Journal

2020 Travel Wish List

January 2, 2020

Costa Rica

Costa Rica must be on every outdoorsy person’s travel wish list (along with Iceland, New Zealand and Patagonia). We like the idea of traveling to Costa Rica because the flight’s not very long from Denver, the trip won’t bankrupt us, and it looks like an absolute blast. Lately, I’ve been binge-watching YouTube videos of people surfing on the peaceful beaches, exploring the mystical cloud forests, and eating fresh Costa Rican fruits and veggies. It looks like. So. Much. Fun.

We’re hoping to go some time in the summer, which is during rainy season when there’s less tourists. Our rain jackets will definitely be appreciated on this trip. We’re also hoping to rent a car and take a little road trip along the western coast of the country. Of course we’ll be stopping along the way to surf, hike in the national parks, and eat a much local food as we can. I also really want to visit an animal sanctuary and learn about the country’s ecology. For lodging, it seems like it would be worth it to save up a little money to stay in one of the fancy eco-resorts for a night or two, but we’ll probably keep it simple and cheap for most of the week. If we end up booking this trip, I’ll also attempt to learn some Spanish and read a book about/set in Costa Rica for some background.

Resources: Outside Online // Nomadic Matt // Youtube

Permits: Probably a load of activity reservations

Season: Summer

Books: The Culture Trip

Other places on our mind: Kauai, Hawaii // Northern Spain // Azores, Portugal

Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

I first found out about the Bighorns through this article on The Outbound. The photos of wide open, sweeping mountains and turquoise lakes pulled me in, while the solitude these backpackers experienced made me really want to go. The best part? Permits are easy to get and the southern trailheads are easily accessed from the roads leading north from Denver.

Resources: The Outbound // Forest Service // Hiking Project

Permits: Yes

Season: Late summer/early fall

Santa Fe, New Mexico

We planned to take a road trip to Santa Fe last Thanksgiving but the weather drastically disagreed with us, so we’ll be trying again in 2020. I’m looking forward to the art galleries, vintage shopping, green chili smothered everything, and this outer-space-y hike. We’re also hoping to stop at Great Sand Dunes National Park for some sandy backpacking.

Resources: Afar // Outside Online // Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks

Permits: n/a, first-come-first-serve for Great Sand Dunes

Season: Spring/Early Summer

Snowmass-Willow Lake Loop, Colorado

I think this loop is going to make for an epic all-friends-included backpacking trip. Our friends from college don’t usually backpack so I need to come up with a trip that’s not insanely difficult, but still has the amazing views and sense of adventure that keeps people coming back to backpacking. This 22-mile loop just north of the extremely popular Four Pass Loop has a lot of the same epic mountain scenery as the famous loop, but it’s a bit easier and less crowded. The plan is to start at the Maroon Snowmass Trailhead and go from there.

Resources: Hiking Project

Permits: No

Season: Late summer/early fall

Lake Isabelle, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado (winter)

This is one of those winter backpacking trips that would be impossible in the summer, but completely doable in the winter. The reason you can’t do it in the summer is because Lake Isabelle is so popular with day hikers (and everyone, really) that the park doesn’t let backpackers stay at the lake overnight. In the winter though, lower traffic means that backpackers can camp right at the lake!

The plan is to park at the Brainard Lake winter parking lot, snowshoe up the unplowed road to the summer parking lot, and then make our way to Lake Isabelle on the trail. If we’re feeling up for it, there’s also a snowshoe trail that parallels the unplowed road.

Resources: Forest Service // All Trails // The Outbound

Permits: No in winter, yes in summer

Season: Winter

The Collegiate Peaks, Colorado

The Collegiate Peaks is a collection of mega-mountains just west of Buena Vista, Colorado. This small swath of mountains is home to nine peaks over 14,000 feet tall, which makes it a great place for people into “peak-bagging.” We’re not too enthusiastic about peaks, but we are enthusiastic about all the beautiful canyons and valleys between the peaks. And views of the peaks, of course.

I’ve got my eye on a trail that starts at the North Cottonwood Creek Trailhead and takes hikers around Mt Columbia, into the valley between Mt Harvard and Birthday Peak. The goal would be to camp on the banks of Bear Lake. Who knows, maybe we’ll even find some energy to muscle up one of the 14ers while we’re there. My only reservation about this trail is that it’s extremely popular because of all the 14ers. We might end up scared away by the crowds at the trailhead and pivot to another trail.

Resources: Hiking Project

Permits: Yes, free at the trailhead

Season: Late summer/early fall

Pawnee National Grasslands, Colorado

Around spring time, when we’ve tired of skiing every weekend, we get increasingly antsy for the snow to melt in the mountains so we can backpack without the winter hassle. This is when I start desperately looking for good early season backpacking. We could go west to Utah, but I thought we could try going east this year.

The Pawnee National Grassland is a swath of windswept prairie in north eastern Colorado. Forest roads zig-zag through the grasslands, so you could pretty much drive around all day exploring stuff. The park is also an internationally renowned birding location and has a ton of preserved American history from initial settlement and the Dust Bowl. You can even explore old homesteads throughout the park.

Our plan is to arrive at the park around noon on a Saturday, explore the grasslands and the giant butte at the center of the park, and then camp at one of the road side turn outs. There’s a short hiking trail near the butte that we’ll probably try out. Camping is allowed anywhere in this park but there’s no facilities like restrooms or drinking water.

Resources: Forest Service // The Dyrt

Permits: No

Season: Spring

More Happy Packers