It's True... I'm A Trail Repeater

5 Trails So Nice, I've Done Them At Least Twice, and I'll Do Them At Least Thrice!

When I moved to Colorado in 2021, I was on a mission to explore as many places as possible, and this almost certainly meant every hike would be a one-time venture. No trail repeats. But I've found several that are worth doing over and over again -- not just because they're beautiful, but because they give me something new every time. These recommendations are, of course, going to be biased based on my personal preferences, and the gifts they've given me may be unique to the life events I was experiencing on those trails. But I'm quite certain these trails are not ones that end up on every list (I know, I've checked), but they should be on yours at least once.

All of the statistics for these hikes has been obtained from AllTrails, which is my favorite basic app for finding, tracking, and organizing hikes that I've either done or hope to do someday. The free version is absolutely adequate, but I like AllTrails+ because it lets me download maps offline so I can keep track of my location on hikes easier.

(Number 5 is, as of now, my favorite in Colorado!)

1. Lost Lake via Hessie Trail

Location: Eldora

Distance: 4.2 miles

Difficulty Rating: Moderate

Elevation Gain: 830 ft

Highest Altitude: 9,813 ft

Trail Type: Out & Back

I've hiked this trail. I've backpacked this trail. I've brought out-of-town visitors on this trail. It just hits every time. I go back time and time again because it always makes me feel something. I don't know how to explain it, but I've always come out on the other side feeling more fulfilled. Some hikes are simply trails; this one, to me, is art.

I've found wild strawberries on the trail behind the lake. I've watched moose relax on the shore. Even when the parking area is backed up halfway to the road, I never feel like the lake itself is too crowded, partially due to the fact that there is a whole network of trails that can be accessed from this point. I can get to the lake in under 45 minutes from exiting my car, and, at just over an hour from Denver, I can easily make this whole experience a day trip with plenty of time to spare.

I won't claim that this is the most beautiful trail in Colorado, or even in this area. It's just one that I love to hike.

2. Hanging Lake Trail

Location: Glenwood Springs

Distance: 3.1 miles

Difficulty Rating: Hard

Elevation Gain: 1,062 ft

Highest Altitude: 7,193 ft

Trail Type: Out & Back

I've done this hike twice: once in the dead of summer, and once in the dead of winter. Both experiences are beautiful for totally different reasons. In the summer, you get the impossibly teal water for which Hanging Lake is famous (yes, the water really is that color in real life!!). In the winter, you get the frozen Spouting Rock waterfall above the lake. In the summer, you're likely to be part of a large crowd, everyone there to pay respect to the natural beauty of the lake. In the winter, I was all alone, soaking up the serenity in solitude. Either way, it's a great place to experience, appreciate, and bask in nature's wonder.

No matter what time of year, this hike requires a permit to prevent overcrowding and to provide funds to maintain the trail. It's a small price to pay for access to such a stunning view.

3. Walker Ranch Loop

Location: Boulder

Distance: 8.1 miles

Difficulty Rating: Moderate

Elevation Gain: 1,601 ft

Highest Altitude: 7,339 ft

Trail Type: Loop

Of all the hikes in the Boulder area, this is one that draws me back. I don't prefer hiking in the foothills, but this trail has a little of everything that makes this section of Colorado special. Part of the trail wanders through ponderosa pine forest. Part of the trail follows South Boulder Creek. Part of the trail has cacti and yucca plants to remind you that it's still the high desert.

This is one of my favorite hikes to day trip. It's under an hour from Denver but gives the vibe of being so much further from city limits. It's a great place to bring a friend and yap; with the exception of one steep staircase, none of the inclines are too strenuous. Plus, doing this hike gives me an excuse to patronize some of the restaurants in Boulder that are usually too far for me to regularly consider.

4. Handies Peak via American Basin Trail

Location: Lake City

Distance: 5.4 miles

Difficulty Rating: Hard

Elevation Gain: 2,440 ft

Highest Altitude: 14,056 ft

Trail Type: Out & Back

A 14er -- a prominent peak over 14,000 feet tall -- can never be fully described as "easy," but this is probably the easiest one. With the exception of the final quarter mile from the summit, the grade is quite moderate for this kind of hike, and in my experience, the hardest part is dealing with the altitude. And the drive to the trailhead. Just getting to the parking lot requires a 6 hour drive from Denver and a 4WD/high clearance vehicle. But at least that means it's never crowded! Both times I've done this hike, it's been early autumn, when the afternoon thunderstorms that hit almost every day in the summer are less frequent, but snow hasn't yet begun to fall.

The views the whole way are stunning; the bottom right photo was taken a tenth of a mile from the trailhead, and Sloan Lake is one of the prettiest alpine lakes I've seen. Standing on top of such a remote 14er as this one, looking out over other ridges of the San Juans, is just such a cool experience. If you want to feel a powerful connection between your soul and the mountains, this is a hike that I would recommend.

5. Chihuahua Lake Trail

Location: Montezuma

Distance: 7.5 miles

Difficulty Rating: Hard

Elevation Gain: 1,906 ft

Highest Altitude: 12,257 ft

Trail Type: Out & Back

This is one of the first hikes Mitch and I did when we moved to Denver, and it's still my favorite day hike we've done here. In October, we got autumnal colors at the bottom of the hike and wintery conditions at the top. In the summer, we were rewarded with pops of wildflowers. The Chihuahua Lake Trail is surrounded by many 13- and 14,000-foot peaks, and I personally love being a tiny speck among big rocks. It makes me feel simultaneously so, so powerful and so, so insignificant, and that combination is such a large part of why I love hiking in the mountains. Maybe this is my favorite hike because it was the first one in Colorado that gave me that particular sensation, but I maintain that it is an incredible trail.

The length of this hike varies with how much terrain your vehicle can handle. The first time we did this hike, we'd read that low clearance vehicles probably couldn't make it past the first trailhead, so we added 2 miles each way to the hike. I think most vehicles could have made it to the second parking area. Our truck could probably shave off even more miles, but I don't find that to be a necessary amendment to our future plans.

A Few Final Notes

All of these hikes have the capacity to be easier or harder than listed based on a variety of factors. For most Colorado visitors, no matter how in shape you are, the altitude can affect your ability to obtain and retain oxygen. Many of the trails have at least stretches that are made from loose gravel instead of just hard-packed dirt. Shorter doesn't necessarily mean easier, just as longer doesn't necessarily mean harder. (For example, I think the Walker Ranch Loop is, step for step, the easiest hike in this list, even though it's the longest.)

Trails deserve hikers that will respect them. Popular trails in Colorado close, become heavily permitted, or become unenjoyable when people neglect to keep the trails beautiful for the next hikers to come. Pick up your trash, stay on the designated trail, and maintain a proper distance from wildlife.

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