The app is especially important to Colorado, it turns out, because the state placed second to California for the most navigations (activities recorded by app members) and elevation gained, according to 2025 data released by the company. Colorado was also third for hiking distance with 11.6 million miles logged, following Oregon and California.

But not all trails on AllTrails are created equal. Here are the 10 most popular hikes in Colorado, listed from most to least navigated using AllTrails last year. Routes range from easy to strenuous, and all are within a two-hour drive of Denver.

10)

Arapaho National Forest, Dillon

Hike length: 6.6 miles out and back

Elevation gain: 1,758 feet

This short but challenging stretch of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) is especially popular during peak wildflower season. Rosy paintbrushes and blue and white columbines line the path in July, followed by golden willows in autumn. The start of this hike is especially steep, as is the last half-mile to Herman Lake, but the views are unparalleled. Plan to start early, as this trail ascends above treeline.

9)

Roosevelt National Forest, Eldora

Hike length: 4.2 miles out and back

Elevation gain: 830 feet

A popular day trip and backpacking destination, Lost Lake is located just west of Eldora. A free shuttle operates between the town and the Hessie Trailhead on select dates between May 22 and Oct. 11, as parking is limited. This moderate route features several waterfalls and wooden bridges over Boulder Creek, along with eight designated campsites around the lake. Note that moose are often seen on this trail.

8)

Mount Evans Wilderness, Idaho Springs

Hike length: 7.3 miles out and back

Elevation gain: 2,736 feet

Many summit Mount Bierstadt as their first fourteener given its distance from Denver and lesser degree of difficulty. Still, this Class 2 trail demands serious effort. From the trailhead, a wooden boardwalk leads to steep switchbacks and some scrambling near the 14,064-foot peak, which offers panoramic Front Range views. Arrive before dawn to secure parking and to beat summer’s afternoon storms.

7)

Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park

Hike length: 5.2 miles out and back

Elevation gain: 1,112 feet

Located in Rocky Mountain National Park, this extension of Colorado’s most popular trail connects four alpine lakes: Nymph, Dream and Emerald, as well as Haiyaha. To reach the last in the series, take the side trail on the east end of Dream Lake, passing Longs Peak views before reaching Lake Haiyaha. Trout swim in its brilliant turquoise waters, while elk and sunbathing marmots are often seen from the path.

6)

Mount Galbraith Park, Golden

Hike length: 4.3-mile lollipop loop

Elevation gain: 921 feet

With its easy access, moderate difficulty and expansive views, the Mount Galbraith Loop is appealing. Follow the narrow Cedar Gulch Trail, then veer left at the junction to ascend the circuit clockwise, admiring Golden scenery and the distant Denver skyline. Though rocky, the loop’s descent is shaded by pines, unlike much of this otherwise sunny hike. Be wary of rattlesnakes in the warm months.

5)

Arapaho National Forest, Idaho Springs

Hike length: 1.7 miles out and back

Elevation gain: 508 feet

Past the town of Idaho Springs, drive up forested Fall River Road to this short but famous and much-loved trail with its grand views. The route gains steady elevation to the glistening shore of Saint Mary’s Lake, which is set beneath a semi-permanent snowfield. Many hikers cool off on this patch of frost before returning the way they came. Be sure to arrive early, as lots fill quickly during peak season; there is also a $20 parking fee.

4)

Pike National Forest, Manitou Springs

Hike length: 4.1-mile loop

Elevation gain: 1,978 feet

Despite its heart-pounding difficulty, the Manitou Incline is the state’s fourth busiest trail. Railroad ties of a former cable car track create its steep staircase, which ascends around 2,000 feet in less than a mile. Downhill hiking is not permitted on the Incline, but three bailout points help ease concerns. Those who reach the top return via the Barr Trail’s switchbacks. Note: free online reservations are required.

3)

Clear Creek Canyon Park, Golden

Hike length: 2.5-mile lollipop

Elevation gain: 239 feet

Located west of downtown Golden, the Gateway Trailhead provides hikers access to this easy lollipop route, which features a short segment of the paved Clear Creek Trail (previously known as the Peaks to Plains Trail). Around the one-mile marker, cross the sturdy Welch Ditch suspension bridge and start back towards the trailhead, following along the rugged canyon walls that often draw rock climbers.

2)

Red Rocks Park, Morrison

Hike length: 1.6-mile loop

Elevation gain: 364 feet

Visitors to Red Rocks Amphitheatre see a new perspective of the landscape on this short, moderate loop. The dusty path weaves between spiky yucca, twisted shrubs and towering sandstone formations of rusty hues. Despite the frequent crowds, mule deer are a common sighting. Hikers can start this trail at the Trading Post or from access points adjacent to the Upper South Lot.

1)

Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park

Hike length: 3.3 miles out and back

Elevation gain: 715 feet

It may come as no surprise that Colorado’s busiest trail is set in Rocky Mountain National Park. On this moderate route, hikers pass lily pad-covered Nymph Lake and dramatic Dream Lake views before reaching the edge of sparkling Emerald Lake. From May 22 to Oct. 18, timed-entry reservations are required, and the park’s free shuttle is recommended, given limited parking at the Bear Lake Trailhead.

LOS ANGELES — In bright sunshine, with the Pacific Ocean sparkling far below, two middle-aged men hopped on mountain bikes and started climbing a steep dirt road above Zuma Beach in Malibu. They pedaled up more than 2,000 vertical feet, chatting comfortably about marriage, careers and early retirement.

They did not discuss the fact that, until recently, a climb like this would have reduced them both to gasping wrecks. Or that their brisk pace would only have been possible for world-class athletes.

Their secret? Tiny electric motors tucked between the pedals that quietly quadrupled their leg power.

Across California, electric bikes are proliferating at an astonishing rate as overwhelmed public officials struggle to rewrite the rules of the road.

Nowhere is the tension more obvious than in once-tranquil parks and on remote mountain trails, where people go to escape the maddening march of technology.

The intrusion of e-bikes, with their faint but unmistakable electric whine, is sparking a fierce backlash from traditional trail users and forcing land managers into a confusing new debate over safety and fairness.

To many longtime riders, the whole thing feels like sacrilege.

Traditional mountain bikers are among the most hardcore of adventure athletes. Surfers and skiers land in water or snow when they wipe out; a mountain biker who loses control flying down a steep trail risks going head first into a tree or skidding across sharp, unforgiving rocks.

And going downhill is the fun part. The long, slow, excruciating climbs are what make so many quit the sport.

Which is why traditionalists get a little salty when lesser athletes on e-bikes blow past them ascending steep slopes — sometimes expending so little effort they could have a hot dog in one hand and a beer in the other.

E-bikers are “soft, weak humans” who “disgrace the sport,” according to one devoted to mountain biking. Others have called for banning any bike with a motor from dirt trails altogether.

Suddenly, these fearless and intimidating souls who spent decades fighting for their right to ride on public land — regardless of what anyone else wanted — sound like so many gate-keeping trail Karens.

They’re not alone. Federal, state and local land regulators are struggling to keep up with the rapidly changing technology while managing the conflicts it creates.

Traditional mountain bikers resent e-bikers. Hikers, who already worry about bikes flying down narrow trails, now have to worry about e-bikes flying up from behind. People on horseback, or those out for a quiet stroll with their dogs, wish everyone on wheels would just stay home.

Meanwhile, the bikes themselves are changing faster than the .

Early e-mountain bike designs offer relatively modest “pedal assist,” boosting a rider’s effort until they reach about 20 miles per hour — more than enough power on narrow dirt trails.

Newer designs push speeds closer to 30 mph, enabling riders to keep pace with city traffic. Others have throttles and require no pedaling at all — they’re essentially electric motorcycles capable of hitting 60 mph.

The result is a baffling spectrum of machines so hard to tell apart that some public land regulators are drawing an equally hard line.

Rancho Palos Verdes allows traditional, “analog” bikes on its within a nature preserve overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but prohibits e-bikes entirely. In Los Angeles, city officials are considering an e-bike ban on all equestrian, hiking and recreational trails while allowing them on dedicated bike paths.

State parks are trying to find the middle ground with , allowing pedal-assisted e-bikes that provide a boost up to 20 mph almost everywhere in Chino Hills, for example, but restricting them to just a handful of trails at Crystal Cove.

The goal is to “proceed cautiously, with resource protection and visitor safety being paramount,” said Adrien Contreras, assistant deputy director of parks for the state of California. Officials want to let people enjoy themselves, but not at the expense of turning quiet trails into “full throttle” freeways.

Consistent enforcement is tricky, however.

“You never have enough staff to monitor every bit of the trails,” Contreras said.

Contreras understands both sides of the debate. He grew up riding BMX bikes and still likes to hop on an old-fashioned bike when he wants some exercise. But about a year ago, he bought an e-bike “that I love dearly,” he confessed.

He rides it on paved trails near his home in Sacramento.

“It����ap great when you’re just trying to get somewhere and you don’t want to show up all sweaty,” he said. “And I absolutely understand if all you want to do is get out and explore — what a wonderful way to experience the parks.”

But he walks his dogs on the same paths he rides, and he worries about getting run over by groups of kids who “absolutely bomb down the trail” on powerful e-bikes.

“So it����ap something I experience in my day-to-day life,” he said. “Something that I’m always navigating.”

Craig Lester, founder of , leads e-bike tours in the Southern California hills. Like so many others, he used to consider electric motors “cheating” — until his son turned 13 and he could no longer keep up.

“I didn’t really have an option other than to go get an e-bike,” Lester said.

He ticked through the familiar arguments in the new technology’s favor: E-bikes make the sport accessible regardless of age, injury or fitness. They encourage people to ride farther, faster and more often. And they benefit the environment if people use them for errands instead of hopping into gas-guzzling cars.

But the real appeal is simpler than all of that — they’re just so much fun.

In less than three hours, we covered nearly 14 miles and climbed almost 3,300 feet, with plenty of stops to chat and admire the scenery. We never broke more than a mild sweat.

Most of our mileage was on fire roads, but we also rode narrow trails, rolling over boulders and logs with the help of the wide tires, plush suspension and, of course, electric motors.

In places, the terrain was so steep and loose that it would have been hard to climb on foot, and hopeless on a regular bike. With the motor, one enhanced pedal stroke was all it took to realize that going up would be every bit as easy and addictive as coming down.

It felt like a superpower — like you had stolen something from the universe.

For Lester, the biggest challenge isn’t the terrain. It����ap the maddening patchwork of regulations.

“In one ride, you might cross six or seven jurisdictions, and they all have different rules on e-bikes,” he said.

He tries to stick to federal land because it����ap usually the simplest, he said. Managers typically allow low-power, pedal assist e-bikes wherever analog bikes are permitted.

E-bikes are that he doesn’t worry about raised eyebrows from other trail users anymore. Almost everyone is friendly if you slow down and say hi, he said.

“And if you’re really exceeding the limits and flying around blind corners, they have a right to yell at you,” he said.

If only regulators were so easy to charm. Under pressure to ensure safety above all else, Lester worries they’ll decide it����ap easier to ban everything than to sort through the nuances.

“All it would take is one serious injury,” he said. “One really bad case could ruin this for everyone.”

Times staff writer Sandra McDonald contributed to this report.

©2026 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

, which owns Matthews/Winters Park, acquired the for $7.3 million last week, with The Conservation Fund serving as a facilitator in the transaction. Great Outdoors Colorado contributed $2.3 million toward the purchase.

The acquisition expands Matthews/Winters Park, which already has nearly 14 miles of trails in the Morrison valley between 7,000-foot peaks to the west and the Dakota Ridge hogback to the east. Its trails are popular with hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers, and it borders Red Rocks Park, which is owned and managed by the city of Denver. Red Rocks Park has a trail network of more than 10 miles that connects with Matthews/Winter trails.

The Braun Ranch acquisition expands Matthews/Winters to the west, topping out at more than 1,000 feet over the Morrison Valley and offering a view that includes Mount Blue Sky, 35 miles to the west. Matthews/Winters Park has two parts, north and south of Red Rocks Park. Braun Ranch is expanding the northern part.

“Absolutely thrilled with the acquisition,” said Hillary Merritt, who manages land conservation for Jeffco Open Space. “It is such a great opportunity for us to connect two currently disconnected parts of the park, and it����ap really a beautiful property.”

The viewpoint at the top, with vistas to the west, north and east, is nearly as high as Lookout Mountain just to the north. The main trailhead for Matthews/Winters Park, located just south of the Interstate 70 Morrison exit, lies 800 feet below. The expansion area is also accessible from Red Rocks Park via the Red Rocks Trail, which connects to the Morrison Slide Trail within Matthews/Winters.

“You can be on the trails of Matthews/Winters that everybody knows and loves,” said Justin Spring, Colorado director for The Conservation Fund. “And, in the near future, have the chance to go further west and have more of a backcountry experience — really get away from the city.”

Spring said he and Merritt have been working on the acquisition for a year and a half. The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit, identifies at-risk landscapes to prevent them from falling into the hands of developers and facilitates their transfer from private ownership to public land agencies.

“We saw this property was for sale,” Spring said. “It����ap been on the market for a couple years. There were developers looking at it, and then interest rates went up. It created a remarkable window of time where it was too expensive to buy and hold and speculate as a developer. We were fortunate to stumble into it when it was at a better price point, and we brought it to our friends at Jefferson County.”

Great Outdoors Colorado accepted a grant application outside of its normal cycle of grant submissions in order to make the deal possible.

“We had to move quickly,” Spring said. “They agreed to accept a grant application out of cycle because they saw how timely and urgent this opportunity was.”

Matt Brady, a regional program officer for Great Outdoors Colorado, said preserving wildlife habitat was one of the reasons the agency was so supportive of the deal.

“This is obviously a migration corridor for elk and mule deer, so that is added benefit, especially in this foothills transition zone where there is rare connectivity at this scale,” Brady said. “There is strong development pressure in this part of the state, so it definitely checked the box in that sort of thinking.”

Great Outdoors Colorado was also mindful that Jeffco Open Space draws visitors from far beyond the county’s borders. Of its 27 parks, 24 are situated along or in the Front Range foothills, and Jeffco estimates that its parks attract 10 million visitors annually. Only one national park attracts more. Rocky Mountain National Park attracts just over 4 million visitors annually.

“The Matthews/Winters open space property is a highly trafficked trail system,” Brady said. “Jeffco is aware that they’re serving a population of recreationalists that is much broader than the county, with the millions of people that live and recreate on the Front Range.”

As of last Wednesday, Braun Ranch is officially part of Matthews/Winters Park. Jeffco plans to build at least one trail from the existing Morrison Slide Trail to the top of the expansion area. There is no timeline yet for construction.

“Siting a trail is going to be a little bit challenging,” Merritt said. “We certainly want to do an investigation of natural resources and make sure we are creating a sustainable trail, because it is quite steep. That will be part of the challenge. We’re hoping (to build) at least one trail that would get us from one side of Matthews/Winters to Mount Morrison. That would be in conjunction with Denver Mountain Parks, because that is their property, but we already have one trail that goes up the other side (from the south), and this might be a good opportunity to connect.”

Located near Ridgway and Telluride, the Blue Lakes are among the most popular places to hike in the San Juan Mountains thanks to their alluring turquoise waters, robust wildflowers and access to the roughly 14,150-foot Mount Sneffels. The three lakes are so popular, in fact, that the U.S. Forest Service is now implementing a plan to reduce foot traffic to the area in hopes of restoring the natural environment, which has suffered over the years.

In addition to requiring permits in the future, that plan included last summer’s closure, which enabled the agency to upgrade some of the visitor amenities and lay the foundation for future restoration projects in the area, said Dana Gardunio, Ouray District Ranger for the USFS. Crews focused on remediating and re-seeding human-made campsites that eroded the soils, ripping up user-made trails, clearing dead trees, and cleaning up human waste.

“We found a lot of piles of human feces and toilet paper behind almost every tree that was up there,” Gardunio said.

Reducing traffic to the area for one summer may have an impact on the wildlife there, too. Gardunio said crews saw moose at Lower Blue Lake, as well as bears, deer and elk.

As hikers and campers prepare to return this summer, there are new guidelines they should be aware of to avoid overcrowding and to enable more restoration to be done. The forest service and its partners, like the , will have personnel at the trailhead, along the trail and at the Lower Blue Lake to help ensure compliance, Gardunio said, “because we don’t really want to lose the investment we’ve made in the work if it����ap not being respected.”

Here are five things you should know before making the trip to the Blue Lakes in the summer of 2026.

Crowds and conditions

In the past, the Blue Lakes saw about 35,000 visitors per year. Gardunio expects traffic to reach those levels in 2026, though it����ap possible there may be an increase as people seek to visit prior to the permit system launch next year.

Peak hiking season runs June 1 through Sept. 30, with the most foot traffic coming through on weekends and holidays. Given the warm and dry conditions Colorado experienced this winter, it����ap possible the trail may be accessible earlier than normal. However, Gardunio advised anyone who plans to visit in the spring to monitor the weather and be prepared for evolving conditions in the alpine terrain.

Parking capacity limits

In 2025, forest service crews reconstructed the trailhead parking lot to delineate specific spots for cars and added an overflow lot for oversized vehicles or those with trailers. In total, there are 45 first-come, first-served parking spots, and if they are full, visitors should be prepared to change their plan.

“Right now, the rule is that you should be parking in designated spots only, and if there aren’t spots, then you would leave,” Gardunio said.

Parking is prohibited along County Road 7 leading up to the trailhead, and agency personnel planted trees along the road’s edge to deter drivers from stationing their cars there. “We’re going to be working on trying to watch that and see where we may need to put some more signage or build some little fences, if needed, to try and discourage that use,” Gardunio added.

When nature calls, pack it out

Speaking of the trailhead, hikers will find a new bathroom with more stalls than previously available. The rest of the wilderness, however, is no longer a toilet. Visitors now must pack out their human waste. This requirement comes after unsustainable use and improper burying on the part of innumerable people. That was probably the top issue the environment faced, Gardunio said, as she and her crew found the landscape littered with “little white toilet paper flowers.”

“Typically, you’re supposed to dig a cathole at least six inches deep and bury it,” she said. “The soils up there are really challenging, there’s so many roots and rocks. I was up there trying to plant some of the trees, and it����ap really hard to dig in that soil, which is why we decided to do the pack out waste. The environment����ap just really not conducive for that.”

Gardunio recommends bringing or some comparable product to carry and dispose of excrement. And remember, it is also poor form to pee near lakes, which can cause contamination. advise urinating at least 200 feet away from trails, campsites, high-use areas, and water sources.

Camping changes

As people prepare to camp overnight near the Blue Lakes, there are both new and existing rules to consider.

Dispersed camping will still be available near the Lower Blue Lake this year, and while there will not be a cap on the total number of people who stay overnight, the forest service is limiting groups to a maximum of six people. Also new this year, campers are required to carry bear-resistant food storage containers, which must be approved by the .

Camping has long been prohibited at the middle and upper Blue Lakes, and that restriction remains in place. Additionally, camp spots must be at least 100 feet away from both water and trails, and avoid natural areas that are being restored. Those who cannot find a compliant spot should have a secondary plan in mind, Gardunio said.

“There is still a possibility, depending on numbers, that you could get up there and find yourself without a campsite,” she said. “So visitors should still be prepared that is the case and if they don’t have anywhere to camp, they’ll need to have another plan — either not camp up there, go back down the trail or find another spot somewhere else along the trail, which I know there’s not a lot because of how steep it is.”

Another existing rule worth repeating: Campfires are prohibited in the wilderness area. Forest Service personnel dismantled numerous man-made fire rings when they remediated the area, Gardunio said.

No permit required to hike to Colorado’s Blue Lakes in 2026

What����ap next on permits

The forest service is now building a digital permit system and continues to discuss proposed fees. Gardunio said to expect to hear more about the agency’s proposal around June 1, and that there will be a 60-day window to solicit public feedback. The agency’s proposal will likely include a fee that goes back to the local office that is intended to support the management of Mount Sneffels Wilderness and Blue Lakes recreation area, Gardunio said.

In response to criticism about implementing a fee for visitation, Gardunio said she believes this is a necessary strategy to protect the wilderness for future hikers and campers. She also believes it will lead to a better experience in 2027 and thereafter.

“Although it may feel restrictive, the hope is that when you are able to visit those areas, whether it����ap with a permit or outside of permitted season, that your experience is a much higher quality without it and that you also have an area to enjoy that doesn’t feel like it����ap overrun or degraded to the extent that we've seen at Blue Lakes,” she said.

CORRECTION 11:24 a.m. on April 2: A previous version of this story erroneously stated the Forest Service planned to build fire rings at the designated campsites it has identified for future years at Lower Blue Lakes. No fires are allowed in that part of the wilderness.

Since then, state and federal agencies have joined them to discuss ways to reduce dead trees and other potential wildfire fuels in the forest nearby, not only for the threat they pose to Frisco, but also to the Dillon Reservoir bordering town to the east. Wildfire runoff could contaminate the reservoir, which represents about 40% of Denver Water’s supply to the metro area.

Earlier this month, Frisco — which measures less than two square miles and has a population of about 3,000 — and those agencies worked out a plan for wildfire fuel reduction on national forest land. But in doing so, they also took that opportunity to expand recreation opportunities in a 3,000-acre area south and east of town, colloquially known as Frisco’s “Backyard.”

That part of the plan includes improving 40 miles of summer trails and 10 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails and redesigning two trailheads that will encourage more people to recreate in the White River National Forest. To do so, the forest service will issue a special use permit — similar to what the agency does for ski areas — that will allow Frisco to help manage the Backyard.

The Backyard gets more than 250,000 visitors per year across all four seasons, and many of them are coming “directly from town,” said White River’s acting Dillon district ranger, Sam Massman. “That huge number of visitors makes it really important to the local outdoor recreation tourism economy. It����ap a way of life for [them]. A lot of people can leave right from their house and be into the woods. They spend a ton of time back there.”

For years, the town has had a separate special use permit to manage recreation in the Peninsula Recreation Area, which is also situated on forest service land and includes an extensive trail network for both winter and summer recreation. That area includes the popular Frisco Nordic Center and extends down to the reservoir itself.

“We’ve kind of built out those trails,” said town spokeswoman Vanessa Agee. “Now we want to move over to the Backyard and build there, and it����ap all going to be connected at some point. The most amazing thing is that you could be staying at a hotel or an Airbnb, right off of Main Street or on Main Street, you could walk three blocks and you’re headed onto the Frisco Backyard.”

Tying it all together

The work will begin this summer, when Frisco begins construction of a 1.3-mile summer hiking trail and a 1.4-mile Nordic ski trail connecting the Peninsula Recreation Area, which is north of Colorado Highway 9, with the Backyard on the other side of the highway. In late summer, the town plans to begin rebuilding, improving or re-routing an additional 12.3 miles of trails.

It also hopes to begin construction of 4.7 miles of new trails and adopt 14.3 miles of “social trails” — unofficial pathways that have been created by human traffic — for addition to the existing forest service trail network.

“We’re looking at them together, trying to make a logical system where we’re not duplicating routes and where we’re considering how the trails and the recreation experience interact with the proposed fuels treatments,” Massman explained.

Meanwhile, the nonprofit Summit Huts Association plans to build an overnight hut at the Peninsula Recreation Area in partnership with the town. Summit Huts already operates five backcountry huts in Summit County and will fundraise to build the Frisco hut.

“We kind of have this model of working with the forest service,” said Pete Swenson, Frisco’s Nordic Center and trails manager. “Once you get out of the town of Frisco, you’re pretty much on forest service land, so it����ap a logical partnership.”

Wildfires are a “legit concern”

But it was the fire mitigation plan that paved the way for the recreation improvements.

While Frisco is small, it acts as a sort of gateway town for the Breckenridge and Copper Mountain ski areas, and to some degree for people heading over Vail Pass to the ski resorts further along I-70. As a result, it boasts an assortment of stores, restaurants and other businesses that generate sales tax revenue, enabling the town to pursue ambitious projects despite its small size.

That includes more than $780,000 the town spent on the National Environmental Policy resource management study (approved this month) regarding the wildfire risk they face and ways to mitigate it. It was a direct reaction to those fires in 2005 and 2017.

“We were all like, ‘It����ap a legit concern, we actually need to do more around fire mitigation, we have a real problem,'” said Agee, the town spokeswoman. “It’s not that we were dumb and didn’t think that fire danger was legit, but that really made us think harder.”

Fuels treatment means reducing materials that could readily burn and spread wildfire. The Backyard has a lot of lodgepole pine trees that were killed by the mountain pine beetle. Fuel reduction work will focus on removing dead and live lodgepole pines.

“The aspen trees, the spruce trees and the fir trees, those will all stay,” said Massman, adding that they are immune to the pine beetle. “The area is steep, there is no real road access, so most of the treatments will occur with hand crews cutting with chainsaws and then hand-piling logs for future pile burning. It����ap not like a prescribed burn. We’d make these piles and then we’d burn them in the winter when snow is on the ground.”

Concerning the reservoir, Denver Water spokesman Todd Hartman said the agency is “heavily engaged” in forest management projects like what’s planned for Frisco’s Backyard to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires that have damaged other reservoirs.

“The size of the reservoir does insulate it against some impacts that would be more damaging to some of our smaller reservoirs,” Hartman said in an email. “A reservoir as large and as deep as Dillon would naturally be more resilient to this kind of event than a smaller one. Even so, a large fire that resulted in the need for debris cleanup (burned trees and the like) in Dillon could prove costly and disrupt operations there.”

In addition to the USFS and Denver Water, the town is also working with Summit County, the Colorado State Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation on the overall plan.

The Backyard was incorporated into the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument when it was created by presidential proclamation in 2022. The national monument is located on two parcels of national forest land, one in the historic Camp Hale area west of Copper Mountain and south of Vail Pass, the other on either side of the Tenmile Range east of Copper Mountain. That includes the Backyard, which contains historical sites from Summit County’s 19th-century mining days.

“It includes what����ap left of the Masontown, which was a mining town on the side of Mount Royal for decades around the turn of the 20th century,” Massman said. “A lot of the historic objects back there are wood cabin remains. We designed the project also to make those objects more protected from fire and hopefully better managed with regard to the high levels of visitation.”

I’ve only been snowshoeing a few times in my life, and to be honest, it was one of those activities that sounds a lot more fun than it is — despite the sincere recommendations of friends and fellow writers over the years.

Here’s what I’ve encountered so far: a lot of ice and dirt and crusty layers of snow. I’ve been on trails where those layers required a lot of stomping, or falling through the snow — or what outdoorsy types call “postholing.” The trails have sometimes been difficult to find, and the carved-out tracks don’t always fit the width of the snowshoes. Pictures I’ve seen of people snowshoeing make it look so pretty — with people tramping through powder under blue skies. I haven’t really found that to be the case.

Last year, my wife and I snowshoed to a hut near Tennessee Pass. On our way back down the next morning, we took another path, walking with just our boots and some microspikes to help us keep our footing. And, honestly, it was a lot more fun.

That wasn’t the first time I’d used microspikes (there are many brands of these slip-on traction devices, including MICROspikes). Because, let’s face it, I am no longer young. And I am occasionally grumpy.

A few years earlier, after complaining about how difficult it was getting for me to walk on the ice, especially in the mountain towns we visit, my wife got me a pair. I loved them. Not only did they make it easier for me to walk in parks and open spaces, but I could go for hikes in the winter and the shoulder seasons without worrying about slipping and falling or, you know, just looking to others like a white-tailed deer fawn trying to take its first steps on a frozen-over pond.

I now own two pairs of spiked traction devices — my son got me the second pair, so I guess the complaining paid off — and a set of Yaktrax, which are more for walking on mixed terrain since their metal traction pieces are flatter than spikes. And I’ve done more walking in the winter than ever before, as well as in the shoulder seasons, when mud can turn into ice overnight.

I haven’t needed them as much this year since 2025-26 has turned into the winter-that-wasn’t, but I love keeping them in my hiking backpack just in case. Some outdoors enthusiasts don’t like these kinds of spikes because they feel like they can tear up the ground or give ice-climbing mountaineers a false sense of security. Since I am in no danger of trying to scale Longs Peak in the middle of winter, though (or ever, frankly), I think they provide a real sense of security.

Sorry, snowshoes.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Forest Service that it anticipates requiring advanced-purchased permits to hike the famed lakes beginning in 2027. However, there are new rules that adventurers need to be aware of this summer if they plan to enter the Mount Sneffels Wilderness, near Ridgway and Telluride, where the Blue Lakes reside.

Starting on May 31, visitors will be required to pack out human waste and carry bear-resistant food storage containers, which must be approved by the . Additionally, camping is prohibited at the middle and upper Blue Lakes and overnight groups are limited to six people. In its announcement, the Forest Service reiterated that campfires are not allowed anywhere in the wilderness area.

The Blue Lakes are an international destination for hikers and mountaineers seeking to enjoy the Instagram-worthy alpine lakes and scale Mount Sneffels’ 14,150-foot summit. Years of overpopulation, however, have had severe effects on the local environment.

According to a 2023 environmental impact report, the most common issues are improper disposal of human and animal waste; overrun vegetation and threatened wildlife habitats due to the proliferation of dispersed campsites and user-created trails; campers building fires illegally; and frustration among visitors caused by crowding at the trailhead.

That����ap why, several years ago, the Forest Service decided it would limit the number of visitors each year by implementing a permitting system.

“Anyone who has visited Blue Lakes, or even seen photos, understands why we need to protect this area,” said Dana Gardunio, Ouray District ranger, in the recent announcement.

Permits will be required during the peak season, from June 1 through Sept. 30, likely starting next year. In the meantime, the Forest Service has been restoring parts of the area, such as the trailhead, which now has a new bathroom and reconstructed parking lot.

Those looking to hike the Blue Lakes this year should be prepared for heavy crowds. The trail was closed during summer of 2025 due to the aforementioned restoration projects, and there may be people hoping to see the iconic lakes before competing for a permit to do so.

The Forest Service estimates about 35,000 people recreate in the Mount Sneffels Wilderness annually, the vast majority of whom come from June to October. A permit system would slash the number of visitors to about 8,000 people per summer, Gardunio previously told The Denver Post.

In the coming year, the agency will be discussing fees for permits and soliciting feedback from the public.

The trail in Clear Creek Canyon Park, located just west of Golden, is part of the Jefferson County Open Space system. The trail now extends 3.25 miles up the canyon, following the opening of a 1.5-mile extension in November that includes four new bridges, 1,200 feet of trail on a viaduct similar to the elevated highway decks in Glenwood Canyon, multiple creek access points and a new trailhead with a 42-space parking lot and restrooms accessed by U.S. 6.

The first 1.75-mile segment, which opened in 2021, begins at the Gateway Trailhead, located at the entrance to the canyon at the foot of Mount Zion. A third segment, adding another 1.5 miles upstream from where the trail now ends, is expected to open in late summer. That will bring the length of the trail in the canyon to 4.75 miles, with still more extensions coming in future years.

The trail also connects with the long-established Clear Creek Trail east of the Gateway Trailhead, which passes through downtown Golden and extends all the way to the South Platte River in Adams County.

The section that opened in November is called the CCR segment, a nod to the narrow-gauge Colorado Central Railroad, which operated in the canyon from 1872 to 1941 to serve the needs of mining operations in Central City and Blackhawk. After the rails were removed, the railroad grade was raised for flood mitigation and construction of U.S. 6. The highway opened in 1952.

The trail surface, composed of rust-tinted concrete to harmonize with its surroundings, is 10 feet wide and ADA compliant, meaning the maximum grade is 5%. Bridges on the trail include porches so visitors can pause and admire views without impeding others passing through.

Last Friday, 4 to 6 inches of fresh snow blanketed the trail. Jeffco Open Space was quick to plow the trail Saturday morning in time for weekend crowds, “as it will do every time it snows,” according to spokesman Matt Robbins.

Fed by runoff from that snowstorm, the creek ran heavy, creating rushing rapids beneath rock walls that soar 1,000 feet. Where the trail now ends, a sign describes what is coming this summer: The Huntsman’s Rancho segment will include four bridges, creek access points and a parking area with more than 70 spaces. Like the segment that opened in November, the trail’s next segment will include a viaduct set on concrete pillars.

Because of those engineering challenges, the segment that opened in November and the one coming later this year cost $80 million to build. Primary funding came from Jeffco Open Space, along with support from Great Outdoors Colorado and the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

The Clear Creek Trail as a whole also is known as the Peaks to Plains Trail, capturing its entirety from Adams County through Jefferson County. The ultimate vision for P2P, as it is nicknamed, is for a 65-mile trail that follows Clear Creek from the South Platte through Denver, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Idaho Springs and Georgetown, terminating at the headwaters on Loveland Pass.

will be required to enter the Bear Lake Road corridor from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m., and from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. for the rest of the park. Reservations are available for . Reservations are free but recreation.gov charges a $2 processing fee.

Reservations for the Bear Lake corridor will be required until Oct. 19. Reservations for the rest of the park will end on Oct. 13.

Reservations for the Memorial Day weekend through June 30 will go on sale May 1 at 8 a.m. Reservations for July go on sale June 1. Reservations for the rest of the season go on sale the first day of the preceding month.

Park officials imposed timed-entry reservation requirements in 2020 during the COVID pandemic and brought them back as a “pilot” program in 2021-23 as a strategy to prevent overcrowding, avoid traffic congestion and reduce impacts on park resources. They were made permanent in 2024.

The National Park Service has not yet announced visitation numbers for 2025. Rocky was the nation’s fifth-busiest national park in 2024 with 4.15 million visitors, behind Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.

Moraine Park, Rocky’s largest campground, reopened last July after a two-year construction project and will be fully operational this summer. Camping reservations are required beginning May 21 and are available six months in advance through recreation.gov.

Maloy has long criticized this southern Utah national monument that was halved by President Trump during his first term, then restored under President Biden. One million awestruck visitors come here every year and spend money in the two Utah counties surrounding the monument, whose towns total less than 14,000 residents. Yet Maloy discounts data showing the economic value of preserved public lands. She neglects the world-class scientific value of these 1.9 million acres, detailed in Biden’s proclamation.

Rep. Maloy’s attack is wily. She and the rest of the congressional delegation know there’s too much public support to ask President Trump to again chop down the monument����ap size. Nearly 3 out of 4 Utah voters are on record as wanting to keep Grand Staircase-Escalante protected as a national monument.

So Utah politicians are betting the public won’t pay as much attention to management retrenchment as they would to downsizing. They’re using a controversial tactic to force the Bureau of Land Management to abandon the current Resource Management Plan–a blueprint for how the BLM puts the presidential proclamation into effect on the ground.

But monument supporters are paying attention because management plans matter.

After President Biden restored the boundaries of Grand Staircase in 2021, the BLM worked with the public for two years to create the 2025 Resource Management Plan, listening to every conceivable collaborative partner. Such plans guide decision-making for years, and this true compromise keeps ranchers’ grazing permits in place while also factoring in a warming planet, persistent drought, the need for biodiversity, and a sustainable future.

Now, Rep. Maloy has obtained an opinion from the Government Accountability Office to treat the 2025 plan merely as a “rule” that Congress can overturn. This unprecedented allowance can’t be challenged in court and permits the Utah delegation to use the Congressional Review Act to kill the conservation-based plan and bar the agency from issuing any “substantially the same” plan in the future. The Trump-era plan that would take its place leaves much of the monument unprotected from extractive industry and off-road vehicles.

Maloy says that emphasizing conservation “undercuts rural economic development.” From 2001 to 2022, however, real per capita income grew by 41 percent in the monument����ap counties.

She says that local residents and “trail users” oppose the Biden plan. This is cherry-picking. Motorized trail users always want greater access, even though the Biden-era plan left more than 800 miles of dirt roads and trails open for motorized vehicles.

When Maloy talks about “deep cultural traditions” being disrupted by the current management plan, she isn’t listening to Indigenous people who have made this place their home since time immemorial. The six Native Nations of the Grand-Staircase Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition oppose her move, noting that without the “clear roadmap for protection and conservation” provided by the current management plan, “our ancestral lands and … cultural sites within the monument would be at greater risk of looting, vandalism, graffiti, and degradation.”

To support their attacks, Utah’s politicians use their timeworn template to argue exclusively for “the needs and voices of the people who live and work on this land.” These politicians, however, listen only to county commissioners and legacy ranchers, not to a much broader constituency.

This is Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, not Grand Staircase County Park. The environmental, scientific, interpretive, and Indigenous values and potential of these public lands have national and international importance.

This new attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante from Congress–along with a parallel attack on Minnesota’s Boundary Waters—would set a national precedent with no public input that could upend public lands protection for years. Even the deeply conservative Mountain States Legal Foundation said it fears a “Wild West” for land-use planning if Congress acts on Maloy’s radical approach.

The exhausting years-long battle to protect the resources and restorative magic of Grand Staircase-Escalante can wear out supporters. But this place gives us no choice but to speak up once again. Staying silent puts federal agencies in an impossible position and places all of our public lands at risk. Let your members of Congress know that preservation of the monument requires leaving the current resource management plan in place.

Stephen Trimble is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He’s been hiking in Grand Staircase and writing about Colorado Plateau conservation for 50 years.

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