Hikers can be creatures of habit, including yours truly. We have trails or parks we like and visit often, eventually knowing them like the backs of our hands. Sometimes this is due to convenience – you’ve only got a little bit of time for a hike, such as during your lunch break, or between work and dinner, and you know just the trail that you can squeeze in without being late. Sometimes it’s just a place where you feel safe, or it’s that you find comfort in the familiar.
And while I too often visit some of the same places, I am always looking for a new trail or park to visit. Heck, it’s part of my job writing this column to visit new places and tell you about them and, hiking around 800 miles a year, I certainly want as much variety as possible.
There are many ways to find a new trail to experience. My favorite is to pull out a map (yes, a paper map), spread it out on the floor and crawl around on it, looking for a squiggly line I hadn’t seen before. It’s old school, but it works, and the locally produced Pocket Pals Trail Maps are the best for the Pikes Peak region.
A more modern way is to use a cell phone app, which for me is COTREX in Colorado, or onX Backcountry – for the love of God, never AllTrails – while visiting other states. Much like with a paper map, I’ll scroll around looking for the trails I haven’t been on before. In both cases, these are just the initial steps into finding a new trail followed by web searches for additional information such as what agency is the land manager, whether the trail is actually open, etc. – along with interpreting the data on the map, such as terrain features, elevation gain or loss and how to even get to the trailhead.
Many times, simple word of mouth is enough to find out about a new trail, or at least a trail you may not have been on. Hikers like to tell each other about their latest or newest adventure. Land managers love to crow about their new trails, so news releases and social media announcements abound when a new trail is open, and this is where I often get content for this column. There are many, many Facebook groups and other social media accounts that are all about hiking, with varying degrees of information, accuracy, ethics and even civility.
One of the best sources of information, however, are published – printed – guidebooks. You can find them on almost any aspect of outdoor recreation and broken down by location. Want a guidebook for easy hikes? Got it. Hard hikes? Got that, too. Rock climbing? Backpacking? Running? Pet Friendly? Cycling? Check, check, check, check and check.
It’s been my experience that Falcon Guides produces some of the best hiking guidebooks, often done in association with the American Hiking Society, and authored by people with many years of experience. They recently announced two new guidebooks, to be released on May 6, that would be of interest to hikers in Colorado. “Best Easy Day Hikes in Colorado Springs” promises to feature “25 easy-to-follow hikes on the high plains as well as in the mountains near town,” and the second edition of “Hiking Colorado’s Western Slope” will feature “short day walks to backcountry treks through the Western Slope’s spectacular landscape.”
I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of “Hiking Colorado’s Western Slope” to feed my desire to spend more time experiencing the other side of our state. Author Bill Haggerty’s description of each trail featured in the book was detailed and informative, with accompanying photos to whet anyone’s interest. There were some trails in the book that I had already visited, and I found his descriptions of those trails to accurately reflect my own experiences. The book not only offers trail information, but also tips on weather, safety and equipment. As I write this column, I am furiously bookmarking hikes I hope to do this summer.
Both books can be found at FalconGuides.com, and also Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most likely any brick-and-mortar bookstore or outdoor recreation equipment store.
Go out and explore a new trail.
Be Good. Do Good Things. Leave No Trace.
Bob “Hiking Bob” Falcone is a retired firefighter, USAF veteran, photographer and podcaster who has explored the Pikes Peak region and beyond for more than 30 years. He hikes more than 800 miles a year, much of it with his sidekick dog, Coal. He has served on boards and committees for city, county and state parks in the Pikes Peak region, and still volunteers many, many hours each year.
