nature Archives - Page 2 of 7 - crunchy kat explores

denver day hike: carpenter peak

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carpenter peak roxborough state park sandstone denver

distance: 6.2 miles (out and back) | elevation: 1,013’ (5,995’ starting) | difficulty: easy/moderate

Normally when I decide to head out for a day hike from Denver, I’m searching for hikes on a map anywhere west of me. I’m not sure why, but it never really occurred to me to look anywhere besides that. A few weeks ago though, I met up with a friend and she told me she had a great hiking date at a state park which put it on my radar. Though when I looked it up, it was actually south of Denver!

So finally, I made the trip south instead and headed to one of Colorado’s state parks – Roxborough State Park, just forty-five minutes from Denver.

Colorado, Mountains, United States

denver day hike: chief mountain

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distance: 3.1 miles (out and back) | elevation: 984’ (10,772’ starting) | difficulty: easy/moderate

Living in Denver (hi, it’s been a while… I made the cross country move to Colorado in December), there is no shortage of gorgeous hikes within an hours drive of the city. I mean, after all, that is part of the reason I decided to call this place home. However, I think I may have found the BEST views for when you don’t have the time to hike up that 14’er.

How do you feel about relatively low effort, high reward? The perfect place to take all your out of town visitors who want beautiful views, but low on time (or not big hikers)? Or really just for you when you want to a short jaunt in nature close to Denver with allllll the views? Perfect, because Chief Mountain is the hike for you.

Colombia, South America

where the desert meets the sea: la guajira

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The northernmost tip in South America. Stunning Caribbean beaches. Giant sand dunes. Colombia’s largest indigenous population (the Wayuu). You’ll find all this and more on a tour to the remote and isolated La Guajira.

Getting here isn’t easy, but it is so worth the trouble to visit Colombia’s wild northeast.

Colombia, South America

filandia: the hidden gem in colombia’s coffee region

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Colombia’s famous Eje Cafetero. Salento is the star of the show for Colombia’s coffee region, however there’s a small town that is the hidden gem of this region. Located less than an hour from Salento is the charming pueblo of Filandia. As most foreign tourists head to Salento, it is likely you’ll find yourself as one of the only non-Colombian tourists there.

While it’s not on the tourist map (yet), that doesn’t mean you won’t find an abundant amount of activities to do here. Coffee farms, people watching in the plaza, hikes to waterfalls, and home to the BEST FOOD I had in Colombia. Keep reading to see why you must visit Filandia.