Best Hikes Near Denver and Boulder

Maryann Gaug is a Colorado native and the author of Hiking Colorado and Hiking Colorado’s Summit County Area (both FalconGuides). She writes for Cyberwest e-zine and for Summit County newspapers.Sandy Heise migrated to Colorado over 35 years ago to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder. She learned to rock climb in a Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) Basic Mountaineering School course and fell deeply in love with anything related to mountains. She eventually became a Senior Instructor for the same course and also lead day trips into the mountains near Boulder. She has also assisted with the CMC's Advanced Mountaineering School, teaching ice climbing and winter outdoor skills. Sandy has climbed 51 of Colorado's 54 official “fourteeners” (peaks over 14,000 feet high) and backpacked several sections of the Colorado Trail. She has explored mountain ranges around the world. At least once a week, you can find Sandy on a trail, mountain summit, rock face, frozen waterfall, or a pair of skis somewhere in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

9/28/10Best Hikes near Denver and Boulder won First Place in Books/Scripts for TV/Movie/Video andalso Best of Show in those categories in the annual Rocky Mountain Writers and Photographersaward competition. The judge was Russ Bromby, retired editor of Colorado Outdoors magazine and chief of communications for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Russ Bromby's comments on the book:"Extremely well researched and detailed, this book is a delight. From the heartfeltacknowledgments and introduction to the descriptions of the hikes, the meticulous care and hoursof work are clearly evident. Abundant maps and photos and an ingenious trail finder make thisan invaluable hiking guide. Each hike description is loaded with details including history,location, changes in elevation, hiking times and difficulty, trail surfaces and the best time of yearto hike specific trails. The maps are well executed and detailed, but if that's not enough, theauthor has provided GPS data and lists of supplemental maps. Local land managementinformation is also thoughtfully provided. Particularly impressive is the step-by-step walkthrough for each hike, complete with mileage."