by Bill Whitney

Created on: December 04, 2008   Last Updated: January 31, 2010

Hiking is great exercise and a wonderful and healthful way to see a lot of beautiful scenery. To me, there is a lot of difference between walking and hiking. Denver is very attuned to physical fitness and there are a lot of walking paths in the open areas, along the many creeks and in the many big parks in town.

Hiking is usually out of town and usually not on paved paths, There are many marked and developed trails around Denver that offer hiking opportunities for everybody from the novice to the experienced hikers To truly enjoy hiking, you must have the proper gear. The most important is a good pair of comfortable hiking boots, comfortable clothing and something to carry plenty of liquids with you and maybe a snack bar or something.to eat in case it takes longer than expected.

There are many wonderful hikes in and around the Denver area. Here are a few of them. I am not giving detailed directions on how to get their because it would take to much room but you can find them by going to Local hikes and they have all the detailed directions.. The ones I will cover here run from easy family type hikes to very strenuous hikes for experienced hikers.

1. Davidson Mesa Loop

This is an easy hike in the foothills plains which is a 2.7 mile loop It only has a 67 foot elevation gain. It is a well maintained rail and has some beautiful views of the mountains of the front range.

2. Deckers Cliff

This is a real short one and is an easy one west of Sedalia up in the foothills. The trail is not very well maintained. You hike next to the river downstream about a tenth of a mile. You will see a large outcropping of rock that the river is running right up against Head toward the top of these small cliffs. This is a really nice spot to relax and enjoy the river or if you are so inclined to wet a line and try to catch some of the big trout in the river up toward Deckers. Be careful of the edges.

3. Red Rocks of Woodland Park

This is another fairly easy 3/4 mile hike among some beautiful red sandstone formations in a nice forested area near Woodland Park. There is only a 134 foot elevation gain. The path is not very well maintained . Nice hike with some very unique rock formations for you to enjoy.

4. The Crags

This is still rated an easy hike but it is longer at 3.5 miles and has a 630 foot elevation gain. The trail is OK for the most part but does have a couple difficult spots. There are a lot of nice rock formations. The last part of the trail gains a lot of elevation but the

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