Afoot & Afield: Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Rocky Mountain National Park: 184 Spectacular Outings in the Colorado Rockies

by Alan Apt, Kay Turnbaugh

Overview

Afoot and Afield in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most comprehensive hiking and biking books available. Alan Apt, author of the best-selling guidebook, Snowshoe Routes Colorado's Front Range, carefully describes 170 adventures for people of all abilities and interests. He includes everything from easy access Front Range lakeside strolls, to high mountaineering peak climbs. The book even includes sections called, Great for Kids (of all ages); that are less ambitious but highly satisfying, easy gambols in the natural world. The geographical scope of the book stretches from southern Wyoming to Colorado Springs, and west to Vail, Fairplay, and Independence Pass; with superb coverage of mountains, plains, canyons and riverside adventures. The books includes over 150 photos, and maps for every trail, as well as safety checklists, and how-to tips based on more than 40 years of outdoor experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780899977560
Publisher:	Wilderness Press
Publication date:	05/18/2015
Series:	Afoot & Afield
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	360
File size:	72 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Alan Apt has been hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country and downhill skiing, biking, and backpacking in the Colorado Rockies for more than 40 years. He has been a Sierra Club volunteer and Colorado Mountain Club member for decades. He also volunteers with Special Olympics and is an adaptive ski instructor with Ignite at Eldora. He is a member of the National Ski Patrol with Bryan Mountain Nordic Ski Patrol. He has been a contributor to the Ft. Collins Coloradoan and Denver Post. He is the author of the best-selling guidebook Snowshoe Routes Colorado's Front Range (CMC Press). He is also a former Ft. Collins City Council member.

Kay Turnbaugh, an avid hiker, mountain biker, road biker, snowshoer, and skier, has lived in the small mountain town of Nederland, Colorado, for almost all of her adult life. She was the editor and publisher of The Mountain-Ear, an award-winning weekly newspaper in Nederland for 27 years. She has written three books, The Mountain Pine Beetle--Tiny but Mighty, a book for eight-to-twelve-year-olds which is also enjoyed by many adults; Around Nederland, a book about Nederland's history; and The Last of the Wild West Cowgirls, a biography of Goldie Griffith, who rode bucking broncos for Buffalo Bill, trained war dogs, ranched near Nederland, ran restaurants, and re-invented herself whenever necessary. The Last of the Wild West Cowgirls won a Willa Literary Award in 2010 for Creative Nonfiction.

Read an Excerpt

Jones Pass

• Distance Up to 8 miles, out-and-back
• Difficulty Easy–challenging
• Elevation Gain 2,600' (starting at 10,000')
• Trail Use Hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, skiing, leashed dogs OK
• Agency Clear Creek Ranger District, Arapaho National Forest
• Map(s) Latitude 40° Summit County Trails

HIGHLIGHTS
This beautiful mountain valley is close to Denver and doesn’t require a drive over Berthoud Pass. There are several trails you can explore at this popular location near the Henderson Mine, but you share this trail with some off-road vehicles (all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles). Enjoy a hike of any length, and soak in the views. You can combine this hike with Butler Gulch, and make it a loop hike. The Butler half will be vehicle-free.

DIRECTIONS
Take I-70 west from Denver and exit at Empire for Berthoud Pass/Winter Park. Drive through Empire toward the pass. When you come to the first sharp bend to the right, exit to the left for Henderson Mine. Continue north on the mine road until you reach the designated parking area. The road is closed at the trailhead that serves both the Jones Pass trail and the Butler Gulch trail. Travel west through the trees on the joint trail until a junction at approximately 0.25 mile. Bear right for the Jones Pass trail or left for the more difficult and advanced Butler Gulch trail.

DESCRIPTION
You have some glimpses of the ridgeline as you travel through the trees. At a little less than 0.5 mile you break out of the trees and enjoy the panorama of the valley and soaring ridgeline. Avalanche runout zones are observable on the steep slopes to the west. The trail/road steepens as it switchbacks. It then travels through a varied landscape of high mountain meadows and trees. You can go all the way to the summit of the pass or turn around whenever you wish. If you continue to the top of the pass, you will see a trail that goes south. You can take this to the top of Butler Gulch for a loop hike. Route-finding is easier if you start with Butler Gulch and travel clockwise.

Table of Contents

Overview Map

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introducing the Front Range Area

Comfort, Safety, & Etiquette

Using this Book

Overview of Hikes

The Hikes by Area

• Denver Area: Plains & Foothills
• Boulder Area: Plains & Foothills
• Denver Area: Mountains
• Boulder Area: Indian Peaks
• Nederland Area
• Rocky Mountain National Park: South
• Rocky Mountain National Park: East
• Rocky Mountain National Park: West
• Fort Collins Area
• Poudre Canyon & Cameron Pass Areas
• Red Feather Lakes Area
• Colorado State Forest
• Colorado Springs Area

Best Trails For

Recommended Reading

Agencies and Information Sources

Conservation & Hiking Groups

Index

About the Authors