Fall is in full swing here in Colorado so my husband and I ventured up to the mountains to go on a hike and do some leaf peeping along the way as well. We settled on Rogers Pass, a 5-mile out-and-back hike located just 45 minutes outside of Winter Park. With less than 1000 feet of elevation gain, this hike is very moderate and great for hikers of all experience levels.

The trailhead for Rogers Pass is located along CR-80, a very rough road with lots of rocks and holes. We made it up just fine in our Subaru Outback, but make sure you drive slow and watch where you’re going! The drive up was beautiful thanks to all the aspens that were changing colors. One really cool feature about this hike is the historic train trestle located at the trailhead.

The hike begins with a gradual ascent up through the forest before soon emerging above the treeline. Along the way, you’ll be treated to beautiful views of Winter Park and Fraser. The rest of the hike consists of several meandering switchbacks up a grassy ridge which eventually gives way to stunning views of James Peak.

At 2.5 miles, you’ll reach the end of the trail, though you could continue on to James Peak if you wanted to. We explored for a bit at the top, which was incredibly windy, before making our way back down the trail to the car.

This hike is not very popular so you won’t have to worry about battling crowds – we were the only ones there when we arrived around 9am on a Saturday! I think the Rogers Pass hike is super underrated, and it’s one of my favorite easy hikes in the state.