All Over the Map: New Hiking Guidebooks

Can’t wait to start planning trips for the spring and summer? These five guides, selected by the pros at REI, are the best resources for mapping out hiking routes around the state.

Colorado’s Quiet Winter Trails

Hiking isn’t just a warm-weather sport. This indispensable winter guide identifies 99 snowshoe and cross-country ski routes around the state free of snowmobiles, illustrated with color photos and complete with maps and elevation profiles.

Colorado Waterfall Hikes

Perfect for waterfall lovers, this book outlines 50 routes with beautiful scenery, each involving a waterfall along the trail. The guide includes detailed trail maps, photos, and directions to each trailhead.

Best Loop Hikes: Colorado

This no-nonsense guide identifies 60 of the best loop hikes accessible from Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Boulder—covering everything from casual afternoon strolls to loop hikes that climb 14ers. Each trail is illustrated with topo maps, elevation profiles, and pictures.

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The Colorado Trail

This guidebook published by the Colorado Mountain Club offers detailed color maps, feature descriptions, elevation, and mileage of the famed Colorado Trail, which passes through six national forests, six wilderness areas, and eight mountain ranges on its 486 miles from Denver to Durango. Five new chapters in the ninth edition cover the trail’s most recent addition, the 80- mile Collegiate West portion.

Best Summit Hikes In Colorado

If getting to the top is your thing, this one’s for you. This book outlines 50 routes and more than 80 summits to explore, each with a special feature—from airplane wreckages along the trail to hidden waterfalls. Each hike ends in a summit, so you can check 14ers, 13ers, and some of the state’s smaller gems off your list.