Best Hiking in Central Colorado around Aspen, Marble, Leadville, Buena Vista and Crested Butte

Updated and Revised in 2019 - An opinionated guide to the best hikes in one of Colorado's best hiking areas, the Sawatch and Elk Mountains in central Colorado around the towns of Aspen, Buena Vista, Crested Butte, Marble and Leadville. The Sawatch and Elk Mountain ranges offer the quintessential Rocky Mountain hiking experience with the trails that take you above timberline to beautiful mountain lakes nestled in dramatic cirques, to passes with see forever views and to glorious alpine meadows filled with wildflowers. Three national forests and six wilderness areas protect this amazing landscape. Over 200 peaks rise above 13,000-ft. with 20 of the summits topping 14,000-ft.
The trails in this guide, best hiked between mid-July and mid-September, appeal to hikers who like to go high and hike between 2 and 12 miles a day. Trails gain between 900- to 3,500-ft in elevation. Many of the trails offer great intermediate turnaround points for those seeking shorter hikes. All are reached in less than an hour drive from five great base camps; Aspen, Buena Vista, Crested Butte, Marble and Leadville.
The first section of the guide describes the base camps, identifying local services, highlighting nearby attractions and suggesting activities for non-hiking/rainy days. The second section offers detailed trail description with ratings, elevation profiles, maps and photographs of the recommended hikes.