Hiking Tips for Colorado's High Altitudes

Tips for hiking in Colorado! (Save this post for your Colorado adventures!) 🙅🏼‍♀️ My biggest piece of advice for hiking Colorado is, unless you live somewhere with similar and/or higher elevation than Colorado don’t assume you can just hop off a plane and hike 10,000ft or more. Altitude sickness is real and can knock you flat on your back if you’re not careful. So truly evaluate your fitness level, where you’re coming from, and your experience with hiking similar terrain and higher altitudes. 🌯 Food, food, food! A solid protein and carb rich meal for dinner the night before your hike and the morning of will keep you fueled for those epic Colorado hikes. Especially the ones with loads of elevation gain. ⛈ Be prepared for all weather scenarios! These photos were taken on yesterday’s hike and would you believe me if I said I have a pretty solid sunburn? Yepp, the weather changes that quickly around here so be sure to bring layers for drops in temp as you climb, storms that roll in quickly, the wind, and basically any other weather situation you can think of. I’ve been snowed on in July so it’s no joke! 🥾Check your gear! Make sure whatever shoes you have a comfortable for you, broken in, and durable for the distance of your chosen trail. The last thing you want is to crawl down the mountain because your feet hurt to bad or your shoe gave out. AND make sure whatever day pack you’re using is comfortable and sits on the right places of your body. Having an achy back is just as bad as having achy feet. 🗺 Have a plan and know where you are. Download/screenshot your trail map and be prepared to change your plans if the trail is closed or the road to your trailhead is to off-road for your vehicle. 💦 Hydrate! You will NEED more water than you think. Even if you aren’t hiking, there is a good chance you’ll experience a symptom of altitude sickness in Colorado so drink up! What is the highest elevation you have ever hiked to? If you want to see more from this hike check out my stories!