Let's face it: No matter where you are in Colorado, you are almost guaranteed to be either in or near a heavenly location. From the dazzling cities to the golden plains all the way to the top of majestic peaks, you are sure to find an out-of-this-world oasis. If we had to choose our favorite place, however, it would have to be this one spot that is our idea of heaven on earth:
Spanning an incredible 76,711 acres and nestled between Rocky Mountain National Park and James Peak Wilderness, Indian Peaks Wilderness is a true heaven-on-earth that features varying landscapes and oh-so vibrant colors.
Named for the numerous Native American tribes who used to inhabit the area, Indian Peaks features a number of iconic Colorado landmarks, including the grandiose Mount Jasper...
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...clear waters of Lake Isabel...
...rocky Navajo Peak...
...and even Crater Lake, which is tucked away amidst this green and grassy meadow.
If you are looking for a grueling climb (Indian Peaks is home to seven ranges over 13,000 feet!) or something a bit more leisurely (there are plenty of easy to moderate trails as well), you are sure to find something to love about this special area.
Fun fact: The metamorphic rocks and silver plume granite in the area are both estimated to be at least one billion years old!
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Whether you visit Indian Peaks during the light of day...
...or still of the night, you are sure to find something to love about this unique and heavenly open space.
Do you like hiking? Do you like hot springs? Do you like hiking to hot springs? If so, a trip to Rainbow Hot Springs should be in your future. This remote, natural, undeveloped hot springs is a joy at the end of a beautiful trail.
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The Rainbow Hot Springs Trail starts at the West Fork Trailhead outside of Pagosa Springs. If you're visiting The Springs Resort in Pagosa, then a hike to Rainbow Hot Springs is a great addition. While The Springs Resort is absolutely lovely and is one of the best hot springs resorts in Colorado, it's a luxury resort for a high-end, classy experience. It's a wonderful place to relax and be pampered and to relax in a vast number of maintained hot springs pools at a variety of different temperatures. It's truly fantastic.
Rainbow Hot Springs is at the opposite end of the spectrum of hot springs, but it is equally lovely and fantastic in an entirely different way. The two hot springs pools that make up Rainbow Hot Springs are located on the bank of the San Juan River. Hot water enters the river from its sides into the cooler, flowing river; visitors have created hot springs pools by stacking rocks, and you can adjust the pool's temperature by moving rocks to allow or prevent cool water from entering the pool. This type of hot spring pool is as natural as it gets, and its beauty is the fact it is so primitive.
You'll love relaxing in these hot springs pools after the long hike to reach them. To get to the trailhead, you'll go northeast from Pagosa Springs on US 160 for 16 miles; turn left on West Fork Campground Road (CR 648) and continue seven miles to the West Fork Trailhead.
From there, you'll follow the trail for about four or five miles past the Borns Lake cabins until you come to the campground. The hot springs can be reached by following trails down to the water near sites six, seven, and eight. Look for stacked rocks in the water to located Rainbow Hot Springs - and get in!
There's an upper and lower pool here; be sure to try both. The lower pool averages about 95 degrees, but the smaller, upper pool runs about 105. Both pools will be quite pleasant after your hike.
Of course, remember to pack out whatever you brought in to help keep Rainbow Hot Springs beautiful for other visitors.
You will have experienced about 1000 feet of elevation gain on your hike to Rainbow Hot Springs, but don't worry - it's almost entirely downhill on the way back to your car. This hike is beautiful - you'd be sure to enjoy it even if it didn't have a pair of hot springs at its end - so be sure to take your time along the way and take lots of pictures. Rainbow Hot Springs is an adventure worth undertaking! You'll love this hike and soak combination - plan a visit today.
The most iconic pair of peaks in Colorado is, without a doubt, Maroon Bells. These two mountain peaks, located in the eponymous Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area near Aspen, are absolutely gorgeous. Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak are separated by less than a half mile, and both are over 14,000 feet tall. The view of these peaks from the southwest, as shown above, is one of the most commonly photographed panoramas in all of Colorado.
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Everyone who visits and views these mountains is amazed by their beauty. But have you ever taken a moment to notice and look at the lake at their base?
You may have hardly even noticed it before, but - without a doubt - its presence enhances this incredible scene immensely.
This lake adds so much to this spectacular setting, as it's extremely clear and still, and it is a major piece of the puzzle when it comes to photographing this pair of peaks. It's name is Maroon Lake, and it sits pretty at 9,850 feet of elevation. Like the valley that surrounds it, this lake was first sculpted by Ice Age alpine glaciers and later by stream erosion and mudslides. Mud and debris slides from Sievers Mountain to the west dammed West Maroon Creek at one point, and as a result, the lake was formed.
Surprisingly, this lake is only 10 feet deep at its deepest point, and its even shallower in most areas. Because of this, and because of the way the lake was formed, and due to the fact that it remains full year after year thanks to rain and runoff from snowmelt, this lake is naturally devoid of fish. However, the lake is stocked with brook, rainbow, brown, and Colorado River cutthroat trout by the Colorado Division of Wildlife each year. It's popular with anglers, but anyone wanting to fish there needs a state-issued fishing license, of course.
Activities including swimming, wading, boating, kayaking, and rafting are prohibited in Maroon Lake, but visitors can walk all the way around it easily on the 1.7-mile nature trail that circumnavigates it. Don't forget to bring your camera - you're sure to take dozens of pictures on your journey.
Maroon Lake is one of the cleanest and clearest lakes in our great state, but these qualities are threatened by the large number of people who visit it each year. Often, over 300,000 people visit Maroon Lake each year. The U.S. Forest Service encourages people to visit this place to experience it in person for themselves, but also has to work hard to combat human impact on this beautiful place. In order to decrease the impact of passenger vehicles on this area, visitors must take a 30-minute shuttle to the site from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from May to October each year, and must reserve a spot on this shuttle in advance. This shuttle has helped to reduce airborne nitrogen levels that could pollute the lake since it began running in 1978.
Of course, visitors have to do their part, too. Other threats to the clarity and cleanliness of this lake include trail erosion - which can be greatly diminished when visitors stay on marked trails - and improper disposal of human waste. To help curtail the later issue, in recent years, visitors - especially those camping nearby - have been encouraged to practice proper human waste disposal practices through a U.S. Forest Service-led human waste disposal awareness campaign that has had much success.
The future of Maroon Bells, this view, Maroon Creek, and Maroon Lake is bright, as long as all who visit do their part! Everyone should visit this impressive spot at least once in their lives. You'll love it, and its a vista that you'll never, ever forget. Take lots of pictures, and leave nothing but footprints. Have a great visit!