2020 52 Hike Challenge (Part 1)

You may have noticed that it’s been a hot minute since I last posted. Although I’ve been hiking up a storm with my broken wrist, I found it wasn’t very easy to type out a blog post after a day spent typing for work.

Now that I’m finally out of the cast and have a semi-functional wrist, I'm excited to finally be able to get back to blogging and sharing more about my hikes with you! But it’s going to look a little different moving forward than it did for the first part of the year. As much as I love sharing information about every hike I do, I’d like to make posts that are a bit less hike-specific and a bit more informative and helpful about hiking and the outdoors overall.

That said, I’m excited to have my first post back document my first round of 52 hikes for the year! On top of getting back to blogging, I’m also super jazzed to continue the wild ride that is 2020 as I decided I’m going for a double this year. Yep, that means at least 104 hikes before we usher in a hopefully gentler year with 2021 🤪!

So, I’ll keep this one short and sweet. Without further ado, onto my first 52:

1. Red Rocks and Morrison Slide Trail- Red Rocks Park -3 miles* 679 feet* loop * kid and pupper friendly

2. Maxwell Falls Bluffs Trail Upper Loop- Arapaho National Forest -5.4 miles * 1233 feet * loopdeloop * kid(ish) & pupper friendly

3. Mayflower Gulch (cabins only)- White River National Forest -3.4 miles * who knows * out & back * kid & pupper friendly

4. Staunton Ranch & Bugling Elk Loop - Staunton State Park -8.8 miles * 1574 feet * loop * pupper friendly

5. Sugarloaf Mountain Trail - Roosevelt National Forest -1.3 miles * 439 feet * out & back * kid & pupper friendly

6. Dream Lake- Rocky Mountain National Park -2 miles *426 feet * out & back * kid friendly

7. Alberta Falls- Rocky Mountain National Park -1.6 miles * 252 feet * out & back * kid friendly

8. Sapphire Point (like four times around) - Swan Mountain Recreation Area - 2.4 miles * 32 feet * loop * kid & pupper friendly

9. Lake Gulch Trail Loop- Castlewood Canyon State Park - 1.7 miles * 200 feet * loop* kid & pupper friendly

10. Red Rocks Trading Post Trail - Red Rocks Park - 1.5 miles * 357 feet * loop * kid & pupper friendly

11. Gravel Ponds- Chatfield State Park -3 miles * unknown * loop * kid & pupper friendly

12. Fountain Valley Loop- Roxborough State Park -2.3 miles * 324 feet * loop * kid friendly

13. Geological Overlook Trail - Red Rocks Park - 1.1 miles * 321 feet * loop * kid & pupper friendly

14. Echo Lake Trail - Echo Lake Park - 1.3 miles * 68 feet * loop * kid & pupper friendly

15. Squaw Mountain - Arapaho National Forest -4.1 miles * 862 feet * out & back * kid(ish) & pupper friendly

16. Button rock Dam via Longmont Dam Road & Hummingbird Switchback- Roosevelt National Forest - 3.9 miles * 456 feet * out & back * kid and pupper friendly

17. South Platte River Trail - South Platte Park - 4 miles * minimal * out & back * kid & pupper friendly

18. Paint Mines Trail- Paint Mines Interpretive Park -3.4 miles * 334 feet * loop * kid friendly

19. Chief Mountain- Arapaho National Forest - 3.1 miles * 961 feet * out & back * kid(ish) & pupper friendly

20. Hanging Lake- White River National Forest - 3 miles * 1135 feet * out & back * kid friendly(ish)

21. Rifle Falls via Coyote and Squirrel Trail Loop - Rifle Falls State Park - 1.7 miles * 193 feet * loop * kid & pupper friendly

22. Castle, Meadow & Tower Trails- Mount Falcon Park - 2.4 miles * 360 feet * loop * kid & pupper friendly

23. Panorama Point- Corwina Park - 3.1 miles * 652 feet * loop * kid & pupper friendly

24. Independence Mountain- Pence Park - 2.1 miles * 741 feet * out & back * kid & pupper friendly

25. Chatfield Wildlife Viewing Area Ramble -3 miles * minimal * out & back * kid & pupper friendly

26. Willow Creek Falls- Roxborough State Park - 3.2 miles * 223 feet * out & back * kid friendly

27. Coyote Song & Prairie Falcon Loop- South Valley Park - 1.3 miles * 127 feet * kid & pupper friendly

28. Meadowlark Plymouth Creek & Plymouth Mountain Loop - Deer Creek Canyon -6 miles * 1309 feet * loop * pupper friendly

29. Turkey Trot Trail - Mount Falcon Park - 3 miles * 793 feet * loop * kid(ish) & pupper friendly

30. South Rim, Willow Creek & Fountain Valley Loop- Roxborough State Park - 5.2 miles * 777 feet * loop

31. Highlands Point via East West Regional Trail- Highland Ranch -2.2 miles * 52 feet * out & back * kid & pupper friendly

32. Mount Galbraith via Cedar Gulch- Mount Galbraith Park -4 miles * 928 feet * loop * pupper friendly

33. Carpenter Peak - Roxborough State Park -6.4 miles * 10007 feet * out & back

34. Lake Gulch Trail Loop- Castlewood Canyon - 1.7 miles * 200 feet * loop * kid & pupper friendly

35. Ladora Lake- Rocky Mountain Arsenal - 1.9 miles * 22 feet * loop * kid friendly

36. Alderfer, Three Sisters, and Dedisse Loop- Alderfer Open Space - 12.4 miles * 2139 feet * loop * dog friendly

37. Elk Falls- Staunton State Park -14.5 miles * 2398 feet * out & back * dog friendly

38. Elk Meadow- Elk Meadow Park - 4 miles * 593 feet * loop * kid & dog friendly

39. Mount Muscoco & Mount Cutler- North Cheyenne Canon Park - 5 miles * 1475 feet * out & back * dog friendly

40. Maxwell Falls Bluff Trail - Arapaho National Forest -5.4 miles * 1233 feet * out & back * kid(ish) & dog friendly

41. Lost Lake -Roosevelt National Forest - 4.4 miles * 807 feet * out & back * kid(ish) & dog friendly

42. Horsetooth Falls -Horsetooth Mountain Space -2.2 miles *393 feet * out & back * kid & dog friendly

43. Green Mountain and Hayden Trail Loop - Green Mountain Park -4.6 miles * 898 feet * loop * kid(ish) & dog friendly

44. Upper Cheeseman Canyon - Pike National Forest -4.1 miles * 938 feet * out & back * dog friendly

45. Mesa-Cortina to South Willow Creek Falls - Eagles Nest Wilderness -8.7 miles * 1338 feet * out & back * dog friendly

46. Bear & Dream Lakes - Rocky Mountain National Park -2.7 miles * 426 feet * out & back * kid friendly

47. St. Mary's Glacier - Arapaho National Forest -1.9 miles * 807 feet * out & back *kid & dog friendly

48. Silver Dollar & Murray Lakes 3.9 miles *1062 feet * out & back * dog friendly

49. Green Mountain and Hayden Trail Loop - Green Mountain Park -4.6 miles * 898 feet * loop * kid(ish) friendly

50. Interlaken Trail - San Isabel National Forest -4.6 miles * 213 feet * out & back * kid & dog friendly

51. Coulson Gulch - Roosevelt National Forest -5.3 miles * 954 feet * out & back * dog friendly

52. McCullough Gulch - White River National Forest -6.2 miles * 1578 feet * out & back * dog friendly

And there you have it! Despite a global pandemic, broken arm, and about 52 other life challenges I'm thrilled to have completed the challenge halfway through the year! I hope this list is helpful and I'm very much looking forward to getting back to blogging and sharing my journey on here...assuming I don't break another limb. Happy hiking, everyone!