Category: Colorado

What to Wear After the Long Weekend

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Y’all Labor Day is quite possibly my least favorite holiday of the year. Just when I’m starting to come to terms with the fact that school is in fact here and I’m going to have to deal with class schedules and homework for the next 9 months a four day weekend rolls around and throws me right back into summer mode. This year I’m a little more excited for the long weekend though because I get to take a mini road trip to attend my cousin’s bridal shower and I wouldn’t have been able to attend if I didn’t have the extra time off of school. If the day after the Labor Day weekend is as much of a struggle for you as it is for me I’m sharing the coziest outfit that will keep you looking put together when you just want to go back to bed. It’s also what I wear pretty much nonstop in the Autumn so hopefully it will help you get into the fall spirit too!

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Is socks and birkenstocks just a Colorado thing? It’s so comy!

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This tshirt is from a company called Z Supply, they’re fast fashion unfortunately, but they are donating 100% of the profits from this shirt to the anti-trafficking organization The Exodus Road and if you post a photo with #everydayeveryone they’ll donate $5 to The Exodus Road. It’s also soo comfy and I’ve been living in it a lot lately.

What are you doing for the long weekend? Tell me in the comments!

~Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t truly think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or yarn, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

 

 

My Favorite Clothes to Hike In

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Hello friends!

Last month I shared my four favorite day hikes in Colorado so today I thought I’d share what I wear when I hike. How you dress is a huge part of staying comfortable and safe while hiking. In general, I like to make sure that my base layer is something that will be comfortable if it gets wet and dry quickly. No matter how long your hike is or where you are going you will also want to pack a jacket or sweater for warmth and a waterproof layer. Currently, I use this rain jacket, but I also always have a rain poncho with me which you can get for a couple of dollars and can be reused if you are careful. For my warmth layer, I use a quarter zip pullover from Nike that I received as a gift for years, when it wears out I will probably replace it with something like this Smartwool baselayer (sized up so I can wear it as a sweater) or this Patagonia sweater.

 

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This look is pretty similar to what I usually wear for day hikes especially when the weather is warm. United by Blue makes the cutest organic cotton graphic tees and these shorts are so comfortable.

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I’ve had these Merrell hiking shoes for about two years and they are amazing. I have hiked 10+ miles in these with no blisters and in way less pain than when I was hiking in just tennis shoes.

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Tshirt United by Blue, Shorts Under Armour layered over these shorts, Sports Bra Under Armour (similar), Shoes Merrell, Socks Smartwool

Do you like to hike? What are your go-to clothing pieces to stay safe and comfortable on the trail? Tell me in the comments!

~Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t truly think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or yarn, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

Colorado Summer Bucket List

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June is here which means summer is coming fast! Most summers feel like they fly by and when the school year hits I feel like I didn’t fit in everything I want. To help keep that from happening I put together a summer bucket list. Some of this list is of activities that I want to do this summer and some of it is of activities that anyone should definitely do at least once if they are in Colorado during the summer time.

(1) Visit Rock Ledge Ranch

Rock Ledge Ranch is a living history site located right by the main entrance of Garden of the Gods. While visiting you can experience life in the Pikes Peak region with the Ute Indians, on a homestead, on a working ranch, and on the country estate of General William J. Palmer’s sister in law. The 4th of July is a really fun time to visit but going on a weekday will give you more time to explore the houses. The park is open Wednesday-Saturday from 10am-5pm and admission is $8 for adults.

(2) Visit the Denver Art Museum

I visited the Denver Art Museum a few years ago and they had a really cool textile exhibit that was under construction at the time. I’d love to go back and check it out. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 with a student id

(3) Visit the Denver Botanic Gardens

The Denver Botanic Gardens has multiple locations but the York street gardens in Denver have a succulent garden and a rose garden that I love to visit. Tickets are $12.50 for adults and $9 with a student id.

(4) Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park

I don’t stop talking about Rocky Mountain National Park so I’ll just link to two of the posts about my favorite hikes there. 4 of my Favorite Day Hikes in Colorado, Colorado Travel Guide: Rocky Mountain National Park. A day pass is $20 for a car.

(5) Hike a fourteener

Colorado has over 40 14,000 ft mountains! Read these two posts before you go and if you don’t feel ready to hike one, you can still visit the summit of Pikes Peak by driving up the Pikes Peak Highway. Hiking Pikes Peak: My First Fourteener!, Five Things to Know Before You Go Hiking To drive the highway it is $15 for adults or $50 with a car of 5 or more people.

(6) Go camping

You can camp in Rocky Mountain National Park which makes number 4 more convenient. I also love camping near Glenwood Springs or in Eleven mile canyon.

(7) Go hammocking

Swinging in a hammock is one of the most relaxing things ever. I have this ENO and you will probably want straps as well.

(8) Cycle Glenwood canyon

The River trail goes through Glenwood Canyon along the Colorado River but make sure you go in July or later because the river floods the trail during spring run-off season. The Rio Grande trail goes between Glenwood Springs and Aspen.

(9) Go tubing in the South Platte River

This is another thing you should probably do later in the summer because the rivers in Colorado are COLD early in the season but if you pick a warm day tubing down the river is a blast!

(10) Hike the incline

One mile of old railroad ties that start in Manitou Springs, CO and climb almost 2000 feet in elevation. Olympic athletes and amateurs alike love this hike. I’ve done it once and once was enough.

Have you done any of these things? What would you add to this list?

Also, did y’all know that I have an email list? That’s right! If you want access to exclusive content (including my weekly favorites starting next Wednesday!) plus a free pdf version of this list sign up here!

~Maizy

4 of my Favorite Day Hikes in Colorado

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The trees are starting to leaf out, crocuses and daffodils are blooming, and the weather is alternating between freezing temperatures and 65 and sunny which can only mean that spring has arrived in Colorado. With the changing seasons comes a desire to get into the mountains and go hiking. To help me stay patient and focused on class, I’ve compiled a list of 4 awesome day hikes in Colorado that I love to do and will definitely be on my docket this summer. These hikes are spread out over Colorado and are a great way to spend a few hours.

1 Finch Lake

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Located in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National park, this is a gorgeous hike through pine forest and the occasional grove of aspens ending with beautiful views of finch lake. The trail is 4.2 miles one way and another 2 miles takes you pear lake. This hike is moderate to difficult with the hardest section being a steep hill close to the trailhead.

2 Wild Basin

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Wild Basin is a 6.3-mile one-way out and back trail punctuated by beautiful waterfalls and ending at a lake. Wild Basin is my all-time favorite area to hike. The area is interlaced with dozens of rivers and all of the moisture causes it to explode with lush greenery and wildflowers. This trail is moderate to difficult but the waterfalls are spaced out really well for hikers to take breaks

3 Pancake Rocks and Horsethief Falls

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Pancake rocks is an approximately 6 mile out and back trail that starts between Divide and Cripple Creek on Highway 67. Horsethief falls is approximately two miles. Both trails are gorgeous hikes through Pike National Forest but pancake rocks is a much more difficult trail that ends with beautiful views of Cripple Creek surrounded by the most incredible rock formations that look exactly like stacked pancakes! Horsethief falls is a gentler hike that ends at a waterfall.

4 Wheeler National Recreation Trail

 

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Quandary Peak from the Wheeler trailhead

 

The wheeler trail is a through hiking trail that starts near the Quandary Peak trailhead. The first two miles you climb to the top of a bluff, hike along it, and then climb back down. The top of the bluff burned in a wildfire at some point and has recovered enough that it has beautiful grass and wildflowers and young spruce and pine trees. The wheeler trial is also an alternate route to get to the Mohawk Lakes trail if you don’t have a vehicle that can handle the road to Mohawk Lakes.

Planning a hiking trip this summer? You might want to check out my post Five Things to Know Before You Go Hiking it’s full of useful tips to make your hiking trip safer and more enjoyable!

Have you hiked any of these trails? Tell me about it in the comments!

~Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t truly think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or yarn, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

 

 

Colorado Travel Guide: Steamboat Springs

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Hello and welcome back to the Colorado Travel Guide. This is a series I’ve done fairly frequently in the past but it hasn’t appeared in a while. There is no particular order to these posts, it’s just a place for me to walk you through all of the shops, restaurants, hikes, and sights that I love in my favorite state.

For spring break this year my family decided that we were finally going to make the drive up to the northwest corner of the state and visit Steamboat Springs and Dinosaur National Monument. I’m a pretty big national park fan and I realized on this trip that Dinosaur was the last major national park/monument for me to visit in Colorado. There are a couple of smaller sites left but I was pretty excited when I realized that.

The main visitor center of Dinosaur National Monument is two hours west of Steamboat Springs in Jensen, Utah. There is also an entrance in Dinosaur, Colorado. If it’s your first time visiting I recommend going to the Jensen entrance but I would like to eventually go back and get more hiking in on the Colorado side of the park. Hands down the coolest part of the park was the Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall. You get to touch real fossils that are still embedded in the actual rock. My niece adores dinosaurs and wants to be a paleontologist when she grows up and I kept wishing that she was there the whole time because she would have loved it.

The most common reason for people to visit Steamboat is the skiing, the second most common reason is the hot springs. Old Town Hot Springs is right on the edge of downtown. It was so cool sitting in the warm water and watch the snowfall. The only problem was that I forgot to pack my contacts on the trip and the steam made it so I couldn’t see through my glasses.

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Steamboat Springs had a really cool art culture. There were galleries everywhere. The art museum is free to the public and had beautiful oil paintings and sculptures by artists from Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. The Eleanor Bliss Center for the Arts looked really cool but when we got there they were packing up the most recent display. There was a really cute dog running around though.

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I didn’t get any pictures but the first night we were there we ate dinner at Vaqueros, a Mexican restaurant. The food wasn’t exceptional but the atmosphere reminded me of a Robert Louis Stevenson book. Kind of dark with lots of wood and brick, like the characters of Treasure Island were probably somewhere in the back. Aaaand that’s how you know I was homeschooled. LOL.

The food I DID really enjoy was from Steamboat Smokehouse. I love barbeque and the ice cream shop on the other side of the building had amazing pomegranate sorbet.

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I always have to visit the bookstore in any new town and Off the Beaten Path Bookstore was amazing. I love bookstores in old houses; it’s so fun to find little corners and just get lost in a book. I found a practically brand-new autographed copy of Everyone Brave is Forgiven in the used books section for half-off and I’m still a little giddy.
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The bookstore was also a coffee shop and the latte names were either book titles or literary characters and it was super adorable.

Some of the other cute shops we visited were All That, which had a cool vintage vinyl selection, and Ohana which had a surprisingly surfer vibe for a Colorado town.

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Have you visited Steamboat Springs? What were your favorite places? Tell me in the comments!

Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t truly think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or yarn, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

Five Things to Know Before You Go Hiking

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Hello!

Living in Colorado, I’ve grown up hiking but I only started doing it seriously last summer. I’ve learned a lot about how to do it safely. In this post I’m sharing my top five things to know before you go hiking if you’ve never been in a place with mountains before or if you just haven’t had much experience with hiking.

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      While hiking in the bluffs behind my house I found a couch that someone had hauled up on top of a cliff.

      The first thing you’ll need when you go hiking is a good pair of shoes. You’ll need something sturdy, with good arch support and deep tread so that you won’t slip around on the trail. I love my Saucony trail running shoes and my Merrell hiking shoes. If the trail is not too rough I sometimes hike in Tevas and Chaco sandals have an almost cult following here in Colorado. If you are doing multi-day hikes (also known as backpacking) you will eventually want to invest in a pair of hiking boots to support your ankles.

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      On the beach after hiking through Redwoods Natl. Park

      Once you have your shoes you’re going to need some clothes to hike in. Weather is extremely unpredictable in the mountains so you are going to need layers. I recommend a pair of leggings or shorts, a tshirt or tank top, a warm jacket or sweatshirt and a rain jacket or emergency rain poncho. Having the proper clothing to stay warm and dry will make your hike so much more enjoyable and is extremely important for staying safe because hypothermia can occur during any season in the mountains.

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      Hiking in Rocky Mountain Natl. Park

      Hiking can be very strenuous exercise and you are going to need to stay maintain hydration and nutrition. This may seem obvious but you’d be surprised the number of people who think a bottle of soda is all they need to take on a hike. For hikes two miles or less one way you shouldn’t need to pack much with you. As long as you are properly hydrated and have eaten well beforehand all you should need to bring is a water bottle and maybe a granola bar. For longer hikes or hikes farther away from civilization you will need a combination of protein, complex carbs, and simple carbs/sugar. I like to combine almonds, coconut flakes, and dried cranberries and a few m&ms never hurt either haha. If you are sweating and working hard water is super important but not enough to keep you hydrated gatorade works but I recommend throwing something salty in with your snacks and I like to use Gu gels that I get from REI. They have 100 calories in carbs and lots of salt and potassium. For longer hikes I like to use a 2 liter resevoir in my backpack to make it easy to keep drinking.

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      Mt. Quandary

      The higher in elevation you get, the stronger the radiation from the sun so pick a sunscreen with a high SPF and reapply often.

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Grand Tetons Natl. Park

If you go to any place with mountains from any place without them you are probably going to be making a decent jump in elevation. Altitude sickness is caused by lower air pressure and the resulting lower concentration of oxygen. The most common type of altitude sickness is acute mild altitude sickness which is serious but there are much more serious types that happen at very high altitudes that can be fatal. Symptoms of altitude sickness are a throbbing headache, lack of appetite, nausea, feeling weak and tired, not sleeping well, and feeling dizzy. Staying hydrated is super important for preventing altitude sickness and if you are at high altitude and feel any of the symptoms I listed or feel like you can’t catch your breath go to lower altitude, and drink water, you can also take aspirin or ibuprofen or something similar to help with any headache you might have. If the symptoms don’t go away after you’ve rested at a lower altitude see a doctor. If you come to Colorado from a lower elevation and want to do some hiking in the mountains spend a couple of days in a place like Colorado Springs or Denver and get acclimated to that altitude before you set off into the high country.

Do you like to hike? Where are your favorite places to go hiking? Tell me in the comments!

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t truly think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or yarn, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

Colorado Travel Guide: Boreas Pass + Giveaway Winners!

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Every season in Colorado is beautiful, but autumn is especially lovely. On a recent trip into the mountains to admire the changing colors my family decided to explore a new to us part of Colorado and drive through Boreas Pass. We ended up driving to the summit and then turning around instead of going the whole length of the pass but it was so pretty that I had to share it with all of you.

But first, I have some giveaway winners to announce! Emily Robberson and Sarah Subramanian I’ve sent you an email to get your prizes to you!

Boreas pass is a dirt road that goes between Fairplay and Breckenridge. My family started in Fairplay and turned towards Como where the road over the pass starts. The road is fairly rough and can be pretty narrow in places so this is not a good road if you don’t have a car that can easily navigate dirt roads or if you have a fear of mountain driving.

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The views are incredible and the aspens lining the road are gorgeous!

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That moment when you delete the wrong picture and you have a truck in the middle of your view.

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The summit of Boreas Pass intersects with the Continental Divide and is at 11,482 feet in elevation.

This is a really beautiful part of Colorado and I highly recommend visiting if you are looking for a place to admire the autumn foliage.

What are your favorite places to admire the autumn scenery? Let me know in the comments!

~Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t use all the time and think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

My Autumn Essentials

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Happy Labor Day!

I hope you all had/are having a great day with your family and friends! To celebrate the unofficial first day of fall I’m sharing my fall essentials. Before I start, I have to give credit to Katie Leigh on YouTube (she also has a blog which I will link here) I was wracking my brain last night for a blog post that I could have up today and then I got an email notification that Katie just uploaded her fall essentials. So on that note, you can go see Katie’s essentials through the link up above and read on to find out mine.

  1. Fall candles

This is something I just got into last year but I love them so much. I’m not allowed to actually burn candles in my bedroom so I use this thing called a *candle warmer. It basically just melts the candle so that you get the scent without the flame. Some of my favorite fall candles are Pumpkin Apple from BBW, Autumn from BBW, Cranberry Woods from BBW, Mandarin Cranberry from Yankee Candle, and Macintosh from Yankee Candle.

2. Long Sleeve Tshirts

This might be weird but I’ve been loving the look of a long sleeved tshirt with either shorts and my tevas or skinny jeans and my converse, depending on the weather. It’s just super cozy and effortless while still looking cute. I really love the long sleeve tshirts from Ivory Ella and I want this one from Trevor James.

3. Camis Layered with Cardigans

This is a super cute layered look but its still cool enough for the warmer autumn days.

4. Darker Lip Colors

Nothing too crazy but I love wearing berries and darker reds during the fall time. I love the Fresh Sugar Lip Balm in Berry. I also bought the Rimmel The Only One lipstick in *Under My Spell but I wore it once and it was really pigmented which made it look darker than I expected so I’m going to have to play around with it to get it to not look crazy.

5. A Trip to the Mountains (or two or three!)

The Rocky Mountains are always stunningly beautiful but during the fall the color change is really spectatular. Autumn is also a great time for hiking because its not freezing yet but it has cooled off from the summer time. There is a great state park just about an hour away from me that has the most beautiful aspen forest that turns to pure gold in the fall so I try to sneak as many hikes in up there as I can before the view fades.

6. Pumpkin Donuts

During those trips to the mountains I drive past the cutes donut shop called the Donut Mill. The donuts are tasty all of the time but in the fall they have a pumpkin donut with cinnamon and nutmeg and be still my heart it is amazing. I might occasionally get one of my way there and on my way back, don’t judge.

What are your fall essentials? Tell me in the comments!

~Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t use all the time and think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

 

Hiking Pikes Peak: My First Fourteener!

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On Saturday, July 16, I hiked my first fourteener! A fourteener is a mountain that is between 14,000 and 15,000 feet in elevation. It was REALLY hard. The trail itself was surprisingly easy but the combination of altitude and sheer length of the trail made this a very difficult hike. This post isn’t going to be part of my Colorado Travel Guide series but I do plan to write a post for that series about the Colorado fourteeners after I have hiked a few more.

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Me and the ladies I hiked with

I hiked Pike’s Peak with three other ladies from my church. The summit is 14,110 feet in elevation and the trail is 12.7 miles long. My group started at the trailhead at 5:00 in the morning in order to reach the summit by early afternoon. Storms, especially lightning storms, are very common at high elevation especially in the afternoon. We hiked for about 3.5 hours and stopped at the halfway point, Barr camp to rest a bit and refill our water bottles. There is no running water on the trail that is safe to drink so bring a filter, or bring a lot of water. I drank two 70 ounces (two liters) on the first half and 118 ounces on the second half. Drinking lots of water is more important the farther up you go because it helps with altitude sickness. There is a stream at Barr camp where you can refill (with a filter or you will get giardia) and according to one member of my group there is a runoff stream a little ways down from A frame camp and off from the trail. It was dry when I was there so I would not count on filling up there. I didn’t start to feel the altitude until we got above treeline. After treeline you climb about 5,000 feet in 3 miles. Once I got to the top the altitude kicked I started feeling a bit nauseous and I was really tired but I never got altitude sickness thankfully. After hiking Pike’s Peak  I feel a bit more serious about hiking more fourteeners because I know how hard it is but I also am excited because I’ve proven to myself that I can do it.

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Me and one of the ladies on the hike

Here are my takeaways from the hike.

  • HYDRATION IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL! I drank twice my normal amount the day before the hike as well as during the hike and I attribute how well I did with the altitude entirely to that.
  • Eat something before. I carb loaded the night before the hike and packed lots of carby and sugary snacks to make sure I had enough energy but I wish that I had remembered to eat something like toast with almond butter before I left for the hike so that I had something in my stomach before I started.
  • Wear light layers. The temperature fluctuates so make sure that you can take things off and put them on easily.
  • Every time I stopped, my body could have kept going but I had to convince my mind that I could finish the hike. Your body can do a lot more than you think you can.
  • Whoever said that the 16 golden stairs were the very end of the hike lied because there are definitely more than 16 switchbacks before you reach the summit.
  • Mt. Bierstadt, here I come!
  • Be prepared to hike all the way back down, or have someone drive to the summit to pick you up. Not all fourteeners have a road to the summit.

~Maizy

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t use all the time and think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.

Colorado Travel Guide: Rocky Mountain National Park

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Happy Independence Day!

Rocky Mountain National Park is a stunning part of Colorado, filled with rugged mountains, dense forests, powerful rivers, and freezing tundras where summer never comes. It is the home of Long’s Peak, the highest mountain in Colorado as well as the source of the Colorado River, which makes its way through the country, eventually winding its way through the Grand Canyon. It is one of my favorite places to hike and camp, or just take a day trip to drive around and see the beautiful views. An entrance to the park is located just outside of Estes Park, Colorado.

I recently camped in the park to explore and get some higher altitude hiking in before I hike my first fourteener (also known as mountians that are at least fourteen thousand feet in elevation).  Please note that Rocky Mountain National Park is a high elevation park. Make sure to stay hydrated and watch for signs of altitude sickness, which can be life threatening. If you are from a much lower elevation than most of Colorado I would reccommend taking a few days to acclimate to the elevation in a place with access to medical assistance before attempting a hike in the park.

The first hike I did was to Fern Lake, I got caught in the rain so I didn’t make it all the way to the lake, but the views were incredible and the foliage and wildflowers were beautiful. Make sure to bring bug spray and wear long pants/sleeves, the mosquitoes were fierce.

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The second hike I did was in the Wild Basin area the trail passes a series of waterfalls and ends at a lake. Again, I got caught in the rain so I didn’t make it all of the way to the lake but I made it five miles in and saw three of the waterfalls.

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Before you leave the park, make sure to drive over Trail Ridge Road. It is the highest paved road in the United States and takes you through all of the various eocsystems in the park. The first is Montane, the thick mountian forests with a large diversity of animal and plant life. Next is Subalpine, which is located just before and after treeline, where the elevation makes it too difficult for trees to grow. The last is Alpine Tundra, summer seems to never come here and there is always snow on the ground.

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the view of the park from Trail Ridge Road

While on Trail Ridge Road we stopped near the trail head for Mt. Ida, there was a short trail above this lake that was quite lovely.

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I never realized before this trip that there is a National Scenic Trail along the Continental Divide that goes all the way from New Mexico, through Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho, to Montana. Backpacking along that trail is definitely something that I want to do in the next five years.

I hope you enjoyed this and got another idea for your next visit to Colorado!

~Maizy

Check out my Colorado Travel Guide posts about Estes Park pt. 1, Estes Park pt. 2, The Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory, Bishop’s Castle, and The Hanging Lake Trail.

Unless I let you know otherwise, my posts aren’t sponsored by any of the companies whose products I mention. I won’t accept sponsorships from companies whose products I don’t use all the time and think are really great. However, links marked with an * are affiliate links. Should you click on the links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I’ll go add to my growing stash of tea, or pay the fines on that library book that I couldn’t put down for a month.