The hiker injured a knee while on the Crater Lake Trail between Maroon Lake and Crater Lake, a popular hike that starts about 30 minutes from downtown Aspen, according to a news release from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

The out-and-back trail spans about two miles in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area.

Sheriff’s officials said the injured hiker texted the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center via satellite at 12:12 p.m. Tuesday. Dispatchers then alerted Mountain Rescue Aspen.

The first rescuers arrived at the trail in 50 minutes to start stabilizing the injured hiker, sheriff’s officials said.  More volunteers arrived shortly after and carried the hiker out to a waiting ambulance.

All 19 rescue personnel were out of the field by 2:45 p.m., according to the release.

Mountain Rescue Aspen and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said people should “hike smart,” which includes knowing their limits, picking the right trail, having an emergency plan and bringing the appropriate gear and supplies.

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.

The signs went up on July 23 on a section of the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway at the 11,670-foot summit of the pass, 11 miles south of Georgetown. Trails on the east side of the pass lead to Mount Bierstadt and Mount Blue Sky. Trails on the west side lead to two scenic alpine lakes beneath Square Top Mountain, another prime hiking destination.

Clear Creek County officials want to prevent motorists from illegally parking on the shoulders because it could obstruct or prevent first responders from getting through in an emergency.

“We had two emergency incidents, one on our side, one on the Park County side,” said Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jenny Fulton, referring to last year’s leaf-peeping season.

“Emergency vehicles could not respond in a timely manner because of the vehicles on both sides of the roadway. They took a two-lane roadway and made it one lane,” she added. “That’s why we started doing some parking mitigation up there, and we’re going to do more this year for leaf-peeping to mitigate the traffic volume and parking issues.”

During two leaf-peeping weekends last year, Fulton said, the number of cars on the 22-mile byway, between Georgetown, off of Interstate 25, and Grant in Park County, hit 10,000 both days. Since then, officials from Clear Creek County, Park County, the Arapaho National Forest and the town of Georgetown have been meeting regularly in order to prevent “a disaster,” she added.

That will take the form of checkpoints on both sides of the pass in 2025, posted with sheriff’s deputies.

“If we need to, we’re going to end up closing the road temporarily just to ensure it’s not overcrowded during leaf-peeping,” Fulton said. “We’re also going to be towing vehicles that are parking illegally and are blocking the roadway. We can’t do what happened last year. We can’t risk people’s lives by not being able to respond to emergencies at the summit.”

Until then, hikers are warned not to park along the road at the summit where the no-parking signs have been posted. Violators will be fined $87.50. There are two lots near the summit, located on forest service land, but they tend to overflow during fourteener season.

“The parking lots are designed for the capacity of the trail system,” Fulton said. “When people are overflowing parking lots and parking on both sides of the roadway a mile down, then there’s too many people on the trails. The trails are not made for that volume of foot traffic. The forest service has designed their parking lots with the capacity of the trail system in mind.”

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

The Evergreen-based Alpine Rescue Team, which covers Clear Creek, Gilpin and Jefferson counties, performed a record 172 missions last year, a 43% jump over the previous year. As of July 18, they stood at 72 for 2025. They hit 72 on July 19, 2024.

“We seem to be right on pace to match last year,” said Steve Wilson, a public information officer for the team.

On the other side of the Continental Divide, the Summit County Rescue Group surpassed 120 missions for the year last week. Their record is 220, which came in 2021.

“We are just about on pace with our record-breaking year,” said the group’s public information officer Ben Butler. “Generally we have been in the 180-190 range since then.”

But those rescue numbers aren’t the same everywhere in the state, said Anna DeBattiste, spokeswoman for the Colorado Search and Rescue Association.

“Some teams are telling me they are down, that things have been very quiet,” DeBattiste said. “I don’t think teams overall are busier. Anecdotally — I’m speculating — I do think when it’s really hot in the Front Range, more people are coming up into the high country. That could be a factor for Alpine, and it could be a factor for Summit.”

Boulder County’s Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, in fact, is running “well below average” this year, according to spokesman Page Weil.

Statewide, DeBattiste said there have been 14 helicopter hoist rescues performed by the Colorado Air National Guard this year, as compared to 11 for the same period last year. That doesn’t include medi-vac helicopters that transport injured hikers to hospitals after victims have been carried off the mountain.

Last month, there was a flurry of helicopter hoist rescues performed by the Air National Guard in coordination with local search and rescue teams. One, which was led by the Alpine Rescue Team, was from the summit of 14,270-foot Torreys Peak after two men were struck by lightning. It is believed to be the state’s highest-ever helicopter rescue.

Also last month, two hikers were rescued by helicopter hoist near the summit of Quandary Peak. There were two helicopter rescues in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness on the same day.

Colorado search and rescue teams are volunteer operations that work in concert with county sheriffs. They don’t charge a fee for their services. Purchase and upkeep of gear is funded by the Keep Colorado Wild state parks pass, sales of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue Card (CORSAR) and donations.

The Alpine Rescue Team used to be funded by proceeds from the Evergreen Town Race, a once-popular road race on Upper Bear Creek Road to Evergreen Lake that has been canceled the past two years.

These days, search and rescue is more rescue than search. Rescue teams say the proliferation of cellphones, improved mountain cellphone coverage, two-way satellite communication devices, Apple emergency SOS via satellite and other tech tools helps lost, stranded or injured hikers communicate their predicaments and locations.

“We don’t have as many searches as we used to, for people that are lost, because a lot of people can get themselves out with the help of their cellphone,” Wilson said. “We still have some, but they’re definitely reduced.

“But there are a lot more people who go out and twist their ankle, and help is merely a phone call away,” he added. “We don’t hesitate to go out there.”

The Summit County Rescue Group has seen the trend involving backcountry communications, too.

“It has decreased the number of pure searches we have,” Butler said, “where someone is overdue and we don’t have a good starting point.”

And, if technology makes it easier for hikers in distress to contact rescuers, that’s fine with Butler.

“I’d much rather have somebody who feels like they’re in a precarious situation call 911 for search and rescue services than push themselves beyond their limit,” Butler said.

The Alpine Rescue Team had a particularly busy day last month that involved a rescue on Torreys Peak and two separate calls at St. Mary’s Glacier, all within a two-hour period, according to public information officer Dawn Wilson.

“We had dozens of members spread out on three different missions at the same time,” she said.

She is reluctant to speculate on why the ART has seen a spike in numbers the past two years. Rescuers focus on helping hikers in distress, not questioning them about their credentials.

“We don’t have statistics on how much experience these people have,” she said. “We do realize people without experience are going out there. People get hurt, and we’re there to protect them. We’re the lifeguards of the backcountry. We’re there to help out, whether it’s by accident or bad planning.”

Recognizing that inexperience can be a factor in some rescues, though, the Colorado Search and Rescue Association is releasing a series of informational videos they hope will educate novices before they try something they aren’t ready to handle. Called Trailblazers & Lifesavers, the first two cover backcountry skiing on Vail Pass and rafting on the Arkansas River near Buena Vista. They can be found on the association’s blog and YouTube.

Still to come are videos on climbing the Third Flatiron in Boulder and fall hiking in Pagosa Springs. In the future, they hope to add videos on snowmobiling in Routt County and mountain biking on the Western Slope.

“Nobody goes out looking for a safety video online,” DeBattiste said. “The videos are very short, three-minute videos promoting a specific activity in a specific location. Like, are you thinking about getting into backcountry skiing? Vail Pass is a good place (for novices) to do it. Are you thinking about getting into whitewater rafting? The Milk Run on the Arkansas is a good place to start. When a person comes across the video by searching the activity or the location, it gets into how to do it safely.”

Butler reminds backcountry users hiking with dogs that canines have limitations their masters need to keep in mind. Dog rescues in the backcountry aren’t that common, but they do happen. The Summit County Rescue Group has a litter specially made for evacuating dogs.

“We will go out a couple of times a summer and assist pet owners whose dogs have become exhausted or injured,” Butler said. “It’s important for folks not only to recognize their limitations, but also think really hard about what adventures you’re bringing your dog on. Most dogs I have encountered are happy-go-lucky; they’re going to follow their owner to the ends of the earth. The dog has a hard time saying, ‘I’m tired, my legs are starting to hurt, my (paw) pads are starting to hurt.’

“The canines we’ve rescued,” Butler added, “they go and go and go until they can’t go any longer. They’re not going to be able to give you warning signs that they’re starting to get tired or dehydrated.”

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

In August, Neptune Mountaineering will launch “Second Send,” selling pre-owned mountaineering apparel, footwear, camping and skiing equipment. A gear buy-back program will start in mid-August with sellers paid in cash or store credit. That inventory will go on sale Labor Day weekend.

“We’re talking about it as a used gear ecosystem, because there is still so much life left in some of the high-quality goods that our industry puts out,” said store owner Maile Spung.

The store was founded in 1973 by Gary Neptune, a Boulder mountaineer with several major ascents to his credit, including Mount Everest. He sold the store when he retired in 2013, and there were two intervening owners before Spung took over in 2021. She also owns the Ute Mountaineer in Aspen, which, like Neptune, is a legacy store.

Neptune won’t be the only second-hand mountaineering shop in the metro area. Others include Feral mountain gear in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood and Wilderness Exchange near downtown in LoHi.

“There are a lot of economic factors that are at play, in that everything is getting more expensive in our consumers’ lives,” Spung said. “We really want to make sure we’re lowering the barrier to entry. We believe everyone should have access to the outdoors.”

Another factor at play is uncertainty over tariffs placed on gear manufactured overseas.

“Every couple of days we’re getting emails from our vendors about price increases,” Spung said. “Even with the uncertainty around the tariffs, the vendors are building in price increases to protect themselves. Unfortunately, that passes along to the consumer.”

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

Repair work began last fall after the road’s traditional Labor Day closure on a 0.7-mile section at 13,000 feet near Summit Lake. Crews were able to work into early November before the project had to be halted for winter. They removed old asphalt, improved the soil layer beneath the asphalt, moved and replaced culverts, improved drainage, completed a base layer on the road, installed headwalls and began rock embankment work.

Finishing the project required keeping the road closed this summer from Echo Lake to the summit, officials said. Construction resumed just this week.

“Siete Inc., the contractor on this project, is really confident that moving into this (construction) season, we will complete the work that we have lined out in our schedule,” said Tracy Trulove, the public information manager on the project. “There was so much good work accomplished in the fall, we don’t believe this would go past the intended timeframe, meaning the work would be finished before the winter shutdown.”

That would allow the Colorado Department of Transportation to conduct snow removal operations next spring, as usual, and get the road open for Memorial Day tourists in the traditional timeframe.

“We were waiting on conditions to get started (this summer),” said Michelle Peulen, the construction company’s vice president for public relations. “We fully anticipate, barring any significant weather impacts, to be complete this season.”

Fourteener peakbaggers are still able to hike from Echo Lake to the summit via the Chicago Lakes, but the trek involves 17 miles of hiking with 5,600 feet of climbing. When the road is open, it’s a 5.5-mile round-trip hike from Summit Lake with a 2,000-foot elevation gain.

Trulove said the construction company is working closely with the Evergreen-based Alpine Rescue Team, the search-and-rescue group that covers Mount Blue Sky, Grays and Torreys peaks and other hiking trails in Clear Creek, Gilpin and Jefferson counties.

“They still are getting calls,” Trulove said.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

The climber, who has not been publicly identified, fell and broke a leg in steep and unstable terrain less than 200 feet from the mountain’s 14,022-foot summit, according to a news release from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

Mountain Rescue Aspen and the sheriff’s office responded to an emergency SOS sent by the climber at about 9:15 a.m. Sunday, sheriff’s officials said.

The climber used a two-way satellite messaging device to communicate with rescue teams, according to the news release.

“Mountain Rescue Aspen and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind all adventurers that traveling with a partner and having the ability to communicate (while not relying on cellular coverage) in the mountains can help expedite a rescue in case of emergency,” officials stated in the news release.Mountain Rescue Aspen officials activated a Colorado Search and Rescue team, which helped arrange a Colorado National Guard helicopter to rescue the climber, sheriff’s officials said.

An off-duty member of New Mexico-based Atalaya Search and Rescue was also climbing in the area and helped the injured climber until Colorado rescuers arrived, sheriff’s officials said.

The injured climber was successfully hoisted off the mountain just before 1 p.m. Sunday and flown to a nearby airport, where an ambulance was waiting to take the climber to the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.

All 22 members of the Mountain Rescue Aspen team were out of the field by 4:30 p.m. Sunday, officials said.

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.

With stunning geology, history, and unbeatable views, these trails are all within two hours of Denver — some are just 30 minutes away.

Red Mountain Open Space – A Geologic Wonderland

Drive time: 1.5 hours

Just 25 miles north of Fort Collins, Red Mountain Open Space is 55,000 acres of colorful rock formations, sandy washes, and rolling grasslands reminiscent of a Southwest desert-like experience.

A 3.7-mile loop combining Sinking Sun, Big Hole Wash, and Bent Rock Trails takes you through vibrant and rugged landscapes, including a dramatic canyon with striking geologic formations, making the hike educational and scenic.

As you follow the creek through the canyon, you will see millions of years of uplift, folding, and erosion.

Post-hike highlight: Grab a slice of homemade pie at Me Oh My Coffee and Pie in Laporte or look for the Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd in Soapstone Prairie Natural Area.

Barr Lake State Park – See Bald Eagles in a Birder’s Paradise

Drive time: 30 minutes

Half wildlife refuge and half recreational lake, Barr Lake State Park is a haven for birdwatchers, with over 370 species recorded. A pair of bald eagles has nested here since 1986.

Hike the 8.8-mile loop or explore the wildlife refuge’s boardwalks and gazebos more leisurely. The best spot to view bald eagles, pelicans, and herons is the Gazebo Boardwalk, an easy 1.3-mile walk from the Nature Center for a 2.6-mile round-trip hike. The wildlife wonderment is especially enchanting during a sunrise stroll.

Post-hike highlight: Pick fresh fruit and flowers at Berry Patch Farms in Brighton.

Caribou Ranch Open Space – Mining and Music History

Drive time: 1 hour

Near Nederland, this 2,151-acre open space sits between 8,300 and 10,000 feet. The 3-mile Blue Bird Loop and Delonde Trail takes you through pines, aspens, meadows, and the Colorado & Northwestern Railway remnants, once dubbed the “Switzerland Trail of America.”  Hike the short spur trail to the Blue Bird Mine Complex to wander around historic mining structures, including the bunkhouse featured in several movies.

The toughest part of the hike is a short incline up for an elevation gain of 85 feet out of the meadow. While rich in mining and ranching history, it also has a fascinating tie to the music industry.

From 1971 to 1985, over 150 artists, including Billy Joel, John Denver, Rod Stewart, and U2, recorded albums. Caribou Ranch Recording Studio produced 45 top-ten albums, 10 Grammy awards, and 20 number-one Billboard hits from this pristine alpine setting.

Post-hike highlight: Visit Nederland and ride the hand-carved Carousel of Happiness.

Mount Falcon Park – Historic Ruins and a Presidential Dream

Drive time: 30 minutes

Hike to the stone ruins of a grand 1909 home and the cornerstone of a presidential summer White House dream. Connect Castle, Meadow, and Tower Trails at Mount Falcon West Trailhead for a 4-mile history-packed loop.

Hike first to the Eagle Eye Shelter, once a family summer cabin. Stop for an overlook view of downtown Denver, then continue to the 1914 cornerstone for a “castle in the clouds.”

Going this route saves the best for last. In 1909, John Brisben Walker built a grand home for his wife Ethel. It burned in 1918, but its ruins remain. For a tougher workout with a 2,000-foot elevation gain, start at the Morrison Trailhead.

Post-hike highlight: Explore Morrison Natural History Museum or see over 300 dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Ridge.

Silver Dollar Lake – A Trio of Alpine Lakes

Drive time: 1.5 hours

Why hike to one alpine lake when you can see three on an epic wildflower hike?

Near the summit of Guanella Pass, Silver Dollar Lake Trail is a moderately challenging 4-mile hike with rewarding views of Naylor, Silver Dollar, and Murray Lakes — if you’re up for an extra challenge. A steep incline at the start leads to rolling terrain, wildflowers, and crystal-clear alpine lakes, ideal for a picnic.

Post-hike highlight:  Explore historic Georgetown and ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad.

Waterton Canyon – Best Bighorn Sheep Spotting

Drive time: 30 minutes

Odds are in your favor to spot bighorn sheep on this easy trail along a wide, flat dirt road following the South Platte River, which is ideal for all skill levels.

At 2.5 miles in, a rocky crag provides the best chance to spot bighorn sheep, sometimes even crossing the trail to drink from the river.

Turn around for a 5-mile hike or continue deeper into the canyon. Since this is the start of the Colorado Trail, you might encounter some long-distance hikers beginning their trek to Durango.

Post-hike highlight: Cool off at Chatfield Reservoir or grab a beer at Living the Dream Brewing in nearby Littleton.

Roxborough State Park – Alternative to Red Rocks

Drive time: 45 minutes

Towering rock formations and unique geology make this one of the most scenic state parks along the Front Range. The 2.3-mile Fountain Valley Trail loops through dramatic red sandstone.

It also takes you past the 1907 house and barn of Henry Persse, who wanted to turn the land into a resort in the early 1900s.

For a more challenging 5-mile hike, connect Willow Creek and South Rim Trails for panoramic views, even of downtown Denver on a clear day.

Post-hike highlight: Play a round at Arrowhead Golf Course or head to Epic Sky Trek in Castle Rock. North America’s largest freestanding aerial challenge course is family-friendly.

Grab your backpack, lace up your boots, and hit these spectacular Front Range trails – each a fun adventure with nearby post-hike gems to enjoy.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

The Breckenridge Tourism Office has teamed up with naturalists from the Town of Breckenridge to launch the Breckenridge Wildflower Watch. It offers updates with information on which wildflowers are in bloom, where best to see them and other tips to enjoy Breckenridge’s natural beauty. The Wildflower Watch page is part of GoBreck.com, the official website of the Breckenridge Tourism Office.

The Wildflower Watch follows the same theme as Leaf Brief, which Breckenridge debuted last fall as a means of providing fall foliage updates. The Wildflower Watch breaks the season into twice monthly updates.

“I think what makes the Wildflower Watch so much more interesting than the Leaf Brief is that the Leaf Brief is one species of plant — the aspens,” said Ella Garner, a naturalist for the Town of Breckenridge. “With wildflowers, there are hundreds of species. Some bloom in June, some in July, and it can vary from week to week.”

They vary depending on altitude, too. Breckenridge has three different life zones: montane (7,000 to 9,000 feet), sub-alpine (9,000 to 11,000) and alpine (above 11,000). Garner said peak wildflower season in the Breckenridge area usually comes in the second and third week of July.

“Things are peaking right now at that 9,000-foot altitude,” Garner said. “In another two weeks, things will be peaking at 11,000 to 12,000 feet. I was at a wildflower meadow at 11,000 feet (Thursday) morning and it was just starting. In town, the wildflowers will be drying up and going away in mid-August. Above treeline, they will hold out until the end of August.”

Wildflower Watch updates will suggest the best trails to see wildflowers in different altitude zones. The Town of Breckenridge also offers free guided hikes.

The Breckenridge area received a lot of spring moisture, which meant flowers that bloom in June were more abundant than usual. There has been less rain so far in July, though.

“Some of the flowers have started to dry up a little bit,” Garner said. “We’re hoping we get more rain here to prolong the wildflower season well into August.”

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

Bay to Bay Trail, Fort Collins

Opened in May 2025, the 1.8-mile Bay to Bay Trail at Horsetooth Reservoir is a natural surface path that connects the Inlet Bay to South Bay. Hikers (or bikers, but no equestrians) can start at the South Bay swim beach or from the Blue Sky Trailhead. The 2-foot-wide trail has hogback and reservoir views, is mostly exposed, and has some steep drop-offs.

There will be additional mileage (about ½ mile or less) depending on where you park to start this out-and-back hike. Nearby, hikers can connect with 30 miles of trails in the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space via the Soderberg Trailhead.

Leashed dogs are welcome.

Shale Trail, Boulder

Staying on the designated trails is so important to protect the land, plants and wildlife that can thrive here. For this reason, there’s a new ¾-mile Shale Trail that connects the Boulder Valley Ranch Trailhead to Eagle Trail. Once you reach the top, there’s a panoramic view. If you go at the right time of year, you might see the rare Bell’s twinpod in bloom; this yellow flowering plant is only found in Boulder, Larimer, and Jefferson Counties in Colorado. This trail is only open to hikers and equestrians; no bikes allowed. Leashed dogs are welcome.

Less than a year since opening to the public is the 3.5-mile North Sky Trail that links the North Foothills Trail to Joder Ranch Trail. This trail is open to hikers, bikers and equestrians, but no e-bikes are allowed. Leashed dogs are welcome between Aug. 1 to April 30. Most of the trail is soft surface; two newly built steel bridges span drainage areas.

Also opened in 2024, the Vesper Trail is part of the city of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks system. This 1.5-mile out-and-back trail is in the Gunbarrel area of east Boulder. The area is home to ground-nesting birds, such as burrowing owls, so dogs must be leashed at all times. The trail is open to hikers and equestrians.

Jawbone Ridge Trail, Golden

In Golden, a half-mile out-and-back trail on South Table Mountain is now open to hikers only. The Jawbone Ridge Trail is still undergoing some improvements into July, but the trail is intended to reduce people using “informal routes” that might cross private property or exacerbate erosion. This trail is a spur off of the Tertiary Trail.

Taking the short or long way

If you’re looking for a hike or walk that is a whole lot shorter or extremely long and challenging, there are new trails for you, too.

In the Brighton area, there’s a new 1/4 mile Path to Wellness at Riverdale Regional Park that debuted in May of this year. This enhancement to an existing trail was created as a place to pause and reflect as you rest on shaded seating or while strolling the labyrinth or in the pollinator garden. Public art includes “listening discs” that are interactive stops here.

Plan ahead to hike the new Northern Colorado Trail, a 300-mile stretch that rivals the well-known Colorado Trail. Thru-hikers can go from Estes Park to Glenwood Springs — if they have three weeks to dedicate to the effort. Or, do it in sections over time rather than in one full hike. A new website, northerncoloradotrail.org, has maps and suggestions for which trailheads to use. Note that some of the lands you cross will require a permit.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

“Stunning views of wildflower-filled meadows, dense forests, and the pristine Lost Lake itself, which mirrors the surrounding peaks,” one wrote on The Dyrt, a website and app that provides user-generated reviews and photos of campgrounds and RV sites all over the country.

Rocky Mountain National Park’s largest campground reopens after two years

“Beautiful and peaceful. This is a great campground -- the lake is beautiful and there are several trails that leave from here. Friendly hosts and clean/well-maintained," wrote another.

Located 16 miles west of Crested Butte, off Kebler Pass Road, Lost Lake Campground was ranked number one on a list produced this week by The Dyrt. The company compiles the list using reviews and ratings from "its vast community of campers," according to a statement.

Calling it "a serene alpine retreat where a camping trip almost feels like a reward just for becoming a camper," The Dyrt compared the lake on a clear day to a "postcard come to life."

Lost Lake, at $20 a night, is first-come, first-served. There are 18 sites (including RV sites), each with fire rings and picnic tables. It is open from mid-June through September.

"Visitors can enjoy a variety of activities, including fishing in Lost Lake and Dollar Lake, hiking the Three Lakes Trail and Beckwith Pass, and observing the vibrant wildflowers that bloom for just a few weeks in July and August," The Dyrt wrote.

A second Colorado campground also made the top ten list: White Star Campground, which is located near Mount Elbert in the Pike-San Isabel National Forest.

"White Star is situated at 9,200 feet and offers stunning views of Twin Lakes Reservoir and easy access to outdoor activities," the Dyrt wrote. "The campground features three loops: Sage, Ridge and Valley. Sage Loop offers limited shade, while Ridge and Valley are shaded by ponderosa pine and spruce trees. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and fire ring. Firewood is available for purchase but there are no hookups or showers.

"There are hiking and biking trails aplenty, including the Continental Divide Trail, and fishing, boating and paddleboarding are among the popular activities for campers. The area also offers opportunities for wildlife viewing and stargazing," it concluded.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.