Only One Colorado Hike Makes List of ’10 Most Beautiful’

When Outside magazine puts a Colorado hike among its "10 most beautiful," it gives you pride. The list can also frustrate you, as there's only one from Colorado listed.

Then again, there are a lot of states in America that didn't come close to making this list, so we need to keep perspective. Speaking of perspectives, the views from taking this somewhat easy hike in Colorado are amazing.

Have you taken this hike, yet? Do you plan to?

Outside Magazine Names One Colorado Hike to '10 Most Beautiful' List

10 states are listed among these 10 most beautiful hikes, with two of them making the list twice (Arizona, California.) Wyoming gets a nod, as well as (surprisingly) Florida. Colorado's mountains hold a beauty that's completely different from Florida,

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Colorado's 'Most Beautiful' Hike According to Outside

Outside puts the "Keyhole" hike on Longs Peak, outside of Estes Park, among the 10 most beautiful in all of America. Have you ever hiked it? I know that I, myself, have hiked to the keyhole within Devil's Backbone in Loveland, but not Longs Peak, at all.

What Does Outside Love About the Longs Peak Hike?

The hiking enthusiast/expert who put together the list describes Longs Peak, as both very doable but dangerous at times:

From Outside:

Though it should not be your first of Colorado’s 58 14ers, it could well be the one that introduces you to mountain climbing that involves gumption and the thrill of encountering your mortality....

….From the summit, the kingdom of the Front Range is in view, from the Wild Basin below to the Indian Peaks beyond. This is one of the most marvelous places in the U.S. to spend your morning.

 

MORE: Coloradans Should Know This One Thing Before Starting a Hike

The National Park Service Disagrees With Outside

If you search out "Longs Peak Keyhole," you'll find a link to the National Park Service's page about Longs Peak which includes the blurb:

The Keyhole Route is not a hike. It is a climb that crosses enormous sheer vertical rock faces, often with falling rocks, requiring scrambling, where an unroped fall would likely be fatal. The route has narrow ledges, loose rock, and steep cliffs.