Millions of free-roaming Front Range enthusiasts call the Denver area home, and they reside at the footstep of thousands of square miles of mountain wilderness. The options are as unlimited as the western horizon, which features no fewer than one national park, two wilderness areas and a national forest, a long, continuous expanse of public lands that stretch virtually unbroken from the Wyoming border to Colorado Springs. To the northwest is Rocky Mountain National Park and Indian Peaks Wilderness, Mount Evans and Lost Creek wildernesses are to the west, and Pikes National Forest is to the southwest. Whether you have a morning or an entire day to spend in the outdoors, each of these has beautiful backcountry to explore before the sun goes down.
The Denver and Boulder areas have plenty of outdoor adventures to offer that are close to home. Want to enjoy that mountain air without a drive all the way to the mountains? Try these.
Being about an hour and a half from Denver proper, day hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks Wilderness is limited by the commute required to get there. Nevertheless, the park and wilderness area have a plethora of short hiking options located at the eastern and most accessible limits. The long commute will make it difficult to find a place to park, so where we could, we highlighted hikes that are off the beaten path or have a shuttle option.
While Rocky Mountain National Park and Indian Peaks get much of the attention in the Front Range, there is much to appreciate to the south, too.
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