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Hiking in Summit County We are never too young nor too old
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| Summit County is criss-crossed with trails, the legacy of buffalo
and Native Americans and miners and the hikers who came this way yesterday.
Three-quarters of the county belongs to the White River National Forest;
all visitors on foot are heartily welcome.
First stop for serious hikers is the Forest Service Information Center, 680 Blue River Parkway in Silverthorne (on CO 9 about a half mile north of I-70). The friendly Forest Service folks have one-pagers describing trails throughout the area and are eager to make suggestions for all interests, skill levels, and weather conditions. They also have the commercial hiking and nature guides for sale. The hiking bible for Summit County is The New Summit Hiker by Mary Ellen Gilliland. Be sure to bring your guidebooks and maps. Summit County does
not have the mazes of intersecting trails that develop from overuse elsewhere,
but neither does it have those signs and blazes at every turn! Trails for Tenderfeet,
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short hikes:
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Old Dillon Reservoir Sapphire Point Tenderfoot Mountain |
longer hikes:
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Shrine Ridge Rock Creek / Boss Mine Boulder Lake McCullough Gulch |
wildflower bonanzas:
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Lower Cataract Lake Shrine Ridge Black Powder Pass |
high altitude hikes:
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Loveland Pass (west side) Upper Blue Lake Mohawk Lakes Crystal Lakes |
altitude gains:
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Quandary Peak Mount Royal Mount Sniktau Chihuahua Lake Argentine Pass |
(nearly) bushwacking:
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Porcupine Gulch |
More stamina available? The 469-mile long Colorado Trail follows
the ridgeline immediately south of Keystone's Outback ski slopes, coming
down off Georgia Pass from Denver and heading for Durango.
©2000-4 |
Tenderfoot Lodge Winter Tips Summer Tips Units for Rent Units for Sale |
