Wilderness Areas and National Forests

National Park

• Dinasaur National Park - about 3 hour drive northwest
  
• Rocky Mountain National Park - about 2 hour drive northeast
  
• National Park System - NPS website
  

Wilderness Areas

• Eagles Nest - most of the Gore range is enclosed in this area and one easy access is from East Vail via the Gore Creek drainage.
  
• Holy Cross - accessable just south of Minturn on Hwy 24.
  
• Flat Tops - north of Dotsero
  
• Hunter Fryingpan - just west of Leadville and East of Aspen.
  
• Collegiate Peaks - just south of Hunter Pryingpan.
  
• Maroon Bells Snowmass - just west of Aspen.
  
• National Wilderness Preservation System - maps, more information
  

National Forests

• White River - wilderness areas are huge and all contained within these National Forests
  
• Arapahoe
  
• USDA National Forest Service - maps, more information
  

Hiking 14ers

• Mount of the Holy Cross (14,007 ft) - this is the peak that you see immediately southwest of the Vail Back Bowls. Getting to the top typically requires a three day backpack trip: one day hike in just below tree-line, overnight, hike to the top on day 2, hike down, overnight, hike back on day 3. Ranked 53rd highest in the state.
  
• Mount Elbert (14,463) - highest mountain in Colorado and a relatively easy hike.
  
• Mount Massive (14,421) - 2nd highest in Colorado, with its multiple summits above 14,000 feet, does not present the classical pyramidal mountain shape.
  
• Mount Harvard (14,420) - 3rd highest, and a long hike in from your car. Harvard is close to several other 14ers in the Collegiate Range.
  
• Quandry Peak (14,265) - easy access near Breckenridge, offers and excellent winter climb by virtue of its short aproach and moderate slopes.
  
• Mount Sherman (14,036) - one of four 14ers in the Mosquito Range near Leadville.
  
• Lincoln Peak (14,286), Democrat Peak (14,148) and Mount Bross (14,172) - these three 14ers are commonly climbed in one day starting from Kite Lake Campgound.
  
• Longs Peaks (14,255) - in Rocky Mountain National Park, a tougher hike with some scrambling.
  
• Grays Peak (14,270) and Torres (14,267) - less than an hour west of Denver, just off I-70 at the Bakersville exit, you can hike both in one day trip, start early because of the possibility of mid day thunderstorms.
  
• There are fifty four 14,000 ft peaks in Colorado, these are just a few of the ones that are close to Vail and Beaver Creek. There are also more than 850 peaks higher than 11,000 ft in Colorado with numerous routes; so mountain hiking has endless possibilities.
  
• Colorado 14ers - great resource, includes suggested routes