My Favorite Hikes in Colorado:
(These are in no particular order.)
Solitude & Shelf Lakes, approx. 10 miles RT, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Crater Lakes, 5.6 miles RT, James Peak Wilderness, trailhead at East Portal, Moffat Tunnel.
Lake Isabelle, 4.2 miles RT, Brainard Lake Recreation Area.
Falls Creek Falls & Four Mile Falls, 6 miles RT, Pagosa Springs.
The Loch, Timberline Falls, Lake of Glass, Sky Pond, 10 miles RT, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Gem Lake, 3.6 miles RT, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Chasm Lake, 8.4 miles RT, Rocky Mountain National Park. Story/Trip Report: click here.
Bridal Veil Falls, 6 miles RT, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Lake Dorothy, 7 miles RT, Indian Peaks Wilderness.
Rattlesnake Arches, 7 miles, Near Grand Junction.

My Favorite 14'ers
From Major King, 7NEWS Photojournalist
(In no particular order)
Long’s Peak. It's a classic, a must do.
Maroon Bells. Specifically? North Maroon Peak. Mainly because I’ve done that one. It was a dangerous climb, but very beautiful. Lush, lots of greenery.
Capitol Peak. For me it was challenging, you have to climb another peak to get to Capitol.
Kit Carson. The north ridge route. Beautiful drainage, the rock in the Crestone group is like no other in the state.
Sunlight. Even though I haven’t done it, I think it’ll be dramatic. Chicago Basin is one of the top backpacking destinations in the country.
Little Bear. Another I haven’t done, but I’m looking forward to it, hopefully this month.
Princeton. Such a dramatic part of the Arkansas Valley. It's the first thing you see as you come in on Highway 285. A landmark mountain.
Shavano. It’s cool, because it’s got the Angel of Shavano snow formation. If you’ve never glissaded, this is the place to do it.
Mt of the Holy Cross. Elusive mountain, can’t really see it from anywhere except briefly coming out of Eisenhower Tunnel.
Mt Elbert. The highest point in the state. Difficult for my family because it was extremely windy the day we climbed it. I’m probably most proud of my son for climbing that mountain, because he didn’t feel good that day and it’s long climb. He was probably 8 years old when he did that one.

More Staff Hiking & Scenic Favorites:
Ana Mejia, Azteca Anchor: Chicago Lakes, Mount Evans. It's close to Denver and a great getaway.
Mike Bammerlin, Graphic Artist: Wolf Creek Pass. When traveling south on US Highway 160, a - not to be missed stop - is the scenic overlook. The view is simply one of the best the state has to offer! The valley falls away below you and stretches on forever with the San Juan Mountains framing the view and the added bonus of Treasure Falls sparkling off in the distance. If you are there when the light is just right, it looks like you stepped into the middle of a Thomas Kinkade painting. Don’t be in too much of a hurry that you miss the Treasure Falls parking lot. There's a short hike to get even closer for better pictures. This could become one of your favorite places in Colorado too!
Marianne McKiernan, Call 7 For Help Producer/Coordinator: My favorite summer Colorado place is Grand Lake. We like the hikes into the meadows at the east end of the lake, and there’s a great hike up Shadow Mountain to an old fire lookout with fabulous views.
Lesley Reno, Producer:1) Ohaver Lake near Poncha Springs. It’s gorgeous when the aspens turn. 2) St. Elmo. This is great for kids because you can feed the chipmunks, and they eat right out of your hands! 3) Agnes Falls (it’s on your way to Mt. Princeton/St. Elmo). It’s a easy hike for those who like to get outdoors, but aren’t avid hikers.
Tyler Lopez, Reporter: Favorite Place? Seven Falls, near Colorado Springs. Best Non-Traditional wedding reception site? Garden of the Gods visitor center, Colorado Springs. Best walk/jog in the “city”? Smoky Hill Road near Himalaya. You can routinely see both Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain from here.

Great Places to Take The Kids:
Michelle Morawiec, Account Representative
Belleview Park. Englewood. It has a petting zoo, a half mile train ride- it is awesome!

Advice From Our Viewers:
Doug Christie: 1) Barr Trail.
2) The INCLINE in Manitou Springs. The incline is the best workout in the state, the ultimate stair climb. People going to Everest are said to work out here, when you can do 20 minutes up - down, your ready. Details?click here.

Pam Giordano:
Shrine Ridge, near Vail Pass, 700’ of elevation gain, 5 miles. Beautiful mountain views, wildflowers, aspen viewing.
Mohawk Lakes, 6 miles, 1,700’ elevation gain. Near Breckenridge. Spectacular views, old mining structures, lakes, cascades, wildflowers.
Cub Lake & the Pool, Rocky Mountain National Park, 600’ elevation gain, 5 miles. Gentle hike, beautiful scenery.
Silver Dollar Lake, near the summit of Guanella Pass, 3.5 miles, 100’ elevation gain. Great high altitude views and wildflowers.
Black Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, 10 miles, 1500’ elevation gain. Gorgeous! This hike has it all: lakes, waterfall, cascades, wildflowers, cliffs.

Marilyn Wray, Longmont. She prefers the easier trails. Some of her favorites:
The Endovalley road (Rocky Mt Natl Park) is especially good in the fall, spring and winter as it is paved and fairly easy at only 3.75 miles from the last parking lot to the picnic area at the base of the mountain that becomes Old Fall River Rd. In the winter the road is closed to cars and we have spotted coyotes, elk and lots of different birds and ground life.
Upper Beaver Meadows is another easy trail. One can walk up the dirt road and then come back to the main road via a meadow on the other side of the valley, unless there is too much snow.
Button Rock Dam road outside of Lyons is also another faviourite of ours, but not during the warm weather.

Do you have a top 10 list of your favorite hikes, picnic spots, waterfalls, or something similiar, I'll be happy to add it to our list. Just E-mail me, deb_stanley@kmgh.com.