Colorado Landscapes

The Arikaree River, unlike the South Platte and Arkansas Rivers, does not flow from the Rocky Mountains to the eastern border. Its headwaters start on the Great Plains in the far eastern portion of Elbert County and it flows out of Colorado in Yuma County. East of our border it flows into the North Fork of the Republican River. It is fed mostly by groundwater and summer storms. Photo by ewingphoto.com

This is the ruins of one of the several mines on Red Mountain pass, elevation 11,018 feet. It is located in the Red Mountain Mining District on Route 550 between Ouray and Silverton, called the \"Million Dollar Highway\". The mines along this road were built during the historic but short silver boom between 1882 and 1893. The road is paved and passes through three abandoned towns, but drive carefully because the road is narrow, steep and winding in several places. Photo by Lea Baca.

South Park is one of three mountain parks in Colorado. All of these contain mountain grasslands, but South Park is home to some famous extreme rich fens. South Park is accessed from Denver via Route 285 which enters from the north over Kenosha Pass where you will see the most spectacular views of the area with the Mosquito Mountains in the background. Photo by Linda Smith.

This is a photo of the Ron Steward Preserve at Rabbit Mountain (formerly Rabbit Mountain Open Space) in Boulder. This 5,000 acre preserve has three hiking trails from 1.2 to 4 miles long, great birding, horseback riding, biking and also has wildlife, including prairie dogs, lizards, snakes, mule deer, elk and mountain lions. Photo by Bill Bowman.

This photo was taken by Tom Lebsack from the trail to Upper Crystal Lake in Summit County. The mountain in the background is Father Dyer Peak which is 13,615 feet high and is part of the Tenmile mountain range. Father John Lewis Dyer was a Methodist minister who visited the mining camps to preach to the miners in the mid-nineteenth century. He made many ascents of mountains in the Tenmile Range. The Tenmile Range is not actually ten miles, but contains ten peaks approximately one mile apart from Peak One at one end to Peak Ten at the other end. There is one 14er, Quandary Peak, in this range.

Leslie Madson took this photo on the Island Lake via Ice Lakes Trail outside of Silverton, CO. The trail is 7.7 miles long, considered difficult but is popular for hiking, snowshoeing and rock climbing. It has some of the most breathtaking views in the state, including waterfalls, creeks and Fall colors. The color of Ice Lake is extraordinary.

Swampy Pass Trail is a 10.9 mile out and back trail a bit southwest of Crested Butte off County Road 730. It is located in the West Elk Wilderness and is open to hikers or horseback riding. The flowers covering the meadow in the photo are Mule\'s Ears (Wyethia amplexicaulis). The photo by Steve Pearlman.

This is a photo of Marcellina Mountain with aspens in full fall color. It is taken from the Ruby Range, which is just on the other side of Crested Butte from Keebler Pass. The Ruby Range has nine peaks, relatively close to each other, the highest being Mt. Own at 13, 058\'. Marcellina Mountain is a 11,353 peak, and is is located in the Raggeds Wilderness of Gunnison National Forest. There are plenty of hiking trails both on Marcellina Mountain and the Ruby Range. The photo was taken by Bill Bowman.

Square Top Lakes Trail is one of several trails at the top of Guanella Pass which is an easy drive from Georgetown from the north or Bailey from the south on Route 62. The 4.5 mile round trip trail starts at 11,600\' and has a 700\' elevation gain, but it gives you sweeping valley views of South Park and spectacular views of Mt. Bierstadt, a well known 14er with its trailhead also on Guanella Pass. The red flowers in the foreground are Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja). Photo by Daniel Bon.

The Rogers Pass Trail, located near Winter Park is a 5.0 mile out and back trail above timberline. It is not heavily used and is accessed by County Road 80 (Forest Road 149) from Winter Park. High clearance vehicle is recommended for the 11 mile trip. It is open to hiking, mountain biking, and running. The trail passes the lovely Rollins Pass Lake. The yellow flowers in the foreground are Old Man of the Mountain (Hymenoxys grandiflora). Photo by Leslie Madsen.