Colorado is booming and has been for quite some time. One of the first things I noticed when I came here over a year ago was the mass amount of people that can be found heading to and exploring some popular hiking trails on the weekends. While I like people, when I go to explore the great outdoors, I'm not always looking for shoulder-to-shoulder run-ins with other humans and two-hour traffic jams on my way to the mountains. But, it's just our reality now, and you have to adjust and do the best you can to plan your trip ahead of time.

So I've learned to leave early, REALLY early, on nice weekends especially and try to dig for cool places to explore that are a little off the beaten path. I'm pretty sure I've found one to add to my list, and that's Blue Lakes.

I know, I know, you're probably like "Why the hell are you writing about this and telling people about it?" Well, this is my job. I get paid to write about things I'm passionate about, and I'm passionate about hiking, finding beautiful spots to hit, and sharing my excitement with you. This just excites me, and I know how appreciative I am when someone else puts something like this together.

According to All Trails, Blue Lakes is tucked away down in the San Juan Mountains and there are two lakes, an Upper and Lower Lake. If you feel ambitious and want to hit the upper lake, it's about a nine-mile roundtrip hike. But I look at it like this: if you're driving all that way and planning this adventure, why only do half of it? Unless of course, you're not feeling well or if there is some sort of impending danger/weather-related issues. Then, you do what's best for you and your safety.

I love alpine lakes. They have crystal clear waters, are blue and turquoise in color, and the striking jagged mountain peaks that surround them are practically scenes from a postcard. That's exactly what you get here.

Blue Lakes has actually been ranked one of the top 50 hidden gems in America, and I truly believe that it will stay that way because it is off the beaten path so much. I don't we'll ever have to worry about this place being shoulder-to-shoulder or slammed with people on any given day.

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So yeah, from here in Northern Colorado, it's about a 6.5-hour drive. Certainly not a day hike, but more of a destination, make-a-weekend-out-of-it sort of hike and trip. But, with all of the incredible scenery and views that will surround you, it's certainly looking like one I'll be hitting sooner than later.

Blue Lakes

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