Outdoors

In Durango, Grizzly Peak has garnered a considerable mystique. As viewed from U.S. Highway 550 south of the Cascade bend, it appears somewhat dark and daunting. It may be seen for a fleeting moment...

Explorer, author and professional climber Mark Synnott is standing in steep, loose rock about to step off the roped route on the top of Mount Everest. He’s about to leave the well-worn path above a...

There is something called the “knucklehead factor” in the algorithm of public land management. While never spoken of publicly, federal land managers talk among themselves about the challenges of...

The Colorado Wildlife Commission in late April approved new licensing rules for visitors to the 350-plus State Wildlife Areas and nearly 240 State Trust Lands. “We are seeing a lot of unintended...

It was time for an update. Durango writer John Peel will introduce the fifth edition of the highly popular guidebook “Hiking Trails of Southwestern Colorado” on Tuesday during a special virtual...

As mountains make ready for summer, this early-season hike will get you in shape for ever higher and longer treks. Three choices are presented at increasing levels of effort and elevation. They all...

Southern Colorado’s Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge plans to open sections of land along the Rio Grande River to fishing and expand the allowed acreage for hunting on its protected lands. It is...

OURAY – The area beyond the lower bridge over the Uncompahgre Gorge buzzed with activity. Herds of people decked out in helmets and mountaineering boots wandered a maze of colorful tents, where...

If you are going to climb a Colorado fourteener this summer, why not go big? At elevation 14,309 feet, Uncompahgre Peak is the highest point in the San Juan Mountains. The first recorded ascent...

Submerge yourself in a riot of flowers while hiking to Arctic blue Hematite Lake. A few miles east of Silverton, this trail will present a superb wildflower tour through mid-August. Satiated by...