The best walks and hikes in Collegiate Peaks Wilderness

The Grotto Cascades on the Roaring Fork River are a set of step-down rapids. They appear different in different seasons, and they run fullest in the late spring and early summer months.

The cool caverns freeze in the winter, hence the name "ice caves." They are still a really cool rock feature to check out in the dry months, and there are usually pools of water inside the caverns.

Texas Lakes are two, small alpine lakes located in the clearing of a creek basin, a little under 10,000 feet. The lakes are just outside the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness area and can be accessed via foot, bike, or OHV. If you are looking for a longer run, you can gain access into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness by continuing north.

At 11,523 feet, Hartenstein Lake is tucked away at the edge of treeline in a basin between Turner Peak (13,233 feet) and Mount Yale (14,196 feet). It stays snowy up here late into spring some seasons, and you can always plan for water crossings and muddy bits of trail. The lake is much less visited than the peaks in the area and offers a real wilderness feel. The trail approaching the lake is mostly runnable grades. The runnability of the trail really depends on how wet everything is.

At 14,203 feet tall, Mount Belford is one of three 14ers attainable from the Missouri Gulch Trailhead. The mountain is infamous for its steep switchbacks traveling up it's northwest slopes. It is the 19th highest peak in Colorado, and the views from the top are special, sharing the high elevation with many nearby high peaks. It's easy for this "run" to turn into a slow walk as you come up the switchbacks, but it's almost impossible not to run down the mountain with how steep the trail gets.

Missouri Mountain, at 14,074 feet, is one of the highest peaks in the Sawatch Range. The ridge that the path follows the final half mile is somewhat washed out and should be traveled with caution. Missouri Mountain is a semi-popular peak that offers a good taste of class 2 alpine travel. Be prepared to have to stop and take turns during certain stretches of the final ridge approach. The trail can be kind of crowded, and there are a couple technical spots that only one person can pass through at a time. Running up to the ridge is tough and is usually just a hike, but the ridge itself offers a couple fun sections of runnable terrain.

The Missouri Gulch Trailhead marks the starting point for a variety of trails. In the summer and fall months, this trailhead starts to overflow before the sun even comes up due to people hiking/running one or more of the three 14ers that are easily accessible from this trailhead (Missouri Mountain, Mount Belford, and Mount Oxford). Because this large parking lot often overflows, there is extra parking in some pull offs both before and after this parking lot on the main road. There's a vault toilet accessible here during the dry months. The trail gets to work right away after crossing the river. Be prepared for a hard run out of the gate!

Texas Lakes are two, small alpine lakes located in the clearing of a creek basin, a little under 10,000 feet. The lakes are just outside the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness area and can be accessed via foot, bike, or OHV.