Colorado – Easy backpacking/camping

[Philip S]

Hello!

So I’m trying to ease my dad and brother into backpacking and we’re going to be in Colorado for about 5 days.  I’m all for climbing steep mountains for the beautiful vistas and such but my retired father and chainsmoking brother are definitely not gonna be able to do that…

So… I’m looking for some recommendations for EASY Backpacking trips.  Ideally, an overnight here and there with some car camping in between in the same national forest or wilderness area.  Semi close to a town with some amenities would be cool too.    We are going to be in the Denver, Estes Park, Boulder area.  And of course, the prettier the better.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.  Never been to Colorado.. very much looking forward to it.

[Gary Dunckel]

I would suggest getting a base campground spot at Moraine Park in RMNP, and then do an easy backpack trip to the Old Forest Inn campsite – 2 miles of easy hiking to a decent place. From Moraine you can also drive to Bear Lake for an easy day hike around the lake, or up to Alberta Falls or beyond. You can also easily drive back to Estes to get some pizza or groceries, or drive up to the pass for some great scenery. Then there are the beers back at Estes on your way back to your base camp. Fairly mundane for us locals, but these are good options for folks that have never been to Estes/RMNP before.

[Dean F.]

Lost Creek Wilderness isn’t full of big elevation changes.  It’s also not the classic “alpine” beauty of for instance Maroon Bells, but it’s a great place to hike.  And fewer people and hassles than at the national park.  The Trails Illustrated map is adequate for your needs- just get it and find a route on it.

[Author]

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