5 Hikes in Western CO You HAVE To Try!

Haggerty's Top Five Hikes In Western Colorado

Colorado's Western Slope is rich in backcountry hikes. Knowing where to find them -- and what to expect on a trail -- just got easier with a new guidebook by Grand Junction outdoor writer Bill Haggerty. The Falcon Guides "Hiking Colorado's Western Slope" has details on more than 45 trails in Western Colorado.

Storm King Fourteen Memorial Hike: This nearly four-mile trail takes hikers through some rugged and nasty terrain on a strenuous climb up to where fourteen firefighters died in a wildfire in 1994. The trail that ends at a memorial for the firefighters has been left in rough shape to remind hikers of the challenging conditions wildfire firefighters face. it isn't the prettiest hike in the book. In fact, parts of it overlook I-70, but it is an important hike for remembering the firefighters who lost their lives.         

Mee Canyon: With its arches, windows, spires and alcoves, this 5.5 mile trail is one of the most exciting desert-country hikes. This one is not for the inexperienced because it has steep descents on sandstone and exposed cliffs. Haggerty also recommends some crawling and shimmying for brave hikers wanting a view of one of the largest natural alcoves on the Colorado Plateau.

Bill Haggerty, author of Hiking Colorado's Western Slope.

(Courtesy of Jim Watson)

Ice Lakes Trail: "Simply stunning" is Haggerty's description for this one.  This out-and-back hike in the San Juan Mountains is 6.8 to 8.6 miles, depending on how many lakes you visit. A steep climb up to the turquoise waters takes hikers past a half-dozen waterfalls that originate on small glaciers and snow patches on massive granite hillsides. Five 13,000+ peaks jut into the heavens and, in season, wildflowers blanket fields.

Blue Lakes Trail: "Stunning" is also Haggerty's word for this 6.6 to 8.7 mile out-and-back trail in the San Juan Mountains. The steep trail climbs to three alpine lakes in the shadow of Mt. Sneffels and Dallas and Gilpin peaks.  Haggerty urges hikers to tread lightly on this trail, as well as Ice Lakes, because of their popularity. 

Sand Canyon: This trail in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is a 6.5 mile one-way hike that cuts through some of the richest ancestral Puebloan ruins in the southwest.  Cliff houses dot the rock walls along the trail.  The Sand Canyon Pueblo at the upper trailhead is three times the size of the largest pueblo in Mesa Verde National Park. It has been excavated and backfilled in the past so it is mainly piles of rubble, but the breathtaking scope of the pueblo is still outlined in rock. 

For More Hikes Haggerty Recommended Visit:
http://www.cpr.org/news/story/hiking-the-western-slope-with-a-guide-to-45-of-the-best-trails