Ski Touring Routes: Colorado's Front Range

by Alan Apt, Kay Turnbaugh

Overview

• A hand-picked list of the top backcountry ski trails within a two-hour drive of Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver, or Colorado Springs
• Features outings for everyone—from gentle trails in the trees to climbs of Colorado’s highest peaks
• Includes color maps and photos with detailed route descriptions

Backcountry skiing is one of the fastest growing segments of outdoor recreation, and The Best Ski Touring Routes: Colorado’s Front Range connects readers with the most classic ski trails that can be day-tripped from every major Front Range city. Whether you’re coming from Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, or Fort Collins, this guide showcases breathtaking outings right in your backyard.

The routes range from beginner-friendly outings to demanding high-altitude mountaineering. Co-written by Alan Apt, author of the bestselling Snowshoe Routes: Colorado’s Front Range, this is an essential new book for anyone seeking winter fun and adventure. It includes color topo maps and photos, information on avalanche safety, gear discussions and recommendations, and interesting sidebars.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780967146645
Publisher:	Colorado Mountain Club
Publication date:	09/18/2020
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Alan Apt has snowshoed, skied, hiked, climbed, and backpacked in Colorado for over 35 years. He’s a reformed peakbagger who has climbed many of Colorado’s highest mountains. Alan is a former local columnist for the Fort Collins Coloradan, and he has contributed to the Denver Post and Boulder Weekly. He is an Ignite Adaptive Sports ski instructor at Eldora Mountain Resort and a certified member of the Professional Ski Instructors Association.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Rocky Mountain National Park

Chapter 1 Rocky Mountain National Park-Northeast 14

1 North Fork Trail 16

2 Hidden Valley 19

3 Trail Ridge Road 22

4 Cub Lake 26

5 Hollowell Park & Mill Creek Basin 28

6 Sprague Lake Trails 31

7 Alberta Falls & The Loch 34

8 Mills Lake, Jewel Lake, & Black Lake 37

9 North Longs Peak Trail 41

10 Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, & Emerald Lake 44

11 Flattop Mountain 47

12 Lake Helene 51

Chapter 2 Rocky Mountain National Park-Southeast 54

13 Estes Cone 56

14 Chasm Lake 59

15 Copeland Falls, Calypso Cascades, & Ouzel Falls 63

16 Allenspark Trail & Finch Lake 66

Indian Peaks Area

Chapter 3 Peaceful Valley Area 70

17 Rock Creek Ski Area 72

18 Buchanan Pass Trail & Middle Saint Vrain Creek 75

19 Beaver Reservoir-Coney Flats Trail 78

20 North Sourdough Trail 81

Chapter 4 Brainard Lake Recreation Area 84

21 South Sourdough Trail 86

22 Niwot Mountain & Niwot Ridge 90

23 Brainard Lake Road 93

24 Left Hand Park Reservoir Road 96

25 Little Raven-Left Hand Park Reservoir Road-CMC South Trail Loop 99

26 Waldrop Trail 102

27 Mitchell and Blue Lakes & Mount Toll 104

28 Mount Audubon 107

29 Long Lake & Lake Isabelle 110

30 Rainbow Lakes & Arapaho Glacier Overlook Trail 113

Nederland Area

Chapter 5 Nederland 116

31 Caribou Ranch Open Space 118

32 Mud Lake Open Space 121

33 West Magnolia Trails 124

Chapter 6 Eldora Mountain Resort & West 127

34 Fourth of July Road/Trail 129

35 Lost Lake Trail 132

36 Woodland Lake Trail 135

37 Jenny Creek Trail 138

38 Rising Sun & Setting Sun Trails 141

39 Caribou-Anchor Mine 143

40 Caribou 4WD Road 147

Chapter 7 Rollinsville 149

41 Rogers Pass Lake & Heart Lake 150

42 Forest Lakes Trail 153

43 Arapaho Lakes Trail 156

44 Mammoth Gulch Road 159

45 Raccoon Loop Trail 162

North Central Colorado

Chapter 8 Mount Evans Area 166

46 Echo Lake & Chicago Lakes Trails 167

47 Mount Evans Byway 170

48 Saint Mary's Glacier & James Peak 173

49 Beaver Brook Watershed 176

50 Chief Mountain 179

51 Jones Pass & Butler Gulch Trails 182

Chapter 9 Berthoud Pass 186

52 Eastside Trail-Continental Divide Trail-Colorado Mines Peak 187

53 Westside Trail 190

54 Second Creek Trail 193

Chapter 10 Winter Park Area 196

55 Lactic Grande 197

56 Ranch Walk & Stage Route to Broken Barn or Meadow Trails 199

57 Snow Mountain Ranch 201

Chapter 11 Guanella Pass Area 203

58 Naylor Lake 205

59 Mount Bierstadt 208

Northern Colorado

Chapter 12 Poudre Canyon 212

60 Crown Point Road 213

61 Signal Mountain Trail 216

62 Stormy Peaks Trail 219

63 Cirque Meadows & Emmaline Lake 222

64 Big South Trail 225

65 Blue Lake Trail 228

66 Sawmill Creek Trail 231

67 Trap Lake and Park & Iron Mountain 234

68 Zimmerman Lake & Meadows Trail 237

69 Montgomery Pass Trail 241

70 Cameron Connection Trail 244

Chapter 13 Colorado State Forest 248

71 Michigan Ditch, American Lakes, & Thunder Pass Trails 249

72 Lake Agnes 253

73 Seven Utes Mountain & Mount Mahler 256

74 Ranger Lakes & Silver Creek 260

75 Grass Creek Yurt Trails 263

Chapter 14 Steamboat Springs Area 266

76 Walton Creek Loop 3A & North Walton Peak Trail 3C 267

77 Fox Curve Loop 2B 270

78 West Summit Loop 1B 271

79 West Summit Loop 1A 273

80 Spronks Creek & Chapman/Bench Trails 276

South Central Colorado

Chapter 15 Como Area 280

81 Kenosha Pass - Colorado Trail West 282

82 Kenosha Pass - Colorado Trail East 285

83 North Twin Cone Peak 287

84 Boreas Pass Road & Halfway Gulch 290

85 Gold Dust Trail South 293

86 Gold Dust Trail North 296

Chapter 16 Leadville Area 299

87 Vance's Cabin 301

88 Mayflower Gulch 304

89 Taylor Hill 307

90 Mitchell Creek Loop 310

91 Twin Lakes 313

Chapter 17 Colorado Springs Area 316

92 School Pond & Preacher's Hollow Loops 317

93 Peak View, Elk Meadow, Livery Loop, & Revenuer's Ridge Trails 318

94 Homestead & Black Bear Loop 320

95 The Crags 322

Appendix 326

Acknowledgements 327