Chief Mountain – Evergreen
Trail: Chief Mountain
Length: ~3.0 Miles RT
Elevation Gain: ~940FT
Closest Town: Evergreen/Idaho Springs
Trail Details: Alltrails Guide
Sometimes you just want to stretch your legs and get a great view, but actually not drive that far… then Chief Mountain is the hike for you. Located outside of Evergreen you spend limited time on i70 and way more time cruising through the mountains.
The hike is around 3 miles round trip but on a steady incline to the top so you still feel like it’s a good workout – my lungs did for sure. The first 2/3rds of the hike is totally shaded till you pop out above the tree line. Once you reach the top, scramble up onto the rocks for an incredible 360 view of colorado – from Denver foothills, south to Mt Evans and dead east of Democrat, and north to Winter Park. I am sure on a clear day, you could see pretty damn far.
Chief Mountain just became my new recommended hike. St Marys is very short with some crazy up-close views of mountains and lakes but this is more of a workout and just really incredible views. You could easily do both in the same day too!
