The ultimate resource for day hikes in Colorado’s Front Range, Base Camp Denver provides hikers with everything they need to enjoy 101 great rambles—all within easy reach of downtown Denver.
Denver is known the world over as the gateway to Colorado’s magnificent Rocky Mountains. Four national forests, a national grassland, scores of regional and city parks and preserves, and Rocky Mountain National Park offer hundreds of hiking and walking trails—all within one to three hours of downtown Denver. Base Camp Denver offers you 101 of the best of these great hiking destinations to choose from. Take a day to explore an alpine meadow, walk to a waterfall, hike through a forest, or stroll suburban parklands. Enjoy a spectacular day of spring wildflowers or fall foliage, and still be home by dinnertime. Scramble to the top of a mountain to enjoy a sunrise and still make it to work by eight. With Pete KJ as your guide and Denver as your base camp, the splendor of Colorado’s Front Range is yours to enjoy one day—or even just a few hours—at a time.
Purchase Base Camp Denver: 101 Hikes in Colorado’s Front Range
Pete KJ began explorations at age three in the wooded ravine that was his backyard in Seattle. He also began a lifelong writing habit. Backyard expanded as Pete stomped all over the Cascades and Olympics as a youth, and headed onward to the Pyrenees, Alps, Himalayas, and Andes. Peace Corps service in Africa cemented his deep desire to always be out in the world, and when he finally sat in a cubicle as a chemical engineer, it was in places like Puerto Rico and India. Long absent from cubicle, he moved on to raise kids, travel the world with them, and write about it (and also write three novels). Career brought Pete to Colorado in the 1990s; its gravity and beauty pulled him back.
Base Camp Denver: 101 Hikes in Colorado’s Front Range was released by Imbrifex Books on April 2nd. A party to celebrate its publication was held at the Boulder Book Store, located at in the Pearl Street Mall, in Boulder, Colorado on April 4, 2019. Click here for photos from the book launch party!
“Just follow any of the 101 glorious treks described in BASE CAMP DENVER for an equal taste of heaven — from a walk for an hour or a day through mountain wildflowers, by waterfalls, in forests aglow with golden Aspen leaves — then be home by supper in my fave city in the world. Ecstasy! 5/5,”—Literary Soiree, goodreads.com (06/07/19)
“The author, Pete KJ, breaks down each hike, giving you details on every trail, including its difficulty, how kid-friendly it is and — crucial for this time of year — which season the trail is best for.”—Jeff Clark, internetbrothers.org (04/05/19)
“Each hike features full color images, all of the topographic information that you need. Making it incredibly easy to pick out a hike for any occasion.”—Molly Callister, ExploringThroughLife.com (04/08/19)
“I appreciated that Pete KJ’s recommendations are very detailed and extremely thorough, especially when it comes to recommendations for families and kids. This is very thoughtful, because I don’t think I have ever seen a guidebook that is so family-friendly.”—Pauline, MamaBearOutdoors.com (04/30/19)
“The very first section of the book includes very helpful information, especially for someone who isn’t completely accustomed to hiking. KJ talks about how he rated each hike in detail, clothing and equipment, maps and navigation, personal safety (hydration, thunderstorms, altitude, sun, heat, and cold), general safety, wildlife safety, and hiking with kids. After reading this book, I felt so much more prepared for any type of hiking!”—Andy, AlphaOmegaFamilyAdventures.com (05/01/19)
“Base Camp Denver is a priceless resource for anyone looking to hit Colorado’s trails.”—Mitch Kline, Coloradist.com (03/31/19)
“Pete is an excellent, easy to read writer – he takes you right into his love of hiking and treats the reader to wonderful antidotes, historical tidbits, and explanations of each hike. The section introductions could form a nice Sunday afternoon read all by themselves and save the hiking for another day. The pictures alone are worth spending some time “armchair” hiking. There are stunning photographs of each hike, shot with suburb quality. Pete always seemed to encourage the reader to try something new and made even the more difficult hikes seems accessible.”—Carol White, RoadTripAmerica.com
“Each hike description includes a number of inspirational good quality photos. There is just enough colorful detail or historical background to add an extra dimension to each hike. There is also a handy directory at the end of the book that will point the reader to different categories of hikes, (kid-friendly, rigorous, and so on), to help in selecting hikes. An excellent guide for a newbie and a valuable reference for a local looking for something new and perhaps a bit out of the way.”—Joel Smith, Goodreads.com
[1] Pawnee Buttes
This easy hike to two buttes in the eastern prairie gives you spring flowers, birdsong, windblown solitude, and views stretching off to infinity. It’s a journey through time and a blast for everyone, kids included.
At a Glance
Difficulty * Distance/Time 4.5 miles/2 hours
Trail Condition **** Trailhead Elev./Gain 5,200 feet/200 feet each way
Children ***** Features Eroded landforms, prairie, birds, spring wildflowers
Scenery **** Best Season All year
Photo. **** Other Users Horses, dogs
Solitude **** Notes Toilets at trailhead, very little shade
Property Pawnee National Grassland Jurisdiction U.S. Forest Service
The drive to this trail near the Wyoming border is crazy circuitous, and things just get weirder at the trailhead, where two buttes appear out on the prairie: startling, boxlike, rising like two gigantic birthday presents. You know you’re in for a different kind of treat, no matter how old you are!
Distances are difficult to judge here. The buttes look reachable within minutes, yet the sign says they are two miles away. Begin walking on Pawnee Buttes Trail toward some cliffs to their west called The Overlook. A cacophony of birdsong rises over the sounds of breeze and feet scraping trail, especially in mornings during migration seasons. You might see the long ears of a jackrabbit fleeing. A traditional windmill spins to the left; on the horizon churn dozens of modern wind turbines. Several crude oil “grasshoppers” bob on the plains.
At 0.7 miles, you’ll pass through a gated fence and descend into a craterlike valley studded with spiked yucca. In spring there are wildflowers: yellow evening primrose, blue penstemon, purple vetch and phlox. A juniper grove graces the dry snaking streambed, contrasting with whitish cliffs above. It’s difficult to stop taking pictures.
Soon you rise into prairie, but West Butte looks no closer than it did at the start. Is it an optical illusion? Land falls away northward as you ford another dry stream and traverse grassland. This prairie is anchored by buffalo grass and blue grama, whose roots form tough sod that holds well against the wind. It took settlers several generations and a Dust Bowl to realize this stuff should never be plowed. On closer examination the diversity of vegetation is impressive. Over 400 native species grow here.
The trail dips to arrive beneath the domineering form of West Butte. What is this? A bit of Mars? A hunk of comet? A corroded alien spaceship? Whatever it is, it looks otherworldly, especially in slanting sunlight. And inaccessible! Ringed at the top by 30- to 50-foot cliffs, there appears to be no way to stand on top.
The buttes are very much of this world. Remnants of ancient High Plains that didn’t erode into the South Platte, they are protected by caps of sandstone and conglomerate that formed 3 to 20 million years ago. Below the hard caps is softer sediment of the Brule Formation, described geologically as “white to pale-pink blocky tuffaceous claystone and lenticular arkosic conglomerate.” It formed 25 to 40 million years ago, before there were words that big.
A trail slants down and up toward East Butte, beckoning you to visit it as well. On the way you’ll pass a sign that reads, “Private Land Ahead, Respect Owner’s Rights,” but it doesn’t tell you not to proceed. The Forest Service owns all of West Butte, but only part of East. In fact, most of Pawnee National Grassland is privately owned.
You will arrive at East Butte within minutes. You can enjoy it from the base or circumnavigate it on a trail of sorts. Rockfall and clay-fall are hazards, so don’t linger beneath precipices. On the east side, gorgeous rippled “clay barrens” melt into prairie. On the north, notches cut into the Brule mark where some people have attempted to scale the butte. Tempting . . . but even if you made it up, how would you get down? Better to enjoy this close encounter from below and respect the summit as a no-go zone.
On the way back you can skirt to the north side of West Butte and confirm there is no summit access there, either. Or you can trust me.
From Denver. Take I-25 north to Exit 269A, then CO 14 east for another 36 miles. Turn left onto CR 77, drive 15 miles, then turn right onto CR 120. Proceed 5.8 miles, veer left onto CR 87 for 0.8 miles, then turn right on CR 122 and drive 0.7 miles into Grover. Turn right onto CR 390 (Railroad Avenue), continue 5.8 miles, and turn left onto CR 112. Proceed 6.4 miles, turn right on CR 107/CR 112, drive 300 feet, then go left to stay on CR 112. In 2 miles turn left at the sign to Pawnee Buttes. The trailhead and its large parking area are 2 miles farther on the left. 2 hours, 40 mins.
Paperback: $24.95 US / $33.46 CDN ISBN: 9781945501135 — First Edition: April 2019
E-book: $12.95 US / $16.50 CDN ISBN: 9781945501142
384 pages. 8 trailhead location maps. 101 route maps, 216 Color photos.