10 Best Winter Hikes Near Denver, Colorado
When I moved to Colorado from Wisconsin in the middle of winter, I was so excited to start hiking as soon as possible because I had never lived in the mountains before. Of course, moving to Colorado in the middle of winter also meant that the higher up mountains had a lot of snow in them and not all the summer hiking trails were accessible or doable for someone with little winter mountain hiking experience. I did hours upon hours of research to find trails that seemed doable in the winter and spent almost every weekend last winter trying these trails out. Winter anywhere can be a hard season to get through due to shorter days of light, but I always find winters better when I spend more time outside. Here are some of my absolute favorite and best winter hikes in Colorado!
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Important Note:
Please remember to Leave No Trace when enjoying our natural spaces.
Safety Tips for Colorado Winter Hiking:
Always bring the Ten Essentials.
In the winter, it is important to read trail reports before heading out. It is important to check for both road and trail conditions to confirm if it is safe to drive to the trailhead and what sort of gear you might need for hiking, such as snowshoes or microspikes. In Colorado, my main trail status source is AllTrails to check for recent trip reports. Each trail’s AllTrails guide is linked below. What I love about AllTrails is that you can download the map to your phone if you subscribe to AllTrails+.
In Colorado, it is extremely important to remember avalanche safety when there is snow. Avalanche conditions in Colorado can be checked on the Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s website. The Colorado Mountain School also offers avalanche safety training courses.
What to Bring on a Winter Hike
I wrote an entire blog on Winter Hiking Gear and Clothes! Here’s a very brief overview of what I like to bring on winter hikes (read the full blog post for more details!):
Gear:
Sunscreen and Sunglasses
Navigation Tools: AllTrails, Paper Maps, Compass
Water and Water Bottle
Snacks
Winter Hikes in Colorado
Dream Lake
Distance: 2 miles roundtrip
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 426 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead/Parking: Bear Lake Trailhead and parking lot in Rocky Mountain National Park (near Estes Park, CO)
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? No (it’s in a National Park)
Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is one of my favorite winter hikes. I think I’ve hiked this one more in the winter than in the summer. This hike is short, but it has incredible views. Plus, the lake freezes over in the winter. It can be extremely windy here in the winter, so definitely dress warmly for this hike!
Emerald Lake
Distance: 3.2 miles roundtrip
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 698 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead/Parking: Bear Lake Trailhead and parking lot in Rocky Mountain National Park (near Estes Park, CO)
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? No (it’s in a National Park)
Emerald Lake is just up the trail from Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park if you feel like going on a bit of a longer hike and seeing two lakes.
Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout
Distance: 4.1 miles roundtrip
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 892 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead/Parking: Roadside parking off of Colorado Highway 103 near Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain Lookout Trailhead
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? Yes, but dogs must be kept on leash
Yes, Colorado has a few fire lookouts! Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout is one of them and is a great sunrise winter hike near Denver. The fire lookout can be reserved for overnight trips at Recreation.gov.
Chief Mountain
Distance: 2.8 miles roundtrip
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 941 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead/Parking: Roadside parking off of Colorado Highway 103 near Chief Mountain Trailhead
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? Yes, but dogs must be kept on leash
I hiked Chief Mountain for sunrise last winter and I was the only one up there at that time. The views from Chief Mountain are incredible, with 360-degree views and Mount Evans viewable to the west.
Sugarloaf Mountain
Distance: 1.3 miles roundtrip
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 439 ft
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Trailhead & Parking: Sugarloaf Mountain Trailhead
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? Yes, but dogs must be kept on leash
I hiked Sugarloaf Mountain multiple times last winter. What I liked about this hike was its proximity to Boulder and that it is a fairly short trail, so I didn’t have to get up too early to catch the sunrise here. The sunrise views from Sugarloaf are incredible - the sun rises over the city and foothills.
Lost Lake
Distance: 4 miles roundtrip
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 830 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead & Parking: Hessie Trailhead
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? Yes, but dogs must be kept on leash
Lost Lake was one of the first hikes I did after moving to Boulder last winter. Hessie Trailhead is pretty popular, so I recommend arriving early to make sure you get a parking spot. The lake is frozen over in the winter, but the hike is a great workout and the views of the mountains are great, you can even see parts of Eldora Ski Resort in the distance from this hike.
NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) Ramble Trail
Distance: 3.4 miles roundtrip
Route Type: Loop
Elevation Gain: 721 ft
Difficulty: Moderate (Easy if you make it a short out-and-back hike instead)
Trailhead & Parking: NCAR Trail Head
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? Yes, but dogs must be kept on leash
We did the NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) Ramble trail on the day we were looking for apartments in Boulder prior to moving. It made us fall in love with Boulder and the Flatirons. What I love about the NCAR Trail is that it’s less popular than the neighboring Chautauqua Park, but it still has incredible views of the Flatirons. This is a great winter hike because there may or may not be snow, depending on recent weather, since it lies in the foothills by Boulder. Pictured above is from our hike here in November 2020 - it had recently snowed, but most of the snow had already melted.
Shanahan Ridge Trail
Distance: 4.2 miles
Route Type: Loop
Elevation Gain: 807 ft
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Trailhead & Parking: Shanahan Ridge Trailhead in Boulder, CO
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? Yes, but dogs must be kept on leash
We were very lucky to live literally steps away from the Shanahan Ridge Trailhead when we lived in Boulder, so we frequented this trail and did a lot of our daily walks here, especially during the winter. What I love about the Shanahan Ridge Trail is that you can make it as long or as short as you want. If you are feeling more adventurous, you can even continue up the trail and climb Bear Peak, or if you are not looking to hike a lot of elevation, that is also possible on this trail.
South Table Mountain
Distance: 2 miles
Route Type: Loop
Elevation Gain: 482 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead & Parking: 39°45'10.8"N 105°12'39.9"W (Sleeping Elk Trailhead) in Golden, CO
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? Yes, but dogs must be kept on leash
My sister went to college in Golden, Colorado, and every time we visited her, no matter the time of year, we would hike South Table Mountain. This hike overlooks the city of Golden and the foothills and is doable year-round.
Chautauqua Trail
Distance: 1.2 miles roundtrip
Route Type: Out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 419 ft
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Trailhead & Parking: Chautauqua Trailhead in Boulder, CO
Trail Guide: AllTrails
Dogs Allowed? Yes, but dogs must be kept on leash
Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado is one of the most classic hikes in Boulder, known for its incredible views of the Flatirons. This trail is hike-able year-round, but it looks even more magical with a fresh blanket of snow on it in the winter.
