Colorado Getaways – Walking
By Dan Leeth

From strolling city streets to traipsing scenic trails, the soles of your shoes provide well grounded conveyances for savoring the state’s soul

Sole-strutting walkers stand on the Mile High step of the Colorado capitol building in downtown Denver.
© Dan Leeth

Planes, trains and automobiles may be fine for zipping from place to place, but when it comes to truly relishing the essence of Colorado, I believe nothing beats feet.

Sauntering on soles gives us an intimate, sensory rapport with our surroundings. Our sight wanders from grand vistas to detail-revealing close-ups. We touch textures and feel the earth underfoot. Unless muffled by iPods or iPhones, we hear the pulse of the environment from whispering leaves to warbling street musicians. Our noses catch the cloying perfume of wildflower blossoms, the s’mores-evoking scent of smoking campfires and the tempting aromas of fresh bread wafting from city bakeries. Being afoot, we can even drop in and get a baguette to go.

City walks

In Denver, there’s the Sixteenth Street Mall where the people-watching alone is worth the shoe leather. Beyond, the Civic Center, Capitol Hill and LoDo districts invite sole-strutting exploration, as do the neighborhoods around Washington, Cheesman and City Parks. For longer rambles, the Sand Creek, Platte River and Cherry Creek Trails border the banks of their namesake streams.

My favorite long-distance city path is the High Line Canal Trail. Beginning in Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver, its 71-mile length traverses open space, infiltrates subdivisions, skirts golf courses and abuts the backyards of homes ranging from mobile to mansion. It’s not unusual to spot hawks, foxes and other wildlife along this city-piercing swath of nature.

In Boulder, a shady path along Boulder Creek provides a dollop of nature in a city setting. True foot fanciers will adore Boulder Mountain Park where numerous trails flank the Flatirons. One of my favorites is the Mesa Trail with spur routes climbing to the summits of South Boulder and Bear Peaks.

It’s not just Front Range cities that inspire footloose discovery. There’s no telling what may turn up. In downtown Salida, for example, I encountered a biker dog clad in canine leathers. He sat in the saddle of a two-wheeler, raring to roar down the road with his motorcycle mama.

A biker dog named “Buggs” sits atop his owner’s motorcycle in downtown Salida. © Dan Leeth

Nature walks

To whet senses, exercise muscles and stimulate the brain, state and national parks, monuments, forests and refuges provide interpretative nature trails.

Rocky Mountain National Park examples include the Bear Lake Nature Trail with its views of Hallett Peak, the Sprague Lake Nature Trail where mountains reflect in mirror-smooth water and the Moraine Park Nature Trail, which offers a step-by-step guide to park fauna and flora. At Great Sand Dunes, the Montville Nature Trail dishes up informative views of America's tallest sandbox. Four nature trails at Black Canyon of the Gunnison head to the canyon's edge while ones in Mesa Verde pass ancient irrigation projects and village sites.

A quick climb above Loveland Pass yields eagles’ eye views of the Continental Divide. Below Independence Pass, an easy ramble accesses the ghostly remains of a mine town built too high to survive. A popular walk in Glenwood Canyon leads to Hanging Lake, and a march up the Pawnee Buttes Trail yields chummy views of those sandstone knobs east of Greeley.

Day hikes

For us serious perambulators, there are multi-hour day hikes to be taken. Being prepared means toting a pack with food, water, rain gear, sunglasses, sunscreen, knife, first aid kit, flashlight, matches, toilet paper and spare warm clothing. Count-challenged gurus from Colorado Mountain Club consider these 11 items to be the hiker’s “Ten Essentials.”

Day hike destinations can be found close to cities with numerous trails winding through the mountains around Denver, Colorado Springs and beyond. Pleasant destinations include the summit of Carpenter Peak in Roxborough State Park, Bergen Peak in Jefferson County’s Elk Meadow Park or Barr Camp on Pikes Peak out of Manitou Springs.

Mountain lakes make good targets for us sole-travelers by bestowing the option of a destination dunk. A few of my favorites include Chasm, Thunder and Crystal Lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park, Lost Lake off the Gore Range Trail north of Copper Mountain and Crater Lake at the base of the Maroon Bells near Aspen.

When the weather cools, canyons call. A hike up Sand Canyon west of Cortez leads to numerous Anasazi ruins. Near Grand Junction, a jaunt up Big Dominguez Creek passes ancient petroglyphs and a plunging waterfall while the walk to Rattlesnake Canyon accesses the highest concentration of natural arches found this side of Utah.

Dan Leeth (www.lookingfortheworld.com) is a freelance writer and photographer based in Aurora.

Colorado Getaways

Colorado Getaways – Walking By Dan Leeth

Colorado Getaways – Walking
By Dan Leeth