Acclimating Hikes - Suggestions

[ngill09]

I'm an Ohioan who did my first 14er (Grays/Torreys) last July with my brother and my Dad and had an excellent experience, so we're planning on trying Mount of the Holy Cross this year, in July. We had very minimal altitude issues, which might be attributed to the fact that we were in Colorado for 4 days beforehand and had been pretty active (Table Mountain outside Denver on Saturday, Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday, Hoosier Pass on Tuesday, and Grays/Torreys on Wednesday).

This in mind, I'm trying to find some good, roughly 5-10 mile hikes around Denver, and at a decent altitude around Vail and around I-70 in between. We'll have about 2-3 days of just exploring the area so we can take a decent detour if there's a particularly nice hike. Hoosier Pass was a nice appetizer last time.

Thanks in advance!

[dpage]

Loveland pass 13ers. Squaw and Chief near Mt Evans for things near Denver or off I-70.

[peter303]

I recommend summit pass too, like Loveland, Independence, Berthoud(not winter), Trail Ridge, Hoosier ... They are moderate altitude. And you get great views quickly.

[spiderman]

If you have time for a few hikes, check out James Dziezynski's book "Best Summit Hikes in Colorado: An Opinionated Guide to 50+ Ascents of Classic and Little-Known Peaks from 8,144 to 14,433 feet". It has good descriptions of fun peaks, along with accurate driving and hiking stats. There are several hikes that meet the parameters that you mentioned. Others might be too long but can be cut down to fit your desired mileages and elevation gains. You seem to be coming to Colorado every summer so this book will be well worth the $13.50 price.

[summitrunner]

Check out this website and have fun! http://www.dillonrangerdistrict.com/sum ... l_list.htm

[davebobk47]

Lots of good hikes in Summit County - http://www.summitcountyhiker.com

[HarkNeal]

Bergen Peak near Evergreen is a good lower elevation hike. 9-10 miles roundtrip and a little under 2000' of vertical gain.

[Newt2]

I don't know the name of the peak, if it even has one, but one of my favorite hikes is a 13,000 foot point on the Divide accessed from the Herman Gulch trail. Head up the Herman Gulch trail, hang a right when when CDT breaks off from the lake trail. Once you gain the divide, there's a 13er to each side. Pick one and go, or do both. Great views and I usually see wildlife up there. Last trip we saw a least weasel which are kind of uncommon.

[cloudkicker]

Try Shrine Ridge. Approx. 5 miles round trip. Tops out above treeline with an immaculate view of Mt of the Holy Cross to the West, the Gore Range to the North, and the Tenmile Range to the East.

[LakesNPasses]

Straight out of Vail you can try hikes to any of Pitkin, Booth or Gore Lakes. Each trail heads up a different valley on the north side of I-70. RT distances range from 8.5 - 12+ miles with 2500-3000' of vertical. If I recall correctly, Booth is the busiest. I think I enjoyed Gore the most, but they are each quite spectacular.