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West Maroon Creek: Maroon Lake & Crater LakeWest Maroon Creek: Maroon Lake & Crater Lake

West Maroon Creek: Maroon Lake & Crater Lake

Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness | Saturday & Sunday, July 25-26, 2026

I can’t believe that it has finally happened! Just like with the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Maroon Bells Scenic Area was one of those places I thought I would probably never visit because of how popular and busy it can be there- plus there’s also the additional logistics of getting there and being able to park. As I have been working my way through the trails of the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness these past few years, I figured it was finally time to give this area a shot and hike up the West Maroon Creek drainage since I had already booked permits at all of the other areas in the Wilderness with designated campsites except for at Crater Lake. Back in February I was able to secure a camping permit at Crater Lake along with an overnight parking reservation, so this trip was actually going to happen this year! Although I initially hoped that Diane would be able to go with me, she was unavailable this weekend, so I invited Jackson and his wife Amy who both wanted to come along.

CONTINUE READINGWest Maroon Creek: Maroon Lake & Crater Lake
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The Flat Tops: Trappers Lake to Big Marvine PeakThe Flat Tops: Trappers Lake to Big Marvine Peak

The Flat Tops: Trappers Lake to Big Marvine Peak

Flat Tops Wilderness | Friday – Saturday, June 19-20, 2026

This year for the Juneteenth holiday Jackson and I headed up into the Flat Tops Wilderness for a quick overnight backpacking trip so I could finally hike to the summit of Big Marvine Peak, which is something I’ve wanted to do since the first time I laid eyes on that peak jutting out from the top of the plateau from a distance. I had actually planned to hike to Big Marvine Peak with Diane when we backpacked to the Marvine Lakes about three years ago, but things didn’t quite go as planned on that trip and we ended up just staying in the Marvine Creek drainage, so I was looking forward to trying again, but this time coming from the opposite direction. We left home early on Friday morning and made our way to Meeker, then followed the Flat Tops Trail along the White River to the Wall Lake Trailhead located just above Trappers Lake, where we began our hike.

CONTINUE READINGThe Flat Tops: Trappers Lake to Big Marvine Peak
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La Plata Mountains and the Jersey Jim Fire LookoutLa Plata Mountains and the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout

La Plata Mountains and the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout

Overlooking the Four Corners | Friday – Sunday, June 12-14, 2026

A few weeks ago I was able to reserve a night at the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout Tower when the reservation system was moved over to Recreation.gov without very much notice. Diane was not able to come with me on my previous visit to the Fire Tower and I have wanted to take her back ever since, so we planned an extended weekend in the La Plata Mountains around this stay. It’s kind of hard to believe that it has been almost six years since my last visit to the La Platas, so I was definitely overdue for a return! We left home early on Friday morning and took the San Juan Skyway over Lizard Head Pass to Rico and then followed the Dolores River to Hillside Drive which we turned up and followed to the end. From the end of the road we hiked up the Hillside Connector Trail and Grindstone Trail until we reached the Highline Trail, which is part of The Colorado Trail, and then followed it across the top of Indian Trail Ridge.

CONTINUE READINGLa Plata Mountains and the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout
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The Gunnison River: Tongue Creek to Crane LandingThe Gunnison River: Tongue Creek to Crane Landing

The Gunnison River: Tongue Creek to Crane Landing

Saturday, May 30, 2026 | Average CFS: 695

This morning Jackson and I headed over to Delta so we could float the last remaining section of the Gunnison River below the Black Canyon that I had not been on yet. Although Jackson and Chris had actually floated this short section of the river a few years ago, I was unavailable the day they went and have been trying to get back ever since. While I really only needed to float the section from the Highway 65 Bridge to Confluence Park, Delta County constructed a new boat ramp a few miles further downstream just a couple of years ago and we thought it would be a good idea to extend the trip a little bit and take out there. Since this would be a pretty short and easy day trip, we decided to skip the inflatable kayaks and just bring our packrafts to make things a little easier. I met up with Jackson and his son Ken at the Crane Landing Boat Ramp by 9:00am and then we took Jackson’s car up to the put-in just below the Highway 65 Bridge.

CONTINUE READINGThe Gunnison River: Tongue Creek to Crane Landing
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The Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison GorgeThe Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison Gorge

The Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison Gorge

Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area | Friday – Saturday, April 24-25, 2026

Since we just drove home from Arizona this past weekend and I’ll be leaving for Las Vegas early on Thursday morning, I thought it would be a good idea to stay closer to home this weekend and hike a few more sections of the trails found within the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, especially since my last trip to the Gunnison Gorge was cut short earlier in the month when I was still battling a bad cold. The weather was calling for rain to begin overnight on Saturday and continue throughout Sunday, so I figured I would just head out after work on Friday for a quick overnighter and come home later on Saturday. I left from work on Friday afternoon, grabbed a quick dinner in Delta and then decided to go on a few short hikes along the foot of the Uncompahgre Plateau before heading over to find a campsite near the Gunnison Gorge.

CONTINUE READINGThe Uncompahgre Plateau to the Gunnison Gorge
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