Outdoor Project

With white sand beaches lined with driftwood and waves gently crashing against Turquoise Lake’s shoreline, Baby Doe Campground, hidden under the shade of mature lodgepole pines at 10,000-feet, brings a taste of the tropics to a high alpine environment.

Situated in the San Isabel National Forest on the eastern shore of Turquoise Lake, less than 15 minutes to Leadville, Baby Doe features 50 sites, four vault toilets, four water spigots, two trash collection areas, and is one of eight campground around the lake.

With easy access from the Front Range, Mount Sherman is a Class 2 14'er that makes for a great day hike in Colorado's Mosquito Range. Standing at 14,036 feet, this peak provides beautiful views of the surrounding areas. The east route tends to be busier because there is easy access from Fairplay and a direct ascent to the summit. This west approach from Iowa Gulch is less busy, slightly longer, and it has several old mining sites along the way.

The ski lifts of Vail Ski Resort may be just minutes away, but the 12.5-mile rugged trail hike to crystal clear Gore Lake elevates hikers 3,000-feet into a high alpine region full of scenery and seclusion deep in the Eagles Nest Wilderness of the Gore Range.  

Beginning at the Gore Creek Trailhead, the trail loosely follows the creek east up the valley through grasses and shrubs, then aspen, which transition into pine as the miles tick by.

Located 10 minutes from the ski resort town of Vail, the Gore Creek Campground is centrally located at 8,700-feet among the scenery and recreational opportunities in the White River National Forest.

The road to Clear Lake offers wonderful views of the South Mineral Campground, South Fork Mineral Creek, and the San Juan Mountains. Some people make the 9-mile round-trip hike with 2,600 feet of elevation gain, others drive as far as their vehicle will allow and hike from there, and some make the drive all the way up. It is not really a technical drive, but it is not for the faint of heart, and it does require a high-clearance vehicle, preferably with four-wheel drive.

Rifle Falls have been a tourist attraction since the late 1800s when visitors would rent cabins and explore the falls and limestone caves just like tourists do today. While this tiny park (less than 100 acres) isn't Yosemite, it is a great place to have a picnic and explore the outstanding falls and surrounding limestone caves.

Rifle Gap is another excellent campground in the Colorado State Park system. The 89 sites are spread over five very separate loops on the north side of Rifle Gap Reservoir, which is a very popular recreation spot for nearby residents of Rifle and Glenwood Springs. This campground makes a great base camp for exploring Rifle Falls State Park, Glenwood Canyon, and even the vast Flat Tops area to the north.  

The Aspen area is well-known for having great fall color, and one of the best place to see the marvelous aspens turning yellow and gold is along Castle Creek Road. As a bonus, there is the very picturesque ghost town of Ashcroft set right in the middle of all the splendor.

The East of Aspen Trail is a very popular walking and biking trail that follows the Roaring Fork River from town out to the Difficult Campground entrance for just over 3 miles.  Along the way, the trail passes some very nice conservation areas and offers great views of the hills on either side of the river.