Best Summit Hikes in Colorado: 50 Classic Routes and 100+ Summits

Description

Summit Colorado mountains by hiking to the peaks! Colorado is known for its high peaks and breathtaking views, but you needn't be a mountain climber to experience the adrenaline rush of making it to the top. In this inspiring guide, expert author James Dziezynski presents 55 of Colorado's very best summit hikes. His spirited descriptions of the peaks-which range from 8,144 to 14,433 feet in elevation-reveal why each trip is well worth taking. Now in full color, this guide to the Rocky Mountains covers all of Colorado's major ranges, including the Front, Sangre de Cristo, Sawatch, San Juan, and Mosquito & Ten Mile ranges. It includes some of the most famous peaks (Longs), some of the toughest (Storm King), and some of the most remote (Lone Cone). You'll climb the highest mountain in the state; visit the ruins of a town flattened by an avalanche; hunt for fossilized seashells more than two miles above sea level; and enjoy countless scrambles, ridge walks, and traverses through Colorado's stunning alpine scenery. Each hike profile includes: Topographic map with GPS waypoints and elevation profile Difficulty and class ratings tailored to Colorado's unique terrain Optional routes for further exploration Fascinating trivia and history "There is so much of Colorado that is still wild and lonely, and James Dziezynski takes you there in this book. And because he has spent so much time figuring these trips out from a logistical standpoint, it's an easy guidebook to follow. You have a guide whose passion for the high peaks makes the climb up even more enjoyable." -Doug Schnitzspahn, Elevation Outdoors

Boulder-based author James Dziezynski is a mountaineer and explorer who has scaled more than 600 Colorado summits. He has climbed in the Arctic, Greenland, the jungles of several Caribbean islands, Mexico, the American and Canadian Rockies, and just about every US state. His work has appeared in Outside, Backpacker, Hooked on the Outdoors, Women's Adventure, Boulder Weekly, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Gamefaqs.com, and Mountain Biking, among other publications.

"Best Summit Hikes in Colorado details non-technical scrambles up 14ers in every Colorado mountain range. Each route Dziezynski selected sets itself apart with notable features, including the site of a ghost town, a waterfall, an airplane wreck, a great meadow for wildflowers or wildlife spotting." -Boulder Weekly "This great book covers some of Colorado's unsung hikes. I appreciate the lively detail and stories about natural and human history. I'd even read it sitting in my armchair!" -Susan LeFever, former director, Sierra Club Rocky Mountain Chapter "There is so much of Colorado that is still wild and lonely, and James Dziezynski takes you there in this book. And because he has spent so much time figuring these trips out from a logistical standpoint, it's an easy guidebook to follow. You have a guide whose passion for the high peaks makes the climb up even more enjoyable." -Doug Schnitzspahn, Elevation Outdoors