In rare cases, a misadventure is so awful it becomes news, such as climber Aaron Ralston’s self-amputation in 2003 to unpin his right arm from a boulder. Yet as any search-and-rescue team can share, there are countless stories every day of ordinary people who find themselves in precarious situations while trying to enjoy time outdoors.

And they’re now being told in a variety of podcasts.

Some of these stories are inherently a lesson without the need for a teaching moment spelled out. Others might include a footnote about how to properly prepare for even the simplest outing so there can hopefully be a safe rescue, if needed, or what the reality is of being up close to wild animals.

“One of the common themes in our survival stories — that I don’t think I would have fully appreciated if we weren’t making so many of them — is that it’s almost never just one thing that goes wrong,” shared Peter Frick-Wright, host of the Outside Podcast, in an email interview. “Most people who come close to dying in the wilderness are unlucky or unprepared in two or three different ways that compound on each other to cause a crisis. You lose your firestarter AND fall in the freezing river AND you don’t have a dry set of clothes. You can overcome any two of those problems, but when all three happen you’re in trouble. It’s amazing how consistent it is.”

The Outside podcast is part of Outside Magazine, which is now based in Boulder, and not all of its episodes involve accidents. In fact, many of the episodes are the opposite: people who have pushed themselves physically and conquered challenges in the outdoors and now they are sharing how they did it.

“Way, Way Too Close to a Whale” is an episode from earlier this year about two women who go kayaking off the coast of California to chase humpback whales. The story builds with why they went kayaking, what fears and experience they had beforehand, and the dramatic moment when they were suddenly swallowed by a whale. Lesson: Keep your distance from wildlife.

Colorado-based adventure photographer Pete McBride is also interviewed for a brief episode that highlights his startling encounter with an orca.

While many of these stories are told solely from the perspective of the individuals who experienced the near mishap, some episodes get the other side of the story from rescuers. For example, “A Bold Rescue on a Moab Cliff” is not about the BASE jumper whose chute got snagged on the cliff when he struck the rocks and was seriously injured, but the mountain biker who literally swung into action to save his life.

KZMU Community Radio in Moab has decided to take the stories from Grand County Search and Rescue (GCSAR) for a new podcast that will debut later this year.

“The goal of this podcast is to entertain and also educate,” said Molly Marcello, news and public affairs director at KZMU. “There are so many ways to recreate here, which is one of the reasons that Moab is so special for outdoor enthusiasts. That also means there are so many ways to get into trouble.”

Upcoming episodes will highlight the many (!) broken ankles that happen on a popular hike where, despite signs warning against doing so, people jump into a small pond at the bottom of a waterfall; mountain bikers experiencing extreme dehydration on Whole Enchilada Trail; and inventive ways to self-rescue from a slot canyon using your pants.

“The stories that I’ve heard involve a mixture of tourists and locals,” Marcello said. “People can get into trouble by not being prepared or by making sketchy decisions, but accidents do also just happen. We’re hoping people will plan for the worst even if it’s a short hike.”

It’s important to note that search-and-rescue organizations like this are typically made up of volunteers and there can be costs to your rescue, depending on what resources are needed.

Wyoming Public Radio’s HumaNature podcast is recorded in Laramie, and it also has stories of people from anywhere, not just in Wyoming, who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances in the wild. Maybe you just want to hear about the guy who broke a record by pushing a peanut with his nose up Pikes Peak (the summit is 14,115 feet above sea level), but you can also listen to episodes about an experienced hunter who gets lost in the woods or more tales of people who learned the hard way that you need to keep your distance from wildlife.

If you have a wild tale to tell, you can submit it to HumaNature and possibly be featured on a future episode. Frick-Wright said that the majority of their stories come from contributors to Outside — or even just when a producer hears a good story around the campfire.

The next time you live to tell after a narrow escape in the great outdoors, consider which podcast you want to interview you about the nitty-gritty details.

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

Five men in their 60s were gathered on the trail, reliving an adventure they had as high school students from Pennsylvania when they spent a month working to help build this section of the trail. After hearing what they did there 49 years ago — when they were younger than she is now and the Colorado Trail was little more than a good idea — the hiker gave them props.

“You guys are awesome, thanks,” said Sage Lafleur, 19, who borrowed the National Park Service Junior Ranger hat from a friend because she thought it was funny.

The men who worked the rock and dirt there in 1975 encountered a dozen other trail users this past Tuesday who shared similar sentiments. Thus the men of the reunion got a sense of what the Colorado Trail has come to mean to so many.

“I’m just an outdoorsy person, and this calls to me,” Lafleur said. “I love being outside, I love walking and I want to see how far I can push myself. I just think that’s really fun.”

For the group, shoveling and raking three miles of trail in this peaceful setting 20 miles southwest of the Denver area in the Pike National Forest was life-changing.

“When you’re doing a thing, and you’re having fun at it, or you’re having an adventure, you never know where that falls in with the best times of your life,” said David Graves, 64. “We were having such an incredible time. We didn’t know we were having the time of our lives.”

A force of nature

The Colorado Trail Foundation dates the inception of the trail to 1974. There had been previous discussions about it, but the notion moved forward that year with the establishment of the Colorado Mountain Trails Foundation. Indefatigable Gudy Gaskill, a passionate hiker who lived on Lookout Mountain until she died in 2016, became known as “the Mother of the Colorado Trail.” She has often been described as a force of nature.

“She had a magnetism,” said Bill Manning, executive director of the Colorado Trail Foundation from 2006 until 2022. “Gudy was a lifelong hiker She just loved the mountains. She latched onto the concept, along with others, and worked toward establishing the Colorado Trail. As things progressed and proved to be very challenging, she kept working at it tenaciously.”

Today the trail extends from Jefferson County, near the Strontia Springs Dam in Waterton Canyon, to Durango. Depending on how it is done — there are two options for navigating the Collegiate Range — the full distance is either 485 miles or 491 with 89,000 feet of climbing. It passes through eight mountain ranges and six national forests with an average elevation of 10,300 feet. Its highest point rises to 13,271 feet in the San Juan Range near Lake City.

“It started with this passion of Gudy saying, ‘Coloradans need something that’s theirs, that we can hang our hat on and say, ‘We’ve got this trail across the state that’s uniquely Colorado,'” said Paul Talley, current executive director of the Colorado Trail Foundation. “That ethos evolved and lives in us right now.”

But, 10 years after the effort to build it was born, it looked as if it might never be completed. Progress had stalled, and a 1984 cover story in the Denver Post’s Empire Magazine took note, calling it “Trail to Nowhere.” Writer Ed Quillen described in detail how the effort to build the trail had run out of steam despite Gaskill’s passion to finish it. Quillen conceded: “If there ever is a Colorado Trail, it likely will be because Gudy Gaskill hasn’t given up.”

The nerds of high school

In 1975, a dozen students from Marple Newtown High School, 12 miles west of Philadelphia, traveled to Colorado in late June accompanied by their science teacher, his wife, and a college student whose job was to drive the boys in a van. They were members of the school’s earth and space science club. They had put on car washes and bake sales to fund their trip. They weren’t entirely sure what they would do when they got out here, and had no clue they would be put to work as volunteers. Apparently their teacher had made arrangements with the forest service. While they were here, they collected rocks which they still have five decades later.

“We were the nerds of high school,” said Graves, who came out for the reunion this week with brothers Rob and John, both of whom were part of the 1975 trip. “Who else would join a science club? I took summer classes voluntarily. Who does that?”

The trail section where they would work had already been surveyed. A young man from the forest service supervised their work. It was hot, and they took salt pills, as football players of the era did on hot days. Though the work they did was hard, they often climbed a 400-foot rock outcrop near their camp at the end of the day. The five who took part in the reunion — including the three Graves brothers, Roger Lord of Portland, Ore., and the ringleader of the reunion, Monty Estis of Evergreen — reclimbed that imposing rock while they were here. They swear it wasn’t nearly as tall then as it is now.

At night they would play pinochle for hours. They ate PBJs for lunch and Hamburger Helper for dinner. On weekends they went up to Bailey for showers, laundry and visits to the Knotty Pine, a shop with a long history that is still there.

“I do not ever remember being bored,” David Graves said. “When you’re raking and shoveling all day, it’s very easy to fall asleep at night.”

One afternoon as they huddled in a tent during a thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning struck a tree nearby.

“Suddenly there was a huge bang and bright light at the same time,” Estis said. “It hit a tree about (30 feet) from our tent, made a huge scar down the tree. I thought it was really cool.”

Completing the whole thing

That 1984 story in The Denver Post provided the impetus to get trail construction back on track. That’s because Gov. Dick Lamm and his wife, Dottie, read the story, spent some time volunteering in trail construction and started pulling levers of power in 1985.

“He hosted a fundraiser and let it be known that he was behind it,” Talley said. “That’s where we started to get some traction.”

A two-year plan was devised to complete the remaining 60 miles of trails. Some 400 volunteers worked on 20 trail crews in 1986. Nearly 1,000 joined 46 trail crews in 1987. The trail was completed in September of 1987 and dedicated in 1988.

The Colorado Trail Foundation doesn’t know how many people have hiked the entire trail over the years. It does invite completers to fill out a form to receive completion certificates on the honor system. More than 5,500 names are on that list, but the number of completers may be many more than that.

CTF does track the number of volunteers, though. Last year, 736 volunteers worked on maintaining trails, logging 17,284 hours.

The Colorado Trail is not to be confused with the Continental Divide Trail, which was established by Congress in 1978. It stretches 3,100 miles from Canada to Mexico, 800 miles of it in Colorado. It has 160 miles of gaps, which Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse is trying to fill through congressional action. One of those gaps is in Colorado, a 15-mile segment at Muddy Pass just east of Rabbit Ears Pass.

Both trails are prized by avid hikers hardy enough to take them on.

“I happened to mention to my across-the-street neighbor, when we were planning this trip, that I was going to a reunion and that we had built this trail,” said David Graves, who lives in Philadelphia. “He said, ‘You mean the Colorado Trail? I’ve hiked that trail.’ I thought that was pretty interesting. He did the whole thing.”

Changing lives

Of the 12 from Pennsylvania who came out to work on the trail in 1975, five made the trip this week. They used Facebook hoping to get in touch with some for whom they had no contact info. One of their alumni was killed in 1995 by an avalanche while mountain climbing in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park. Of those who made the trip, David Graves is a cloud engineer. John Graves, 66, works for the EPA in Philadelphia. Rob Graves, a twin to David, is a pilot for Southwest. Roger Lord, 65, was inspired by the 1975 trip to pursue a career in forestry and lives in Portland, Ore.

Estis, 66, was so inspired by the 1975 trip that he vowed to move here someday, and he did, 30 years ago. He has lived in Evergreen for the past 11 and says he’s the smartest one in the group because he lives in Colorado.

“In high school they asked me, ‘Where are you going to be in 15 years?’ said Estis, who worked in the telecom industry until retiring and currently tutors young math students. “I said living in Colorado. It took me 14 years to get out here. I just love it. I camp and backpack, I ski and snowboard, I kayak and mountain bike. I just love being outside.”

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

The mental strain of the last few days (and weeks, and years) has been slowly nudging my chin down from its usual upright position. All things being equal, these are not new stressors; the unstable march of politics, war, religion and money spans centuries.

But people do not. Privileged or no, it’s OK for any of us to feel stressed out. This is not the suffering Olympics, as my wife likes to say, and we all have a right to our feelings. But when those prompt a regular flood of cortisol, I need not just a break from the emotional bleeding, but a refill.

Lately it’s taken the form of bike-riding with my son. Tom found his balance only recently, but he’s been quick to break in his neon-green mountain bike, having grown just tall enough to handle it. I hadn’t ridden in awhile, owing partly to injury and distraction, and partly to the cracked gears on my own mountain bike — as well as the fact that I have only my wife’s dusty cruiser as backup. It’s handsome but slow and meant only for smooth surfaces, and in general, not even close to my ideal two-wheeled vehicle. (I genuinely like its rainbow streamers, though.)

But why should I let perfect be the enemy of good? My son practically begs me to ride every chance he gets, so we’ve developed a new, summer-weekend routine of casually touring some of Denver’s most fetching landscapes. We live in North Park Hill, along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which means we can follow its miles-long, east/west bike lane to connect us to citywide safe-riding spots. It’s perfect for the cruiser — and my newly minted riding companion.

The lanes along 26th Avenue, between Colorado Boulevard and York Street, encourage slow treks past the placid City Park Golf Course, and meetings with friends nearby. My son and I also venture inside City Park, where we can check up on the still-fenced Nature Play playground, enjoy some choice views, then stop for a cold drink at Spinelli’s Market on the way back.

On a recent, brutally hot day, we trekked to Nuggs Ice Cream along East Colfax Avenue, which gave us just enough fuel to double back home. The week before that we had followed a treeless bike trail to Central Park, which led us past a giant playground and soccer fields, past a tiny pond filled with belligerent ducks, and up to a raised lookout terminus that affords a view of the grassy open space (part of Prairie Uplands Park) in an otherwise infilled former airport site. Interstate 70, within sight to the north, felt much further away than it really was.

Maybe it’s taken me too long to realize I need only time and willpower to do this — and not necessarily top-tier equipment, mountain views or formal routes and destinations. Clearing one’s mind with sweat and scenery is free. I just had to be reminded of that by someone whose mind is a bit clearer than my own.

Looking for an interactive map of Denver bike routes and destinations? Visit denver.org/things-to-do/sports-recreation/bike-trails.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.

Visit Denver, the city’s tourism sales and marketing agency, said last year’s visitor total of 37.4 million was a 3% bump over 2022. And the $10.3 billion in Denver’s tourism revenue last year outpaced the $9.4 billion collected the prior year by nearly 10%.

“Tourism is vital to the Denver economy and we are pleased to see our momentum continue in 2023, especially after the dramatic growth we saw in 2022,” Richard Scharf, Visit Denver’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Denver’s tourism businesses, most of which are small and locally owned, rely on these visitors to fuel their success, which allows them to continue to hire employees – almost 66,000 across the metro area in 2023 – and to generate millions in state and local taxes.”

Overnight visitors totaled 20.5 million last year, a 3% rise from the previous year, generating $8.8 billion in spending in the Mile High City. Overnight leisure visits were top in growth last year, rising by 5% over 2022 to a new high of 17.5 million.

Longwoods International provided the Denver visitor data through its annual visitor profile study, which it has conducted for Denver for 30 years. The company’s president and CEO, Amir Eylon, said tourism in Denver in 2023 returned “to levels more in line with 2019,” the year before the coronavirus pandemic struck the state.

And Denver is doing comparably well nationally, Eylon said, “offering visitors both sought-after urban experiences and easy access to outdoor activities.”

The study revealed that visitors come to Denver consistently year-round, with a “modest surge” of visitors in the warmer months. And Denver International Airport plays a crucial role in moving those visitors in and out, with 40% of overnight Denver visitors arriving by plane in 2023.

The average overnight Denver visitor spent $427 per trip. In total, nearly $3 billion was spent on transportation, $2.5 billion on lodging and nearly $1.5 billion on drinks and food in 2023. Recreation, sightseeing and entertainment garnered the city $749 million last year, a 9.3% bump over 2022.

California, Texas, Kansas and Florida were the top four states, outside Colorado itself, in sending visitors to the Mile High City in 2023. And the top five cities sending overnight visitors to the city were Los Angeles, Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New York City, Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston.

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

But do those stereotypes bear out? Does everyone in the Mile High City jam out at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, hit up the local brewery with their dog, and smoke the reefer?

In June, a nonpartisan polling agency decided to find out. The nonprofit Colorado Polling Institute surveyed 409 registered voters in the city by phone or online and asked whether they had enjoyed beer or cannabis in the past year, whether they’d been to Red Rocks, ridden a bike, recreated in the great outdoors or owned a dog.

So, how did we do?

Well, it turns out that a whopping 72% of the respondents had hiked, biked, skied or otherwise recreated outdoors, according to CPI. So that depiction of Denver certainly lived up to its billing.

The craft beer industry seems to be hanging in there, too. More than half, 54%, of the surveyed individuals had indeed put one back in the previous 12 months, although it was the under-35 crowd who did the heavy lifting: 71% had a craft beer as opposed to 37% of those 55 and older.

On the other hand, only about one-third of the respondents had purchased marijuana, but it was once again people under 35 who led the pack as just 16% of 55-and-overs had done so, CPI said.

Unsurprisingly, “50% of Denverites said they had a dog in their household, 27% said they had a cat, while only 32% said they had a pet-free abode,” according to the polling group.

As for Red Rocks, 40% had gone to a concert or other event there, which is pretty good considering the time and expense of attending a show.

And finally, 30% had biked to work or school or for errands around town.

Okay, next up: Subaru drivers.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.

Many guests are content with low-key offerings such as hiking, biking, fishing, wildlife viewing, and scenic driving. Some of us crave more. Thrill-seekers, read on.

Time saver: A single-day automobile pass into any of Colorado’s four national parks costs $25, or you can purchase an America the Beautiful pass ($80 annually) for hassle-free entry into all national parks for a year.

Surf America’s tallest sand dunes

Ready for a national park experience like none other? North of Alamosa, everyone in your group can enjoy ogling a 30-square-mile dune field housing North America’s tallest mounds of sand: Star Dune (750’) and High Dune (699’).

Start your adventure at the park’s newly renovated visitor center, open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

From here, climb the first ridge to gain views of the site’s sandy expanse. Hiking is a great option inside this park. Measuring in at 0.5-mile roundtrip, Montville Nature Trail is an easy route with views of Mt. Herard (13,345′) and the dunes.

Splashing around in Medano Creek is also fun; late May and June are the best times to ride the surge waves, water waves formed by snowmelt.

Walking on the dunes is amazing, but adventurous visitors will want to try sandboarding. Some people use modified skateboards, snowboards — even trash can lids. It’s better to use the proper equipment, and since the park service doesn’t rent gear, you’ll need to get yours before arriving at the park.

Great Sand Dunes Oasis Store (immediately outside the park) carries the right boards, and Kristi Mountain Sports in Alamosa is another option. You can also rent sand sleds for younger children.

Sandboarding is similar to snowboarding, but it’s a little tougher to turn and change direction in the sand. To get started, pick a smaller, shallower dune and work your way up. The dunes behind the visitor center are a popular area for first-timers.

Need more adventure? Medano Pass Primitive Road is a four-wheel-driving trail and off-road route crossing Medano Creek nine times before topping out at Medano Pass at mile 11, at an elevation of 10,000 feet. The 22-mile road connects to Colorado 69 after passing 21 free campsites (first come, first served).

To drive this road, you must — absolutely must — have a 4WD vehicle with high clearance. Or you can ride the road with a fat tire bike. Small SUVs and AWD vehicles will get stuck.

BYO food into the park, and don’t forget reusable water bottles to refill at the visitor center.

Plan ahead and camp at Piñon Flats Campground. An international dark sky park is best experienced on a moonless night.

Scale the face of an ancient cliff dwelling

Mesa Verde is a remarkable destination with 12 trails laid out among nearly 5,000 known ancestral sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.

Learn about the park’s first inhabitants while perusing exhibits at the Mesa Verde Museum.

But first, check your gas tank. You’ll drive at least 50 miles inside this massive park, and the only place to refuel is at Morefield Campground.

Since GPS and cell service aren’t reliable inside the park, you should also grab a paper map at the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center.

There are many self-guided opportunities to view ancestral sites at overlooks throughout Mesa Verde but to enter a cliff dwelling; you’ll need to book a tour, which is offered seasonally starting May 12 this year. You can reserve your tour up to 14 days in advance on recreation.gov, and you can print or download tickets before arriving.

Mesa Verde’s largest dwelling, Cliff Palace, is a safe bet for cautious guests.

This 45-minute tour crosses one of the park’s largest and best-known ancestral sites and requires climbing down a steep, irregular sandstone staircase.

A more thrilling option is the Balcony House tour. Over an hour, you’ll scale the face of a cliff while climbing a 32-foot-long ladder then crawl on your hands and knees through a narrow squeeze before scrambling up a 60-foot open cliff face with stone steps and two 10-foot ladders.

There aren’t any height or age restrictions for tours, but if you’re bringing kids along, they must be able to climb ladders by themselves or be small enough to fit in a baby carrier.

Extend the adventure with a night under the stars at Morefield Campground. Sites rarely fill up and can be booked at the Campground Store, by phone, and online.

Climb to the top of Colorado’s most popular 14er

First things first: Rocky Mountain National Park offers a timed entry service from the end of May through October; you can make reservations in advance online.

This popular national park supplies hundreds of miles of insanely beautiful hiking trails spread between its Estes Park and Grand Lake entrance stations.

There are plenty of flat, lakeside strolls, not to mention entry-level camping at Moraine Park Campground and wildlife viewing opportunities. (Have you heard a bull elk bugle yet?)

This park’s ultimate adventure, though, is the completely draining 15-mile roundtrip trek to the summit of Longs Peak (14,259’), a flat-topped monarch visible from almost anywhere inside the park.

The mountain is one of 53 official “14ers” in Colorado, i.e. peaks exceeding 14,000 feet. (Technically, 58 Colorado peaks hover above 14,000 feet, but for two peaks to be considered separate 14ers, there must be a more than 300-foot descent between the saddle of the peaks, explains Chris Meehan, author of Climbing Colorado’s Fourteeners: From the Easiest Hikes to the Most Challenging Climbs.)

Longs has one non-technical route to the top: The Keyhole Route. Keep in mind that non-technical doesn’t mean easy.

“I rank Longs among the 14 hardest,” Meehan says, describing the Keyhole Route as a Class 3 scramble with no protection like ropes or anchors.

“You’re significantly exposed for its final parts, including on the Boulder Field, the Narrows and the Homestretch,” he adds, noting that other humans often pose the most risk while kicking rocks on hikers below.

Only experienced and prepared hikers should attempt to summit, and by choosing to climb, you take responsibility for your safety.

By mid-July, the snow has usually melted enough that it’s possible to tackle the trek without any specialized gear. Read up on what to pack, then begin your hike from the Longs Peak Trailhead, leaving well before dawn so you can summit and return to tree line in advance of any afternoon thunderstorms.

If you’re going to try Longs, or any 14er, keep an eye on updated weather conditions, and don’t be a fool, if the weather changes, or you realize you aren’t ready, turn around and try again another time.

Rugged wilderness hiking

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is Colorado’s take on the Grand Canyon — a vertical wilderness and land of extremes housing some of the oldest exposed rock in the world.

The majority of the park’s annual visitors view the gorge from Black Canyon’s north and south rims, hiking along seven well-marked nature trails.

About half of Black Canyon is designated wilderness, and experienced backpackers can secure a permit (first come, first served) and descend one of six unmarked routes into the inner canyon.

Permits go fast, and rangers spend lots of time talking unprepared hikers off the ledge, so to speak.

“Witnessing the canyon from river level is an amazing experience, but the routes leading to the inner canyon are so difficult and uncomfortable that they aren’t suitable for the average hiker,” explains Chris Roundtree, a park visual information specialist who has descended Black Canyon multiple times.

In addition to thickets of poison ivy, serious risks include dehydration and life-threatening injury.

“On the arduous return, it’s easy to get lost,” Roundtree adds. Cell service below the canyon rim is rare, making it nearly impossible to call for help. Repeat after me: You’re responsible for your own safety!

I’m certainly not ready for an inner-canyon trek.

Curecanti Creek Trail is a safe yet still adventurous alternative for those of us who’d like to reach the water. Access the trail through the adjacent and co-managed Curecanti National Recreation Area.

The strenuous out-and-back route (2 miles each way; no permit needed) begins at the Pioneer Point Overlook parking lot, off Highway 92. A gentle drop toward Curecanti Creek takes hikers through an oak and pine forest.

From here, the south-facing route heats up as you enter Curecanti Creek’s canyon. The trail steepens, descending 900 feet over a series of rugged, rocky segments, eventually ending beneath sheer canyon walls of ancient metamorphic bedrock.

Leashed pets are permitted inside Curecanti but are prohibited on most Black Canyon trails. Remember to wear sturdy shoes and carry at least 2 quarts of water per person per day.

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

On Monday, Snöbahn announced a deal with Unrivaled Sports, a new business that aims to expand access to youth sports through camps, leagues and more. Unrivaled Sports invested money to become a minority owner in Snöbahn, though it expects to become a majority owner as the company expands, a spokesperson said.

Unrivaled Sports was founded by billionaires Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who manage teams in the National Basketball Association (Philadelphia 76ers) and the National Hockey League (New Jersey Devils), among others. Pro snowboarder Shaun White is one of the company’s partners under its “action sports” division.

The hallmark of Snöbahn is its facilities and equipment that help beginners learn how to ski and ride on the mountain – no snow required. Venues also include jumps and obstacles for BMX and skateboard training.

Snöbahn opened its first location in Centennial in 2016 and its second in Thornton earlier this year. Founder Sadler Merrill is expected to remain with the company.

Unrivaled Sports’ investment is intended to expand Snöbahn beyond the Rocky Mountain region. It’s too early for the company to determine exactly where, but Texas and California are likely at the top of the list, Kevin English, Unrivaled Sports’ Action CEO, said by email.

“Snöbahn is revolutionizing how young athletes engage with action sports year-round,” White said in a statement. “This investment isn’t about adding facilities; it’s about breaking down the barriers to these sports, wherever you are located. It’s about cultivating passion and skill in a whole new generation of athletes.”

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

“It’s back,” said Andrea Dowdy, executive director of Denver Colfax Marathon, “and in a lot of cases, it seems like a resurgence.”

Registration for the Colfax Marathon and its associated events — a half marathon, 10-miler, 5K and marathon relay races, all of which will be held this weekend — have surpassed 24,000. The Colfax races set a record last year with 21,000.

The Bolder Boulder Memorial Day 10K attracted 47,250 in 2019 and dipped to less than 34,000 when the race came back in 2022. Last year, though, it registered more than 40,000, and race director Cliff Bosley said this year’s numbers are tracking with 2019.

“We’re prepared for upwards of 45,000,” Bosley said. “We’ve added 13 more start waves to accommodate a larger field, we’ve ordered more shirts, and we are planning to pack more than 45,000 snack bags.”

The Colfax Marathon races sold out last year. This year organizers redrew one of the courses to eliminate a bottleneck so the race could accommodate more runners.

What Colfax and the Bolder Boulder are seeing is being felt across the country. Eric Cone of RunSignup, the country’s largest race registration platform, said large events such as Colfax and Bolder Boulder are seeing 10% to 15% growth, while smaller races are seeing 7% to 9% percent increases.

” A lot of major races across the country are just seeing so much interest in participation,” Dowdy said. “Running has really come back strong since the pandemic.”

The London Marathon in April broke its record for finishers at 53,000, which was 9,000 more than the previous record for the event set last year. More than 840,000 entered the lottery to get into next year’s race, an increase of 45% over the previous year.

“We could be in the third running boom,” Bosley said.

The first running boom occurred in the 1970s, when there was an explosion of runners and races. The second occurred in the late 1990s an early 2000s. Cone said running seems poised for more growth, in part because of demographics.

Baby Boomers are starting to age out of running, he said, and Gen X was a smaller cohort, but Millennials and Gen Z are larger.

“Millennials are starting to come into their prime running and buying power, therefore we should see significant growth over the coming years as that purchasing power starts to get into the market of running,” Cone said. “We’re in a pretty good spot. Don’t get me wrong, the last four years have been pretty rough for a number of (running) organizations, but I suspect that over the next five to 10 years, we should see consistent growth, very much like the early 2000s.”

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

Founded by The Denver Post in 1986, Ride the Rockies was a fully supported tour that took cycling enthusiasts to dozens of locations around the state and over many high mountain passes over the years. The Post sold the event in 2021 to a subsidiary of Gannett USA Today, Ventures Endurance Events.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the towns, participants, sponsors, crew, volunteers, and supporters who have had a role in making this ride so special for the past 37 years,” the event website states.

Efforts to reach tour officials for more information resulted only in an email repeating the statement on the website.

It is unknown whether there will be an attempt to bring the event back next year in some form, or to sell it to another organizer. Officials are “assessing the best options for this beloved ride,” according to the website.

At its peak, the six-day event attracted more than 2,000 cyclists annually for rides of 60 to 80 miles per day. It supported nonprofits in the more than 50 towns it visited over the years.

The website says refunds for those who registered for this year’s tour will be automatically processed within 60 days of submission through EnMotive, an event registration website. Registrants also will receive a commemorative jersey “as a memento and token of our deep appreciation.”

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

So here’s a small list of Front Range trails that are exclusively for hikers (not counting the occasional dog or adventure cat). Enjoy.

Castlewood Canyon State Park

This Douglas County park has 13 miles of “foot only” trails, which means no wheels. Castlewood Canyon is about a 45-minute drive south of downtown Denver just outside of Franktown. The park preserves the remnants of the historic Castlewood Canyon Dam and the Inner Canyon/Lake Gulch Loop includes a crossing over Cherry Creek. This 2-mile trail is direct, has a creek crossing on stones, and several stairs on the way out. The 1.2-mile Canyon View Natural Trail is a completed paved and is ADA accessible. Leashed pets are allowed on all but the East Canyon Preservation Trail.

2989 CO-83, Franktown

Centennial Cone Park

Jefferson County’s novel approach offers a calendar of shared use with hikers and equestrians on odd-numbered dates and bikers on even-numbered days. Note that this 12-mile trail is closed for elk calving season from Feb. 1 through mid-June. The trail is mostly exposed with views of Clear Creek Canyon and there is a chance you’ll see bighorn sheep, elk, and other wildlife.

2224 Douglas Mountain Drive, Golden

Anne U. White Trail

Located in north Boulder, the Anne U. White Trail is for hikers and their leashed pets only. The 1.7-mile trail follows — and crosses a few times — the Four Mile Canyon Creek. The parking lot is relatively small so go early in the day to get a spot, or have a backup plan.

Near Wagonwheel Gap Road and Pinto Drive, Boulder County

Heil Valley Ranch

After a significant fire in October 2020, the landscape here is starting to recover, and seeded wildflowers make for a pleasant day out on the trails. Due to the post-fire conditions here, always check ahead to verify that trails are open as they can close for mud and other hazards. Try the 1.4-mile Grindstone Quarry Trail or the 1.3-mile Lichen Loop here for a bike-free day out (note that there are six other trails here that do allow bikes).

Geer Canyon Drive, Boulder

And here are a few more…

Caribou Ranch outside of Nederland has two trails — the 1.8-mile Blue Bird Loop and the 1.2-mile DeLonde Trail — that are hikers-only, with no dogs allowed. The fact that this trail is closed from April 1 through the end of June just makes it that much more special when you do get to hike here. There are historic buildings on parts of the trail and groves of aspen trees throughout.

Mount Galbraith Park just outside of Golden is a hiker-only trail system with incredible views of the Continental Divide and the Eastern Plains over 5.2 miles. There are some steep sections as you head to the top of the 7,260-foot peak; be on the lookout for rattlesnakes here.

Golden Gate Canyon State Park has many trails to choose from, including many that are for hikers, and range from easy to difficult. Try Horseshoe Trail for a moderate hike where you might see wildflowers near the stream as you walk 1.8 miles one way. For more of a challenge, hike the 4.1-mile loop of Burro Trail, where you have the option of climbing to Windy Peak and taking in 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Other hiker-only trails in this state park are Beaver Trail, Black Bear Trail, and Coyote Trail.

Lory State Park is a bit north and west of Fort Collins, with a wonderful 1.7-mile hike to Arthur’s Rock. Once you clamber up on top of Arthur’s Rock, you get a view of Horsetooth Reservoir and Fort Collins below.

Tips

• Before you head out on any trail, make sure you tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. Always pack water, sunscreen and a hat, along with a basic first-aid kit.
• If a trailhead’s parking lot is full, go to your second choice and do not park on the nearby road where you might be ticketed.
• Always practice Leave No Trace principles when out enjoying wilderness areas so that everyone can continue to experience them as pristine.

Mindy Sink is a Colorado freelance writer specializing in travel and the outdoors.

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