Hope pass, Leadville Approach----9 miles, 3,203 elevation gain.
12,508 elevation on pass.
This specific weekend in Colorado is a lot of pressure for an avid hiker....The Aspens are Changing!! Which hike provides the most bang for your buck? Where can you find the most Aspens? Every year, I change up that answer and this year did not disappoint. Just driving down the 1-70 corridor or 24, you can't go wrong!

Hope Pass has two approaches. One is a mile shorter from the Buena Vista side. I did that wonderful hike in June of last year. Yesterday, I wanted to attack it from the Leadville side. It is hard to believe that the Leadville 100 God-like people run up the pass and down the pass as part of the Leadville 100 race....oh wait, and then they run up and down the pass again to get back to Leadville. I can't even.
The Trailhead is located near Leadville. Take 24 South to 82. Drive by this gorgeous little town called Twin Lakes and the trailhead will be soon on your left. If you drive about 3 miles further you will land in National Forest where we saw a turn off to the left with 6 dispersed camping spots and I am sure there were more if we kept driving. The hike starts at the Little willis trailhead. There is clear signage. After you park, cross the bridge. Do not veer left after the bridge, stay straight on the beaten path and you will see a sign for the big and little willis trail.
The Good: This trail has everything. The first mile of the hike is through incredible beaver ponds. WE SAW A BEAVER. I have never seen a beaver in my entire 13 years in Colorado. It was a sight to see. The next part of the trail takes you through tons of Aspen groves. After that, you hike through pine forest along a river and finally you ascend above treeline to the daunting Hope pass. The top offers views of the collegiates and Twin lakes. It is stunning.
It really has everything a Colorado hike has to offer!
The Bad: This time of year is a crap shoot above treeline. We met a man from Germany who was very discouraged by the wind and the snow. He turned around in frustration. My friend and I were worried about whether we would make it. It was freezing but once I saw the man in a kilt pass us, I knew that we would be ok.

The Beautiful: Beavers, Aspen Groves, Cascading waterfalls, Views of the Collegiate Peaks, Men in Kilts. Who could ask for anything more?

Look for beavers at the start of the hike

The top of Hope Pass 

Music Pass Trail---Upper Sand Creek Lake and Marble Mountain Pass, out and back. Elevation 12,800 Mileage--8.4 Miles out and back to Upper Sand Creek Lake, We add about 4.5 total miles to see the Marble Mountain Saddle Total Mileage: 13 miles
I wanted to do a hike out in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the beautifully rugged mountain chain that is just far enough from the Denver peeps to make this a Colorado Springs goldmine :) I wanted to avoid the Humboldt/Crestone Needle fourteener rush of this time of year...the time of year where most hikers panic that winter is coming. These clear beautiful peaks will soon be packed with snow.
Luckily, I had some insider information about the beauty of Music Pass.
How to get there: Start at the Music Pass trail head south of Westcliffe, Colorado off County Road 119. You will need a 4x4 with high clearance to get to the actual trailhead as the last 2.8 miles are rough. Otherwise, park at the Grape Creek TH and walk the 2.5 miles up to Music Pass Trailhead. My hiking companion was a male who was fearless on the 4wheel drive road. The 2.8 miles was no problem for him. I pray that I would have the courage and bravery with my car but this four wheel drive road may deter some of you like it would me. Another option is to hike the 2.8 miles but it would add to your journey and it is not special. There were about a half a dozen dispersed camping spots along the way.

Just FYI: To hike to upper and lower lake, the trail is CLEARLY marked. As you hike to the upper lake, the trail has a sign that indicates a split to Cottonwood Pass, which is the hike to the saddle between Milwuakee and Marble Peak. Pass." The trail clear. The cairns are incredibly placed. You can only know this by word of mouth, not mentioned on the map.
The Good: Gorgeous area, Pristine Lakes teaming with Mountain Goat, Elk and other wildlife. No people. Who could ask for anything more?
The Bad: The 4W drive road to the trail feels risky. We hiked to the upper lake which was beautiful, but we didn't have time for the lower lake. Everyone mentioned to us how much more beautiful the lower lake was on our way back. I guess it is a reason to go back :)
The Beautiful: Once you summit the saddle, clear views of Humboldt and the Crestone Needle is a feast for the eyes.

A bit of a rough road to get to the trailhead

Mount Ida Trail, 9.3 total miles, out and back. Elevation: 12,880 Gain: 2130'
The trailhead to this hike is located at Milner Pass on Trail Ridge Road towards the West side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Luckily, there are quite a few forest roads west and northwest of Grand Lake which have a lot of dispersed camping.On a side note, I know that I'm late to this party, but the knowledge that it is legal to camp on any forest road unless there are posted restrictions has changed my paradigm in the past few years. You don't have to book campsites months and months in advance. Just look at a map and show up! (When I stated this new found freedom at a party last night, another hiker yelled "ROOKIE!") we found camping off of hwy 34, go N on hwy 4..about nine miles in.

We set up camp in the dark and woke up early in the morning to attempt Mount Ida. Rocky Mountain National park is usually so well marked that I thought for sure that we would see a sign for "Mount Ida trail" at some point off of Trail Ridge Road but that was not the case. The trailhead begins at the Milner Pass parking lot. There is only one trailhead. After about a mile, the trail splits, Mount Ida trail turns to the right. The signage is very clear here.

The Good: The hike moves above treeline within one mile, so you will immediately experience the alpine views that a lot of fourteeners have to offer. The beautiful part is that you don't have to deal with crowds of people. The trail is not very well-known or traveled upon.

The Bad: For most of the hike, you are exposed above tree line. An early start is required to avoid any potential lightning danger. Also, the trail was VERY WINDY. I was prepared with my gear but I couldn't imagine if the wind was paired with rain. I was hiking on a very sunny day. You can never see the peak clearly from the trail until you are close. You will pass a couple of false summits before you reach the top. It is easy to get off trail toward the boulders at the top. The good news is that you can always see the trail where you came from in the distance. It is very hard to get lost on the return.

The Beautiful: While your standing on top of the peak, the view of Grand Lake in the distance and the lakes surrounding the peak are stunning. Rocky Mountain National Park is a precious treasure!

#mtida #mountida #rockymountainnationalpark #grandlake
#milnerpass

Ptarmigan Lake, 6 total miles, out and back.
There are two trailheads to this hike. I recommend and will describe the 6 mile one.
How you get there: From Buena Vista, CO, head west on CO 306 toward Cottonwood Pass for 14.5 miles and pull into the Ptarmigan Lake TH parking area to the left.
The Good😊: When you hike in Buena Vista, you really can't go wrong. With Mount Princeton staring across at you from every hike, the views are well.....Buena Vista :). We didn't see a lot of people on the hike until we met a host of fly-fishers at the lake.

The Bad: 😑After about 2 miles (approx) and when you pass a small pond on the right, be careful. The trail splits! If you veer to the left trail, you will end up at a lake that seems like it could be ptarmigan lake. To my chagrin, I did this hike many years ago and stopped there thinking that I had arrived at the end point. Avoid my mistake and veer right, stay near the pond. The lake should be about a mile past that.

The Beautiful: ❤️The lake is stunning and draws a community of fly fishers. We attempted a Jones Peak, a thirteener at the base of the lake but were ill-prepared with maps. As with all thirteeners, quite a bit of bush-wacking is required. I highly recommend this for a beautiful summer hike.

2 boots out of 5 for difficulty.
#ptarmiganlake #suzie #jamie #buenavista #jonespeak #dayhike
#summerhike

This is the pond where the trail splits..veer right which keeps you next to the pond.