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Best Autumn Hikes in Colorado

The directory currently contains 60 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Colorado. Their average mapped distance is 30.0 km and average recorded ascent is 183 m (600 ft); the longest route in the set is 388 km.

This subset represents 36% of the 168 quality-checked routes in Colorado. Its average distance is 30.0 km, compared with 40.6 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 183 m (600 ft), versus 793 m (2,602 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set carries an autumn season tag. Weather, daylight and vegetation vary by location and year. Within this set, 18 routes (30%) are rated easy, 10 (17%) are rated hard or expert, and 10 (17%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

40.3 km

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

7 m

ADT - Kansas - N - Seg 8

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Expert

ADT - Colorado B - P - Seg 1

Colorado · United States

Distance
352 km
/ 219 mi
Elevation gain
859 m
Typical duration
84 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Wiggins Rest Area at Interstate 76 exit in Morgan County, Colorado.
Expert

ADT - Colorado A - O - Seg 3

Colorado · United States

Distance
388 km
/ 241 mi
Elevation gain
43 m
Typical duration
91 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Expert

ADT - Kansas - N - Seg 8

Colorado · United States

Distance
126 km
/ 78.4 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
29 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
First National Bank of Douglas County (Colorao) on NRHP since April 14, 1995. At 300 Wilcox St. (at 3rd Street), Castle Rock, Colorado
Expert

Colorado Front Range Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
376 km
/ 234 mi
Elevation gain
2,299 m
Typical duration
92 hr
  • Mountain
  • Castle and ruins
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
40.3 km
/ 25.1 mi
Elevation gain
193 m
Typical duration
9 hr 27 min
  • Mountain
  • Wildlife watching
Moderate

Westerly Creek Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
15.4 km
/ 9.6 mi
Elevation gain
15 m
Typical duration
3 hr 14 min
  • River
I went up top of Table Mountain in Golden, CO to check out the sunset and it so happened a small herd of deer had the same idea.
Moderate

North Table Loop Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
11.9 km
/ 7.4 mi
Elevation gain
446 m
Typical duration
3 hr 9 min
Easy

Sports Walk

Colorado · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
9 min
Moderate

Cabin Canyon Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
58 m
Typical duration
19 min
  • Canyon and gorge
Easy

Mule Deer Meadow Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
30 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Alpine meadow
Moderate

Scenic Overlook Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
24 m
Typical duration
8 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Moderate

Columbine Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
6.1 km
/ 3.8 mi
Elevation gain
769 m
Typical duration
2 hr 25 min
Moderate

Mount Cutler Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
226 m
Typical duration
41 min
Easy

Siamese Twins Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
14 min
Moderate

Triple Creek Greenway

Colorado · United States

Distance
9.1 km
/ 5.7 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
1 hr 56 min
  • River
Cheyenne Mountain from the Talon trailhead
Moderate

Talon

Colorado · United States

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
218 m
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
Easy

Forest Discovery Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
13 min
  • Forest
Easy

Wapiti Trail

Colorado · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
43 m
Typical duration
15 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
ADT - Colorado B - P - Seg 1Colorado352 km859 m84 hrExpertJune to October
ADT - Colorado A - O - Seg 3Colorado388 km43 m91 hrExpertJune to October
Old Spanish Trail - Northern Route - Carracas to DurangoColorado114 km865 m28 hrExpertJune to October
ADT - Kansas - N - Seg 8Colorado126 km7 m29 hrExpertApril to October
Colorado Front Range TrailColorado376 km2,299 m92 hrExpertJune to October
Rocky Mountain Greenway TrailColorado40.3 km193 m9 hr 27 minExpertJune to October
Westerly Creek TrailColorado15.4 km15 m3 hr 14 minModerateJune to October
Denver Orbital Trail - Segment 2Colorado12.7 km472 m3 hr 21 minModerateJune to October
Clear Creek Greenbelt Wheat RidgeColorado7.3 km18 m1 hr 32 minEasyJune to October
Johnson to Anderson Park Loop, Clear CreekColorado2.0 km0 m25 minEasyJune to October

ADT - Colorado B - P - Seg 1, ADT - Colorado A - O - Seg 3, Old Spanish Trail - Northern Route - Carracas to Durango currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

Plan with more confidence

All planning articles →

Choosing a route

How to choose a hike beyond the difficulty label

Compare distance, climbing, route shape and missing information to build a shortlist that fits your day.

Read article →

Understanding the map

Read an elevation profile without misreading the climb

Understand total ascent, net height change, profile scale and the section breakdown on each mapped route.

Read article →

Planning your day

Build a hiking time plan with room for your own pace

Separate moving time, climbing allowance and stops, then explore how changing your assumptions changes the plan.

Read article →

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