Jamie Siebrase - Hiking with Kids Colorado: 52 Great Hikes for Families

Thanks to my son Brian for having the fantastic idea to write a hiking book for kids. Brian is the reason this book exists.

I couldnt have finished writing Hiking with Kids Colorado without ongoing support from my family. I had a little over a year to write about Colorados most kid-friendly trails. To meet my deadline, I dragged my three children along on a whole lot of hikes. Sometimes we completed multiple hikes in a single day. Louise was a newborn baby, so she was carried the whole time. My sons had to walk, and Id like to thank Jon and Brian for being willing, and sometimes unwilling, participants in this project. Even when you were tired, thank you both for always tagging along on just one more hike... PLEASE, YOU GUYS!

Thank you to my husband, Ben, for putting up with me while I wrote this book, for waking up to feed the baby at 4 a.m. so I could work, and for making me laugh when I was tired. Thanks, too, for making my words beautiful with your photography.

Thank you to my dad, Brian Berglund, for being my weekday hiking partner, first reader, and advisor in writing and life. Thank you for encouraging me to find a job I love. You were right that work is much more fun when you enjoy what you do. Thank you to my mom, Sally Berglund, for knowing all about Colorado flora, and for meeting me for lunch when I needed a break. My mom was one of those bold 1980s career women. She showed me that moms are the strongest, most capable people in the world. For that I am also grateful.

Thanks to all of the friends who kept me sane during that crazy year when I wrote a book and had a baby. A special thanks to Lisa and Erin: The lunches, surprise baked goods, and walks kept me going. Thank you to Sophia Jung for always being there to chat after school, and for picking up my kids whenever I was running late. To the Dorsts, Lickos, Jungs, Reists, Joseph Graves, and Tara Wilson, thank you for letting me drag your children along on a few of our adventures. Kyle Velte and Jana Hunter, thanks for sharing photos of your sweet kids. And thank you to Audrey Siebrase for always being there with a funny message when I need it.

I owe many thanks to Barb Smith, who routinely overlooked my chronic tardiness to after-school pickup. Coach Weiss and Coach Skuce, thank you for letting Jon and Brian come to school early to help you set up for PE while I worked on Hiking with Kids Colorado.

I really appreciate my FalconGuides editor, Katie ODell, and all the park rangers and communications gurus who helped me plan and fact-check these fifty-two hikes. Finally, thank you to the staff and volunteers who manage and protect Colorados beautiful parks, open spaces, and forests.

Spring weather is unpredictable in Colorado, to say the least. Dont let that keep you and your family indoors. Your shoes might get muddy, but itll be worth it to see meadows and hillsides awaken as wildflowers blossom and animals emerge from hibernation. Unless youre planning to snowshoe, its best to hike at lower elevations in March and April, when high-country trails may be covered in snow. On the other hand, some foothills trails in Boulder and Jefferson County are notoriously soggy during mud season: late April and May. Always check online for trail closures before heading out. Many parks and open spaces maintain a Twitter feed that describes real-time trail conditions. All-Trails is another reliable resource, since other hikers can leave reviews with information about the terrain on the day they hiked.

Most Boulderites are familiar with Eldora Mountain Resort and its 680 acres of unpretentious alpine terrain. The lodges serving the sites downhill skiers are usually bustling on powder days. And yet a few hundred yards east, at the Eldora Nordic Center, hikers find serenity while exploring a real-life winter wonderland spanning old-growth forests and alpine meadows. The hilly Lakes Loop Snowshoe Trail keeps kids engaged with a series of historical markers and wildlife viewing opportunities.

Start: Eldora Nordic Center

Distance: 2.2-mile lollipop

Hiking time: 1.53 hours

Difficulty: Moderate to difficult

Elevation gain: 286 feet

Trail surface: Snow

Hours: Open daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Best seasons: Early Nov or Dec through Mar. Some years the trails stay open until mid-Apr. Hikers cannot use Nordic Center trails off-season.

Water: Inside the Nordic Center

Toilets: Inside the Nordic Center

Nursing benches: None. If youll need to stop to nurse, bring a tarp to sit on.

Stroller-friendly: No

Potential child hazards: Frozen lakes, windchill

Other trail users: None

Dogs: Not allowed

Land status: Eldora Mountain Resort

Nearest town: Nederland

Fees and permits: Fee for trail passes

Maps: Eldora Mountain Resort Nordic Trail Map

Trail contact: Eldora Mountain Resort, 2861 Eldora Ski Rd., #140, Nederland 80466; (303) 440-8700, ext. 68510; www.eldora.com/things-to-do/nordic-center/nordic-center-at-eldora

Gear suggestions: Snowshoes (available to rent on-site), waterproof snow pants, ski jackets, waterproof gloves, wool or fleece hats, balaclavas, high-energy snacks that wont freeze, warm herbal tea

FINDING THE TRAILHEAD

From Boulder, take Boulder Canyon Drive (CO 119) west to the town of Nederland. From Denver, you can come up through Golden, taking Coal Creek Canyon Road toward Nederland via 6th Avenue West. When Coal Creek Canyon Road dead-ends, make a sharp right onto CO 119. From CO 119, go to Eldorado Avenue and head north. In 1.5 miles, veer left (east) onto Shelf Road. Shelf Road ends at Eldora Mountain Resort. Following the flow of traffic to the north parking lot, but dont park here. Instead, loop around the alpine ski area and drive across the lower parking lot to reach the Eldora Nordic Center.

First stop: the Eldora Nordic Center, a cute warming hut where hikers can purchase trail passes and snacks, re-up on water, and rent snowshoes. After checking in, walk out the back door of the Nordic Center, and put your snowshoes on outside. Be sure to strap children into their devices first, since itll be harder to maneuver once your shoes are on.

Everyone in your group will need a valid trail pass to access the trailhead via the entry gate behind the Nordic Center. After walking through the gate, make a quick left onto Lakes Loop. If your kids complain about the wind during the initial segment of this trail, reassure them that relief is coming in a few hundred yards, as soon as youve ducked into the trees.

Lakes Loop Snowshoe Trail is marked with orange blazes (those plastic diamonds nailed onto the trees). Red markers denote Eldoras other snowshoe trails, and cross-country ski trails are gray. Thanks to an abundance of blazes, its pretty much impossible to get lost, even if youre making first tracks through powder.