Experience the solitude and adventure of Colorado’s hidden natural wonders.
Discover the Secrets of Colorado’s Mountains and Valleys

The Rawah Wilderness Area is a 1.5-million acre grassland and forest in northern Colorado. Though it’s one of the most visited national forests in the country, there are still hidden treasures strewn about this vast backcountry. 

One is the Blue Lake, near Fort Collins. The departure of a massive glacier left behind a series of 26 lakes ranging in size from five to 39 acres, including Blue Lake. This under-appreciated hike is accessible via the Blue Lake Trailhead, which is itself reached by a scenic drive along the Cache la Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway. Consider it two adventures in one!

The ten-mile out-and-back trail starts at 9,495 feet, and offers a view of Chambers Lake before reaching Blue Lake itself. You’ll ford streams, traverse meadows, and stroll beneath the shade of spruce and fir trees as you make your way in from the trailhead. Once there, hikers can take a stunningly scenic breather before pressing onto Blue Lake Pass at over 11,000 feet. From there, you’ll see views of Rocky Mountain National Park to the south.

Spanning over 90 miles, the Conejos River is a tributary of the Rio Grande River, and is known for both rafting and fly fishing. With high cliffs and open meadows, it’s a perfect spot for anglers, nature-lovers, and history buffs alike. While the entire Conejos River Valley is full of adventure, perhaps the best way to explore the expansive valley is the 129-mile long Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway.

This scenic road will take you through the valley to the New Mexico border and through the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, rich with the region’s Native American, Hispano, and Anglo histories. A confluence of cultures—German, Dutch, Indigenous, Japanese, and more—all contributed to the history and character of the region. You’ll travel through state and national parks, through wildlife refuges and alpine deserts. You’ll even pass through San Luis, the state’s oldest town. 

There are signs and kiosks along the way providing information on the region’s sites and histories. While the drive can take as little as three hours, it can easily be expanded into a multi-day affair.

Narrow gauge railroads were once the best ways to connect remote, mountainous mines to their respective boom towns during the late 1870s. When time rendered them obsolete, most of these beasts of the industrial age were either retired or had their routes repurposed as scenic drives—most, but not all.

While the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad enjoyed some life after the silver bust of 1893, the line was ultimately abandoned in 1969. While most of the track was dismantled, a plucky group of preservationists managed to save the tracks running through some of the area’s most striking landscapes, turning it into a 64-mile scenic trip that is now America’s longest and highest narrow gauge railroad. 

You’ll travel through tunnels and over trestles, in elevations ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 feet. Keep an eye out for the area’s wildlife—deer, elk, and bears—as you go along. You’ll also spot wildflowers, mountain streams, a ghost town, historic buildings, and the breathtaking Toltec Gorge, with its 600-foot-deep rock walls engulfing the train on either side. Travel in historic luxury in the Parlor Car—an adventure for those 21-and-up—or in the Coach Car, a simpler, but no-less scenic experience. 

For those who don’t want to take the full ride, there are also half and express trips, as well as special trips like the Wildflower and Geology Trains, complete with stops and expert guides to point out the natural features along the way. You can also live out your railroading fantasies with Fireman and Engineering Classes where you’ll get a hands-on experience operating and maintaining the trains.

Take a drive on the highest paved road in North America and summit one of the state’s famous “14-ers” (one of the state’s 58 peaks above 14,000 feet). The 28-mile Mount Evans Scenic Byway rises an astonishing 14,260 feet above sea level, and from that high up, there’s not much obstructing your view. But before you get to the peak of this climb, there’s a lot to see along the way.

The drive is rife with switchbacks, curves, and hairpin turns beside steep drop offs. In and amongst the route’s dynamic roadway, there’s an amazing array of natural beauty. Pop into the Mount Goliath Natural Area to visit a pristine alpine forest maintained by the Denver Botanic Gardens, making it the highest cultivated garden in the country. The Pesman Trail is a short hike that meanders through picturesque woods filled with bristlecone pines and wildflowers. 

Other noteworthy stops include Summit Lake, a serene mountain lake surrounded by wild goats as well as plants only found here and the Arctic Circle; there’s also Crest House, the storied ruins of a 1940’s-era building.

The road is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but even in the summer, conditions can change quickly. When summiting any 14er, be sure to check the weather, share your location, and pack the essentials. Timed passes are required for entry, which you can get here.

This roughly 120,000 acre wilderness area gets its name from a mysterious creek that disappears underground into rock piles, reappearing downstream at least nine times. A creek that performs a regular vanishing act would make this worth the trip alone, but what makes this a truly spectacular site are the red rock formations jutting out of the dense forest. Its proximity to Denver (just 60 miles away) makes this unsung getaway a no-brainer for a day trip from the Mile High City. 

There are over 130 miles of trails criss-crossing the area, where you’ll witness geological splendor and dazzling forest biodiversity at every turn. There are granite domes and arches, narrow ridges, forested areas, and gorges; There’s also abundant wildlife with black bears, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, and bobcats. Head out just past the Lost Park campground to find another natural wonder—a mini-canyon formed by narrowing rock walls.

If you want to spend a little more time in nature, camping is allowed, and there are many spots to set up your site.

A who has spent much time in the backcountry has snaked, hopped, or crawled over any number of cumbersome obstacles to reach the perfect patch of untamed wilderness. To call Devil’s Causeway a “narrow pass,” however, may be an understatement.

This slender ridge outside of Yampa, is, at certain points, just three feet wide. At nearly 12,000 feet, the sheer drop-offs on either side aren’t exactly an acrophobe’s dream either. But if you can do it, you’ll be find some of the most beautiful views in the state: Wide open meadows dotted with wildflowers, arching rock faces pushing up against the sky, even a lake—Little Causeway Lake—that you’ll see before reaching the infamous Causeway.

The hike itself isn’t a particularly long one—just a six mile round trip at its shortest and ten miles if you take the loop that passes the Stillwater Reservoir. But what it lacks in mileage, it certainly makes up for in ruggedness and adventure.

There’s only one triple waterfall in Colorado, and it’s found in Rifle Falls State Park. While this isn’t a place for those seeking solitude—it’s fairly busy in summer months—it is a place for people looking to glimpse one of the state’s unusual natural features in a fairly easy, low-key way.

The park offers several hiking trails, one of which leading up and behind the 60-foot falls themselves. Another trail leads to a set of limestone caves. There’s a large main cave and several smaller ones, some of which require a bit of crawling to fully explore. Though it’s a popular spot for day-trippers, there are also 20 campsites for overnighters. All campsites include picnic tables and fire pits, with the drive-in sites including electricity for those who like their roughing it a little less rough. 

Visitors of all kinds can enjoy the park’s three hiking trails, two of which are ADA accessible. The newest of the three, the Bobcat Trail, also provides access to the Rifle Falls State Fish Hatchery. In the busy months, parking is limited, and you may be turned away if the lot is full. If so, the nearby Rifle Mountain Park and fish hatchery are great diversions while you wait. 

Old Monarch Pass—a mountain pass on the Continental Divide cutting through the Sawatch Range—was, in its heyday, a vital connection for stagecoaches and wagons trying to get to and from mining camps in Salida and Gunnison. With the end of the mining boom, and better transportation options, this road is now a scenic drive over the Sawatch Range, snaking through the mountains at over 11,000 feet.

Because today’s drivers have it much easier than the stagecoaches of yore, reaching the pass is fairly easy via US Highway 50. While the uphill mountain views are stellar, the drive isn’t the only attraction. If you’re visiting in the summer, be sure to take a ride on the Monarch Ridge aerial tram. 

This is the oldest working tramway in the state, and offers sweeping views of the Continental Divide. At the top, take in the view from the observation center with 360-degree views of the nearby San Juan Mountains. On a clear day, that view extends to reveal five mountain ranges and sites up to 150 miles away. Pikes Peak, a two-hour drive away, can sometimes be seen from the top of the 12,000 foot tram.

Can’t make it in the summer? Don’t worry. There’s also plenty to do in the winter in the nearby Monarch Mountain ski area.

This hidden gem of a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park is a tough one, and best for experienced hikers. But if that describes you, then you’re in for an exciting time at this little-visited feature of an iconic park.

This eight-mile hike begins at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. Along the way, you’ll pass Alberta Falls about a half-mile in. If this is where you need to stop, don’t worry, there’s still a spectacular view: 30-foot falls cascading over rocks into Glacier Creek below. If you’re heading to the main event, you’ll also pass by the Timberline Falls shortly after. If that’s not enough waterfall for you, keep pushing up a steep slope to the right of the falls to see Lake of Glass Falls. When you reach a dazzling, greenish-colored lake filled with trout, you’re at the Lake of Glass itself—though there’s still a bit more to go. 

Just another quarter mile and you’ll have reached the even larger Sky Pond: a crystalline body of water sitting at an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet surrounded by rugged cliffs. From its shores, you’ll see the Petit Grepon, the Sabre, and Sharkstooth—the three prominent peaks dramatically framing a lake so rarely visited by humans. 

 Catch your breath. Take in the scene, the silence, the stillness, and get ready to see it all again in reverse.

Snow Mesa is for the traveler seeking silence and solitude—and steps. Located on the Continental Divide, it’s part of both the Colorado and the Continental Divide Trails. It's within the largest tundra in the lower 48 states, and because it’s a fairly difficult hike, you’re unlikely to meet many others while out there. But even if there are a few others sharing the trail, it will in no way impede the stellar view of the Uncompahgre, Wetterhorn and Matterhorn Peaks from the plateau up top. The Uncompahgre and the Wetterhorn are two of the state's famous 14ers, and while the Matterhorn doesn’t make the cut at 13,596-feet, it’s still an incredible sight.

The 5.6 mile hike can take as few as three hours, you can extend it to a longer backpacking trip by heading all the way to San Luis Peak—yet another 14er.