Summer is our favorite time of year, because that’s when we go deep into the wilderness on singletrack trails and take tons of pictures for our Instagram so that everyone we went to high school with knows that we’re elitist mountain folk that are way better than they are. Here are a few hikes where you could do the same.

Manitou Springs – Manitou Incline

The Manitou Incline, outside of Manitou Springs, is one of Colorado’s most popular hiking trails. This is a little bonkers to us because it’s… just stairs. The trail is less than a mile long and consists of 2,768 steps. You could do the athletic equivalent of the incline just grabbing coffee at your internship in Denver. Regardless, hikers and people who just dropped $200 at REI flock here every year. There’s a couple things to note if you go for the incline this year. First, you’ll need to make reservations through the Manitou Incline’s website (because nothing gets you more in touch with Mother Nature than reserving your spot in her). Second, the trail is one way, with a walk off once you get to the top. If you start up and decide you want to bail, instead of turning around you’ll need to find one of three bailout points to get back onto other trails and back to your car.

 

Rocky Mountain National Park – Emerald Lake Trail

f you’re new to the “spending time outside for pictures to post, signalling to my social media following that my life is cool” game, we’ll let you in on a little secret: there isn’t a soul alive that isn’t a proverbial slut for an alpine lake. Alpine lakes are lakes that are found above treeline. They usually require quite a haul to get to, and are by far our favorite place to eat various hallucinogens while we yell at God. The Emerald Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is a pretty friendly alpine lake hike. With only 700 feet of elevation gain and 3.2 miles total, this is a relatively mellow way to kill half your day. RMNP is at a point with capacity that you’re likely going to need a reservation, and you’ll want to get to the trailhead early as the parking lot fills up fast. If you have a problem with either of those things, may we recommend seeking out adventure-related venues that aren’t referenced in magazine articles?

 

Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness – Maroon Lake Scenic Trail

Maybe those first two trails aren’t your thing. Maybe you’re looking for a really easy hike. Something so easy you could take your kiddos, or something so easy you’d have no qualms about taking four dabs in your car and eating all your snacks before your new trail running shoes even touch dirt. If that’s more your style, we’d highly recommend the Maroon Lake Scenic Trail outside of Aspen.

We could do this trail blindfolded in a pair of Heely’s, dude. We could do this trail hungover the day after Halloween. That’s how gentle it is. It’s a mile total, and instead of technical trails or a lot of elevation gain, it just meanders around Maroon Lake. 

If you want to step it up a notch while you’re in the area, the Crater Lake trail is roughly 3 miles and offers a gorgeous view of the Maroon Bells. 

As always, unless you’re going way off the beaten path into Colorado’s backcountry, you’ll need a reservation to hike here, too.

Hey, totally unrelated, but you’re bringing water on these things, right? We’d feel awful if you suffered from heat stroke or dehydration issues because you read a magazine article and it didn’t tell you to bring water. That would make us feel just terrible. However, if you’re bringing all that water, you might as well throw a summit beer into your pack, too.