Trail Condition evaluates a trail with respect to width, continuity, smoothness, and grade. A 3-rated trail has no washouts or vanished portions, requires no tricky stream crossings, and is not overly steep, narrow, rocky, or full of tree roots. The 4- and 5-rated trails are good choices for people with mobility challenges.
Children is a harder rating to assign. Difficulty largely drives it. When the two ratings don’t inversely correlate, it is because there are rewarding features early in the hike, after which folks can turn back, and/or wonderful features later on that appeal to children and make it worth the effort. Low-rated hikes tend to be long, with lots of elevation gain and not much in the way of “fun” unless your child is a fitness enthusiast.
Scenery is not all about breathtaking high-mountain vistas or spectacular rock formations. A 3-rated trail might have lovely forests, streams, vales, and meadows but few expansive views. Ratings of 1 and 2 are uncommon; the Front Range is a gorgeous place!
Photography is usually rated the same as Scenery but is sometimes dialed up or down a level. Some great scenery just doesn’t photograph all that well, and some modestly scenic hikes have features like curious rock formations, an iconic vista, or waterfalls that make for dynamite photos.
Solitude ratings are fairly evenly distributed between 1 and 4, with only two hikes garnering a 5. One was completely empty on a gorgeous Friday in mid-August (Ute Peak, Hike 69); the other, aptly named High Lonesome (Hike 61), was nearly so, and although it was an epic drive to reach, too amazing not to include. Ratings of 1 and 2 indicate the trail will almost certainly be crowded in summer and on weekends, and may also present parking challenges.
Time to Hike!
Estimated hiking times are just that: hiking times, not “not-hiking” times. Rest breaks aren’t included since those are entirely up to you. As you use this book, a correlation should emerge between your pace and the 101 Hikes pace, which is roughly:
1 to 2 miles per hour uphill, closer to 1 when the trail is very steep, high-altitude, and/or rocky
2 to 2.5 miles per hour for moderate ups and downs on decent-quality trail
3 miles per hour on flats and downhill on smooth trail
It feels funny to write about how to walk, but I feel compelled to do it because I see so many people doing it “wrong.” Throughout my hiking career I’ve found great truth in the adage, “To climb a big mountain quickly, you must do it slowly.” The most important words here are “do it,” meaning you should try to keep moving and minimize rest breaks.
The main problem with rest breaks is that they don’t really help you. If you are tired and you stop for a bit, chances are you will feel just as tired within a few minutes of restarting, and want to stop again. A much better strategy is to slow down but not stop, even if it means a tortoise pace. Hiking is not a race. Go as slow as you want, but keep going! Find a steady, comfortable slog, one that you can maintain for an hour, two hours, a day.
Another thing about rest breaks, which should be obvious but isn’t, is that they bring your progress to a grinding halt. Even if you are going at only a half mile an hour, your projected completion time is within hours. Once you stop, your projected completion time is never.
Other than pace, the most important thing about timing, especially in summer, is to get up early. It’s a good idea to arrive at the trailhead at dawn. This gets you out of the city before traffic builds and, more importantly, ensures you a parking space. Arriving late morning on a summer Saturday almost guarantees parking trouble. An early start in summer also gives the treat of clear blue skies almost every day until afternoon, when the clouds build and often burst. If solitude is important to you, arriving early also means you’ll have the trail and backcountry mostly to yourself. If you get lonely, don’t worry, you can greet plenty of folks hiking in as you’re on your way out.
If you don’t like to get up early, the next best thing to do is get up late, especially during the long days of June through August. The threat of thunderstorms often clears out the trails and parking lots by mid-afternoon, but by 3 or 4 p.m. the storms have usually passed, if they have come at all, giving way to gorgeous sunny late afternoons and evenings when the effects of the slanting light on the mountains can be mesmerizing. Even the three fourteeners in this book (peaks over 14,000 feet) can be hiked after 3 p.m. on long summer days, and though each is wildly popular, you might find yourself alone on the summit as I did on both Grays (Hike 64) and Quandary (Hike 75).
Clothing and Equipment
You don’t need any special clothes or equipment to do these hikes. Just walk. Good shoes and good legs are a plus, but you can start with whatever shoes and develop the legs. If you hike more than a little, you’ll do well to invest in a pair of good-quality, lightweight hiking boots, ones made from water-resistant synthetic materials. Or you can buy a cheap pair and see how long the soles last. Trail runners—beefed up running shoes—are fine on dry trails, but not so good in mud, snow, and loose rock.
Other than shoes, the most important items to bring are water and extra clothes—and a pack to carry them in. A good rule for tap water is two liters per person, plus treatment tablets in case you run out and are forced to drink creek or lake water. Of course, you will want to add your favorite trail food to the pack. As for clothes, know that temperatures can swing several dozen degrees during a day. Don’t ever go up very high without a hat, gloves, an extra sweater or two, long pants, and a wind/water shell.
Other things to have in the pack are sunscreen, insect repellent, and a first aid kit. A topographic map and compass are highly advised. Bring your cell phone too (you will often have reception) and a camera if you prefer to use one instead of your phone. Be sure to carry a flashlight; you may be having so much fun that you want to stay out late and need it for the final stretch to the car. I also like to pack a collapsible umbrella. I can’t tell you how pleasant it makes hiking in a non-thunderstorm drizzle.
Trekking poles are a personal preference. Some people enjoy the upper body workout, and many swear they need them to protect their knees. Keep in mind that using poles means making four points of contact per walking cycle instead of two, which can complicate the process, especially on rocky and rooty trails.
Maps and Navigation
Each hike description includes a diagram of the route. The intention is to provide a snapshot: something to help you choose the hike, imprint on your brain, and keep in mind while walking. A bold dashed line represents the route described in the text; lighter-weight dashed lines are branching trails and alternative paths. These diagrams are not meant to substitute for actual navigation maps, which you will probably want to buy if you do more than a little hiking. A good topographic map not only helps you avoid getting lost, it adds great pleasure to the hiking experience. You can compare what you see with what’s on the map, learn the names of things near and far, get to be on a first-name basis with many mountains, and come to greet them as old friends. You can be more confident in making route deviations, and—best of all—get lots of ideas for your next hike.
My favorite set of topographic maps are in the National Geographic Trails Illustrated series. They are accurate and durable, and their size and scale usually give an appropriate level of detail: not too little, not too “zoomed-in.” For me it is just as important to track features several dozen miles away as it is to see things that are close.
No matter how careful you are, or how good your map is, you are going to lose your way at some point. Accept it; it’s part of the deal. Try to have fun with it, and don’t freak out. Stay calm, relaxed, look at the map, look at the features around you, and plan your next move with confidence. Usually the best bet is to retrace your steps until you feel more certain of where you are, even if it means lengthening your trip. Prevention is best, of course. Don’t let your confusion build too much before you check the map.
Personal Safety
Hydration