Now that I’ve moved to Colorado, my hiking spirit has returned. I’m hoping to go on hikes as often as possible this summer once the snow melts, so here’s a list of my bucket list hikes for this year.

I know in my 2026 Bucket List post I made it a goal of mine to climb at least one fourteener this year, so this list is mainly just scenic hikes I want to go on. I’ll post more detailed info on that adventure when I get more details sorted out.

Chasm Lake

Chasm lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is said to be one of the prettiest hikes in the park, providing magnificent views of Long’s Peak. Long’s Peak is the highest peak in the park, and the lake is well above the tree line so there won’t be any trees blocking the views.

That being said, I’m going to have to do some altitude adjusting. I definitely felt the change in oxygen levels the first 2-3 weeks of living in Colorado, so I’m going to have to proceed with caution since most of the hikes on this list are around twice as high above sea level as Denver.

Green Mountain Trail

A relatively easy hike with little elevation gain, the Green Mountain Trail offers scenic views of Boulder and the Flatirons it backs up to. The trail takes you through a rich habitat (hopefully not overly rattlesnake and mountain lion infested) with incredible panoramic views of the Rockies.

It’s also not too far from where I’m from in Denver, so this might be one of the first of these hikes that I complete.

Maroon Bells

The Maroon Bells are all the way in Aspen, 3.5 hours away, so this might turn into a weekend camping trip or something. The mountains are said to be one of the most photographed spots in North America, so I feel obligated to check it out at least once. I’m also trying to get back into tent camping, so this might be a good opportunity.

North Tenmile #37

Although it’s about seven miles long, there’s very little elevation gain. I’m a sucker for long, flat and scenic hikes, so this should be a good one. Apparently you also hike through canyons thousands of years old and get great views of nearby snow-capped mountains, so I’m pretty excited for this one.

Royal Arch Trail

I did a short hike in the Chautauqua Trail area this past June when I visited, and the Flatirons are breathtaking. The trail gives you great views of Boulder and the surrounding area, but it would seem at great cost. You gain about 1,400ft of elevation, but according to everything I’ve read about the hike, it seems to be worth it.

Sky Pond

Almost nine miles long and with an elevation gain of over 1,700ft, the views from Sky Pond are some of the best in Rocky Mountain National Park. The hike consists of multiple different trails combining to form the way to the pond, and luckily there are many different notable viewpoints along the way. Unluckily, though, it’s said that this is one of the most popular hikes in the park, so we will have to watch out for that.

Soda Ridge & Aqueduct Trails

Seemingly a very easy hike with only a couple hundred feet of elevation gain, the Soda Ridge Trail hike seems to be a low-risk high-reward kind of hike. It offers great views of the area around Keystone and the mountains, and it sounds like a nice and chill afternoon hike.

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Thanks for reading! Hit that subscribe button to follow along as I hit the trails and turn into the stereotypical Coloradan, drinking Coors and filling my wardrobe with sherpas.

Have a great week!