Hiking is one of the best ways to explore Colorado. But, sometimes, it can feel like you’re walking and walking and walking … with no end in sight.
One trick to make trekking more exciting? Pick routes that offer a little something extra, like a glistening lake, a historic cabin, otherworldly rock formations, magic waterfalls, sweeping panoramas or some other feature. Nothing makes a hike more memorable—or motivating.
In Colorado, there’s no shortage of routes with added flair. These are a few of our favorites.
B&B Trail to Reiling Dredge
Where: Breckenridge
Distance: 2.1 miles round trip
Elevation gain: 226 feet
Breckenridge was once a thriving mining town, where fortune-seekers toiled in search of gold, silver, zinc, lead and other valuable minerals. The remnants of Breck’s mining history are still visible in many places, including from the B&B Trail just west of town. From this scenic trail, you’ll be able to see the historic dredge that dug up the river bed along French Creek to retrieve gold, leaving huge piles of rocks in its wake.
The Reiling Dredge is one of the best preserved and most accessible historic mining dredges in all of North America—and it’s right in our backyard. You’ll find interpretive signage along the route, but for an even deeper dive into Breck’s mining history, book a guided hiking tour with Breckenridge History. You can turn this hike into a loop by continuing on the Minnie Mine and X10U8 trails, which will take you back to the B&B Trailhead.
And if you’re looking for additional hikes with something extra while you’re in Breckenridge, the Sallie Barber Mine Trail (to a now-closed mine shaft) and the Iowa Hill Trail (to an 1870’s-era boarding house) are great options.
Fish Creek Falls
Where: Steamboat Springs
Distance: 4.2 miles roundtrip
Elevation gain: 1,480 feet
Waterfalls never fail to make a hike feel more rewarding. And, in Steamboat Springs, anyone and everyone can see the spectacular Fish Creek Falls, as the paved overlook trail from the parking area is wheelchair-accessible and less than a half-mile long.
Those who choose to continue on to the upper falls, however, are in for a rigorous but satisfying haul. After you reach the lower falls, you’ll cross a bridge and continue up a much rockier and more technical trail, which switchbacks up the granite cliffs. Shaded and enclosed by rocks and foliage, which is especially pretty in the fall when sporting every warm hue of the color wheel, the trail eventually flattens out through a thick aspen grove with occasional narrow views of the mountainous surroundings. The upper falls, while not as fast-moving or voluminous as those below, are serene, spilling over the layers of dark rock ledges like an intricately built fountain.
Arriving early is key for this popular hike, which tends to get busy. There’s also a $5 day-use parking fee if you’re driving your own vehicle.
Rattlesnake Canyon Arches
Where: Fruita
Distance: 15.5 miles roundtrip
Elevation gain: 2,600 feet
You don’t have to go all the way to Moab to see reddish-orange sandstone arches that look like something you’d find on Mars—just head to the Western Slope.
This hike is a doozy, but for experienced, well-prepared hikers with plenty of water, sunscreen and snacks, there are few foot routes with better scenic rewards. Start at the Pollock Bench Trailhead, then follow the Pollock Bench trail (designated by a P1 marker). As you hike, you’ll come upon multiple forks in the trail—at 1.6 miles, 1.8 miles and 2 miles. At each one, take the right fork. At around 3 miles, you’ll arrive at the intersection with Rattlesnake Arches trail—head right again onto this trail.
Keep going and you’ll eventually find yourself immersed in the world’s second-largest concentration of natural arches (after Arches National Park). The canyon’s 35 rock formations range from white sandstone stretching atop rock towers—like a river (or rattlesnake) turned to stone—to massive red rings connected by flame-like ridges and pocked orange archways across teetering cliff towers. This is hands-down one of the most impressive (and rarely seen) landscapes in Colorado.
While the trail is marked with signs and cairns, there are some sections that involve scrambling up and down steep sections of slick rock and sandstone as well as crawling up, down and over short ledges. Along this route, you’ll also have canyon-top views of the Colorado River and the expansive high desert across the Uncompahgre Plateau.
Royal Arch
Where: Boulder
Distance: 3.2 miles roundtrip
Elevation gain: 1,153 feet
Of the bounty of trails stemming from Boulder’s Chautauqua Park, Royal Arch is the one to hit for hikers who appreciate the art of nature at its high point. Beginning on a wide, manicured path at the bottom of the park, this trail becomes progressively steeper and rockier as you move steadily upward.
Navigating a couple of narrow stream crossings and multiple, well-built stone staircases, you reach the Royal Arch near the summit. Depending on where you’re standing, the natural stone arch frames the Flatirons in the background. Beyond the arch lies a sprawling view of Boulder and the plains of northern Colorado. To ditch the crowds, skip the weekends and try to hike this one on weekdays instead.
Ouzel Falls
Where: Rocky Mountain National Park
Distance: 5.4 miles roundtrip
Elevation gain: 950 feet
There’s no shortage of trails with jaw-dropping endpoints in Rocky Mountain National Park. Admittedly, this is partially why it’s one of the most crowded national parks in the country—especially in the summer. However, the Ouzel Falls Trail begins in the slightly less-frequented southeast side of the park. Not only does it bring you to a refreshing finale in the form of a blasting waterfall, but it also takes you past several tumbling cascades along the way.
Follow the well-manicured Wild Basin Trail, which runs alongside North Saint Vrain Creek—the soothing sound of rushing water accompanies you the entire way. Less than a half-mile in, Copeland Falls is the first display of the creek’s white water bursting over rocks and ledges. Slightly farther is an even broader stretch of tumbling, tree trunk-strewn creek known as Calypso Cascades.
Relatively smooth, except for a few sections of slippery roots and rock steps, the trail never gets very steep and crosses a couple of fresh log bridges, from which you can truly appreciate the hypnotizing movement of the water below. There are also numerous large boulders and rock walls along the way, including a couple balanced inexplicably one atop the other. Once you reach Ouzel Falls—if it’s a warm day—take the narrow trail alongside the falls, where you’ll be doused in its cold mist. The roar of the water is the perfect soundtrack for a picnic before heading back.
Bighorn Creek
Where: Vail
Distance: 6.5 miles roundtrip
Elevation gain: 2,180 feet
Beginning in East Vail with a handful of other trails, Bighorn Creek is the least frequented—but arguably the most interesting—route, especially for history buffs. Beginning on a steep, loose and narrow singletrack for the first half-mile, the trail mellows and meanders through glorious tunnels of aspen trees. Wander past massive lodgepole pines and clusters of wildflowers that range, depending on the season, from glacier lilies to colorful columbines.
As the trail climbs the drainage, it takes you through a few avalanche paths marked by loose scree. It intermittently parallels the creek, including a tumbling section of Bighorn Falls. The trail ends at an old log cabin that once served as a cookshack and bunkhouse for a nearby silver mining claim dating back to the late 1800s. The cabin, surrounded by a wildflower-filled meadow, is typically unlocked and offers a fascinating glimpse of the lonely, high-elevation existence of miners in the old Wild West.
