Help - Colorado Hiking Website

[tandmhaines]

I am going to be moving to CO in a few weeks and I was wondering if anyone knows of any websites like hikearizona.com that applies to CO? I have done quite a bit of searching so far and haven't found one that offers the GPS routes, photos, maps, etc. that this site does. This is probably the most useful site I have ever found in terms of hiking and outdoor info. I will miss using it as it has been great to me. So, if anyone knows of a CO site that might try to compete, please let me know! Thanks!

[PaleoRob]

There are hikes listed on HAZ for parts of Colorado.
My recommendation is not to stop using HAZ, but keep using it! Go on hikes in Colorado that you hear about from friends there, from guidebooks, from hiking clubs, etc., and then post them here on HAZ so that the awesome database that exists for Arizona can expand further into other state like CO. A lot of us HAZers drop into CO every once in a while - it'd be great to have information from a resident easily accessible on here!
Good luck with the move.

[azbackpackr]

Holy cow, another lurker! You're leaving us without even getting acquainted? ;) Good luck with your move, and please do post your CO hikes.

[Jim]

The ones I know of are 14ers.com and summitpost.com, but they are mountain hiking and climbing specific. Just because you move to Colorado, that doesn't mean you have to become some sort of a 14ers nut. That's lame, and there are too many mountain posers doing it already. If you like mountains, there are so many more interesting ones that are less visited and under that magic English measurement of 14,000 feet. Funny, because the rest of the world would care about 4000 meter peaks, of which there are hundreds of cool ones in the state, not 14,000 foot peaks. People from California who climb technical routes on 3000meter to 4000meter peaks joke that they talked to a guy from Colorado who said he had done all of the peaks in the state. The California guy complimented him on his accomplishment and asked him how long that took, since there are literally hundreds of them, some in isolated locations and having technical routes, or routes which are scrambles on loose rotted rock. The Colorado guy would respond, "it took a few years, but there are only 54 of them". Meaning he only did the ones over 14,000', and ironically, except for a few of them, the 14ers are mostly walk-ups. Not that there is anything wrong with a walk-up.

That concludes my anti-14ers rant. Joe got this site going in part by probing and writing descriptions for hikes, but also, it would appear, that he used forest service write-ups he found online. You might find that the National Forests in Colorado have similar online descriptions for trails. Since they are public domain material produced by the government, you can post them to the site with no modification, but you might want to add your own description to improve the write-up. Most things in Colorado are mountain oriented, but don't forget the grasslands to the east and the deserts to the west. I remember I had wanted to do a hike east of Greeley on a National Grassland a few years back, but I forgot what it was. Maybe you can do some out there and write them up?

[hippiepunkpirate]

I believe dano asked the same question about Washington and the Pacific Northwest, now he's posting his own descriptions for hikes up in that neck of the woods. It's true that no other site, free or otherwise, is as comprehensive in nature as HAZ. Joe has it set up for every state in the union as well as worldwide, the homepage now even says "America's hiking trail index since 1996!" It's a website built solely on the motivation and participation of us common hikers, help continue spreading the wealth of hiking knowledge beyond the great state of Arizona!

[nonot]

Everytrail and trimbleoutdoors (backpacker.com relative) are free and have alot of hikes w/GPS and photos.

[big_load]

There's hiking in Colorado?

[sbkelley]

Indeed, 14ers are the "thing" in Colorado, but some of the folks on 14ers.com can point you to the less-crowded spots in the state. Many of them finished up their 14er quest and are now on to other things. Bill Middlebrook runs a good website, so 14ers is a good starting point for Colorado-based hikes.

As far as I know, there's no state-wide HAZ equivalent (at least there wasn't when I hiked around CO 5 years ago). I'll second the notion to check out the western high desert region. Really, when you get away from 14ers and the Front Range, there's much wilderness to be found.

It is a beautiful state, but much more mountain-oriented hiking.

[tahosa]

Colorado information = ~here~ And I may know of more or people up there that will show you where to take some nice hikes North of Denver, near RMNP Also click on the link on my signature, there are trails there. And I may do some trip reports for CO some time in the future.

[azbackpackr]

Oh, man. So many trails, so little time.