Comprehensive Guide to Backcountry Skiing At Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
Best Backcountry Ski Lines in Colorado
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This is the third of four articles dedicated to skiing the more famous backcountry lines in Rocky Mountain National Park. We’ll take a look at the Park in general before zeroing in on the Longs Peak region. For those looking for a variety of intermediate ski lines or options for some of the toughest lines east of the Continental Divide, the Longs Peak region is your Rocky Mountain go-to.
The Minturn Mile is a sidecountry classic and a Vail Valley special, although the name is a bit of a misnomer. The run itself is more than three miles long and descends from a high point of 11,000 feet to just below 8,000 feet for a total vertical descent of 3,000 feet. If you’re looking for a more adventurous way to celebrate a great powder day, then skip the village scene and knock out the Minturn Mile.
This is the second of four articles dedicated to skiing the more famous lines in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Bear Lake offers some of the finest ski lines in northern Colorado. Late winter and spring are prime time, though many lines can be skied during the middle of winter with proper planning and avalanche gear. For those interested in skiing all year round, late summer and early fall can still offer turns on the glaciers and perennial snowfields common to the area.
This is the first of four articles dedicated to skiing the more famous lines in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. We’ll take a look at the Park in general before zeroing in on the areas of Hidden Valley and Sundance Mountain. For those looking to tip-toe into the area backcountry scene, Hidden Valley and Sundance are perfect places to run some laps, build skill and enjoy the possibilities of backcountry.
In a season as extreme as winter, where weather forecasts are often wrong and ground conditions change by the hour, how do you even plan a backcountry ski adventure? Colorado based Backcountry Ski Guide, Timo Holmquist, provides a guide every backcountry skier needs when planning an adventure.
In Colorado, making the most of your weekend is realistic because the mountains are so accessible. With 57hours’ guided tours, you can make memories with your friends and family backcountry skiing. These trips will be something you and your friends will remember forever.

Backcountry Ski Gear: Essentials for Human Powered Skiing
While growing in popularity and widely embraced as a test for committed adventurers, backcountry skiing comes with a fair number of serious challenges. Backcountry Ski Guide, Timo Holmquist, reviews the gear every backcountry skier needs in order to be prepared for the adventure.
Best Trails in Colorado.
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Black Lake via the Glacier Gorge Trail is a difficult 9.7 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado that features several lakes and two waterfalls.
Rogers Pass and Heart Lakes via South Boulder Creek Trail is a difficult 9.1 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located in the James Peak Wilderness near Rollinsville, Colorado that features two lakes. Gorgeous views and lots of summer wildflowers!
Lake Haiyaha is a moderate 3.6 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado that features a waterfall and a lake. “Haiyaha” is a Native American word that means “rock” or “lake of many rocks”, or “big rocks”, depending on the translation. This trail leads through the appropriately named Chaos Canyon.
Saint Mary’s Glacier is a moderate 1.9 mile out and back trail located in the Arapaho National Forest near Idaho Springs, Colorado. The hike up to St. Mary’s Glacier ascends through a beautiful forest and ends with stunning panoramic views. St. Mary’s is a lovely half-day mountain outing easily reached from most major metro areas along the Front Range. It is particularly popular with families due to the variety of terrain encountered for only a few miles of effort.
Sky Pond via Glacier Gorge Trail is a difficult 9.5 mile out and back trail located in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado that features three lakes and two waterfalls. Often called the prettiest lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, Sky Pond is an excellent destination in a beautiful part of the Rockies. The pond sits high in an alpine valley, carved by Taylor Glacier, which still lives on, above the lake.
Grays and Torrey’s Peaks is a difficult 9.7 mile out and back trail located in Arapaho National Forest near Idaho Springs, Colorado that features a river. They offer a fun but tiring twofer. Being close to major metro areas, they are incredibly popular, so get to the trailhead early!
The Quandary Peak Trail is a difficult 7.5 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail with an elevation gain of 3,450 feet located near Climax, Colorado. Easily accessible and fairly straightforward, Quandary’s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, overtaking Bierstadt as the Colorado’s most hiked 14er.
East Inlet Trail to Lake Verna is a difficult, 13.4 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail with a 2,194 ft elevation gain located in Rocky Mountain National Park near Grand Lake, Colorado. An awesome destination for backpackers!
On Sunday, November 22, 2020, I drove up to the park on a beautiful, sunny morning. I decided to hike the Dream Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. The Dream Lake Trail is a 2.4 mile, out-and-back trail with an elevation gain of about 450 feet featuring three lakes, Bear, Nymph and Dream Lakes plus awesome regional views of the park.
Royal Arch Trail is a difficult 4 mile out and back trail located near Boulder, Colorado that features beautiful summertime wild flowers. The destination, Royal Arch, is a local favorite. Many, many stairs to the top for this geological wonder! Great views of the jagged, rugged, Flat Irons & the open valley of Boulder, CO.
Mount Bierstadt Trail is a difficult 7.5 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located in the Mount Evans Wilderness near Silver Plume, Colorado that features a lake.
Check out this fantastic and easy hike to Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake and Emerald Lake along Tyndall Creek in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
Colorado is full of iconic drives, and one of the best is Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain NP—the highest paved route in the United States at 12,183’.
Cub Lake Trail Loop is a great hike for those who are looking for a moderately easy hike with lots of wildflowers and wildlife. This hike is also an opportunity to see life return and thrive after the devastating Fern Lake Fire in late 2012.
The Fern Lake Trail is a moderately rated, 9 mile out and back trail with an elevation gain of 1,453 feet and located in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado that features several waterfalls and the lake.
Bear Lake Nature Trail is just a beautiful, tranquil hike. It is a very easy 0.7 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Estes Park, Colorado. This nature trail features a lake and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
Hiking to the Boulder Field via the Longs Peak Trail is a challenging 12.3 mile out and back trail with a 3,360 feet elevation gain near Allenspark, Colorado. The trail offers great views of the east and north faces of Longs Peak, alpine tundra, the Boulder Field, the Agnes Vaille shelter hut and views into Glacier Gorge.

The Loch Lake via the Glacier Gorge Trail
The Loch Lake Trail via Glacier Gorge Trail is a moderate 5.4 mile out and back trail located in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado

Lost Lake via Hessie Trail
Lost Lake via Hessie Trail is a moderate 4.4 mile out and back trail located near Nederland, Colorado that features a lake.

Mills Lake via Glacier Gorge Trail
Mills Lake via Glacier Gorge Trail is a moderate 4.9 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located in Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado that features a waterfall and a lake.

Homestead and Mesa Trail Loop
Homestead and Mesa Trail Loop is a moderate 3.3 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Eldorado Springs, Colorado that features beautiful wild flowers. This is one of my favorite trail running routes!
Sky Pond Via the Glacier Gorge Trail.
Often called the prettiest lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
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Over the past four decades, Port Townsend, WA has become an important hub for the building and maintenance of wooden boats on the West Coast. It is there that the history and skills of wooden boatbuilding are still taught, shaping the souls of those that go to sea.
In the Roam Original Series short film, Boundless: Episode 3 with Latasha Dunston, we see plein air painting live from the steep forested hills of Colorado. Latasha describes herself as an illustrator, muralist, and designer, but she always takes pains to make it clear that literally anyone can enjoy doing plein air out in the wilderness.
Surface, a ROAM Original film, is the story of how award-winning ocean photographer Ben Thouard invented a new perspective of our world—shot underwater from inside a wave looking back at the landscape as never seen before. His love of the ocean, surfing, and windsurfing brought him to the small village of Teahupoo, Tahiti, where he can see the legendary surf break from his backyard.