center. The nice thing about these yurts is that they will transport your bags and cooler to the yurt for you so all you need to carry is a small daypack with water and any snacks you might want!
We arrived at the Nordic Center to check in and decided to have lunch there before heading off to our yurt. We had beautiful bluebird sky weather to sit out on the deck to enjoy lunch.
After lunch, we did take a couple of runs down the tubing hill before heading up to the yurt.
Heading up the trail.
It’s a little over a mile from the Nordic Center to the Cookhouse.
The cookhouse serves dinner nightly and lunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The cookhouse sits at 10,800′. Reservations are required for both lunch and dinner. We tried to get lunch reservations but they were already fully booked for lunch. For dinner, we opted to cook in our yurt instead of eating at the cookhouse. They have a limited fine dining menu for dinner and looks like it would be an enjoyable time.
We continued past the cookhouse to the yurts, only another 0.25 miles from the cookhouse.
Our yurt for the night
The inside of our yurt. Each yurt sleeps six and has a woodstove, small kitchenette, sink with fresh water, single burner propane stove, small dining table and solar powered lighting. A fire was already burning in the woodstove for us and it was quite comfy!
We settled in and had a few snacks. A view from one of the small windows.
Around sunset we headed back down to the cookhouse to take in the views. They had a fire going outside the cookhouse and we stood around it and watched the sunset.
Back up at the yurt we prepared dinner. We had a delicious beef stew with cornbread and a yummy dessert made of fresh fruit, pound cake, and chocolate!
After dinner, we headed back down to the cookhouse again to check out the stars and take in the view.
Back to the yurt to settle in for the night.
I got up the next morning to get some early morning shots. Another spectacular day!
A view of Mt Massive (14,429′)
After breakfast we took another snowshoe trek along the ridge.
It was time to pack up and head back down to the Nordic Center. More spectacular views as we headed back down.
A trail map of the Tennessee Pass Nordic Center.
A great night out at the Tennessee Pass yurts. Glamping at its finest!
Last Sunday we took a drive up over Mestaa’Ehehe Pass (formerly known as Squaw Pass) to Echo Lake and then down into Idaho Springs. This is a such a beautiful drive with fantastic views of the Front Range. It was a bluebird sky day and the views did not disappoint.
The pass and mountain were recently re-named from Squaw to Mestaa’ėhehe in December 2021. The name Mestaa’ėhehe represents “Owl Woman,” a woman who shows the strength of Native American women. Mestaa’ėhehe lived between 1810 and 1847 and married William Bent, of the family for which Bent’s Fort is named. There she interpreted and smoothed over relations between people.
The automobile route over Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain was first established in 1923, and would later become fully paved in 1956. Mestaa’Ėhehe Pass is reached along Mestaa’Ėhehe Road which is also known as Colorado State Highway 103. The route connects Evergreen, Echo Lake Park, and Idaho Springs.
The pass reaches 9,790 feet, located in the Arapaho National Forest, roughly halfway between Evergreen and Idaho Springs, Colorado. The journey over Mestaa’Ėhehe Pass offers miles of scenic roadway filled with aspen trees, wildflowers and mountain views.
Beautiful Echo Lake at the foot of 14,000 foot peak Mt. Evans. We stopped and hiked the short trail around Echo Lake.
After our short hike around Echo Lake, we continued our drive on down to Idaho Springs and stopped to photograph the frozen Bridal Veil Falls.
A great afternoon trip on a Sunday to get out and enjoy nature! When we were at Echo Lake, we saw an REI van parked in the parking lot. Their quote on the side of the van says it all!
Trail Length: 3.79 miles (roundtrip) Trailhead Elevation: 10,367’ Elevation Change: +1,145, net elevation gain Trailhead Location: From I-70, exit #238 for St Mary’s – Alice – Fall River Road. From the exit ramp, turn north on CR 275 and drive 9.2 miles to the St Mary’s Glacier Trailhead on the left (west) side of the road. Roadside parking is restricted (see rules and regulations above). The trail begins on a wide, rocky forest road marked by a large white sign clearly visible from the road.
I always like to hike/snowshoe up to St. Mary’s Lake at least once a winter. It’s a beautiful area with great views. Last Sunday I made the hike and decided to go all the way to the top of the glacier above St. Mary’s Lake for views of James Peak and Mt. Bancroft. It was a beautiful bluebird sky day.
The hike up to St. Mary’s Lake is short – less than a mile. Arriving at the shore of St. Mary’s Lake. You can see the “glacier” on the right. It is not really a glacier but a permanent snowfield. It was quite calm at the lake. Many times it is quite windy up here.
Zooming in close, I could see some people up on the glacier.
After taking in the views at the lake, I headed around to the north side of the lake to begin hiking up the glacier. Looking back at the lake as I got to the base of the glacier.
A short distance up the glacier, I stopped to put on my snowshoes. The trail up to the lake was well packed and snowshoes were not needed. The snow was packed on the glacier but additional grip was needed. Looking back down on St. Mary’s Lake and the view off to the southeast.
I climbed further up the glacier.
It got windier the further I hiked up. It was cold and slow going but I was determined to get high enough on the ridge to see the view of the peaks to the west. I finally made it above the glacier and had views of Mt. Bancroft on the left (13,250′) and James Peak (13,300′) on the right.
Close up of Mt. BancroftClose up of James Peak
Looking back down the glacier.
After taking in the views, I started to head back down. Some other people heading up as I was heading down.
Back down at the lake I walked up to the west shore. Some interesting ice formations along the lakeshore.
I made my way back around the lake and headed on down the trail towards the trailhead. A look down the trail with the view to the southeast.
A cabin off in the woods just off the trail.
I made it back down to the trailhead. It was a beautiful day to get out into the High Country and enjoy the mountains. My route today.
On the drive back down from the trailhead towards the main highway, I stopped to take a picture of Mt. Eva (13,130′). I always love this view looking to the west of Mt. Eva, especially in the late afternoon light.
Round-Trip Length: 11.12 miles Start Elevation: 9.864’ High Point: 11,520′ Elevation Change: 1,982’ Skill Level: Difficult Trailhead Location: The American Lakes trailhead is located within State Forest State Park and the Never Summer Mountain Range. It is approximately 75 mile west of Fort Collins along Highway 14 on the west side of Cameron Pass. From the Crags entrance off of Highway 14, go 2 miles, staying left for the American Lakes trailhead. The parking area is a dirt plot at the end of the access road.
My son and I did this hike back in the early part of September. This hike had been on my bucket list for quite some time but until now, had never made the long drive from the Denver area to do it.
The two American Lakes are also known as Michigan Lakes. I tried to find out why the two different names but couldn’t really find any information on that. Google Maps has them named as Michigan Lakes but most of the write-ups online about this hike refer to them as the American Lakes and the trailhead is marked as the American Lakes trailhead.
The two American Lakes are located about 4.3 miles up from the trailhead. The first mile of the trail is an old, rocky one-lane road that leads up to the Michigan Ditch, one of many diversion structures in Colorado that transport water from the west to the east side of the Continental Divide to provide an adequate amount for the cities and farms on the plains.
Once it reaches the ditch, the trail narrows and continues to climb. It meanders through forests and past a few small meadows before eventually opening up into a large basin at just over 11.000 feet. The first of the American Lakes. It sits at an elevation of 11,220 feet.
American Lake with Static Peak (12,580′) to the left
Continuing on up the trail to the right of American Lakes. The two lakes are connected by a short stream. It almost looks like only one lake, but they are considered two separate lakes.
Both American Lakes connected by a small stream
On the far end of the second American Lake looking back with Lulu Mountain to the right.
We continued on up the trail towards Snow Lake. Beyond American Lakes is a 300 foot rocky headwall. We made our way up the steep trail to reach Snow Lake. Snow Lake sits at an elevation of 11,520 feet.
After taking in the views at Snow Lake, we headed on back down the trail to American Lakes. Once back at American Lakes, we decided to take a detour to the south and head up to Thunder Pass and the boundary between State Forest State Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Looking back towards American Lakes and the Nokhu Crags as we head up towards Thunder Pass.
Looking up towards Thunder Pass with Lulu Mountain to the left.
Looking south from the top of Thunder Pass into Rocky Mountain National Park.
Specimen Mountain (12,460′ left) and Mount Ida (12,880′ right)
Looking to the north from the top of Thunder Pass.
Heading back down Thunder Pass towards American Lakes.
We made our way back down the trail to the trailhead. Our route.
A couple of shots near the road as we were heading out. The aspens were starting to turn already.
It was definitely worth the drive from the Denver area up to State Forest State Park and this beautiful hike in the Never Summer Mountain Range!
Linhart Photography - Hiking and Travel Adventures 