{"id":834,"date":"2026-05-26T13:36:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=834"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:36:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T13:36:28","slug":"this-hiking-trail-near-red-rocks-will-help-you-get-in-shape-for-14er-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=834","title":{"rendered":"This hiking trail near Red Rocks will help you get in shape for 14er season"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Editor\u2019s note: This is part of The Know\u2019s series,\u00a0Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We\u2019ll also let you in on some hidden gems).<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Global headliner Said the Sky is bringing a special live set to Mission Ballroom<\/a><\/p>\n

With fourteener season approaching, I\u2019ve got a suggestion if you\u2019re looking for a great hike to prepare your quads, hamstrings, knees and ankles for the rugged trails found on our highest peaks. And you can\u2019t beat the convenience of the location.<\/p>\n

Overlooking Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Mount Morrison tops out at nearly 7,900 feet with 2,000 feet of elevation gained in less than 2 miles. That means it\u2019s steep and remarkably similar to conditions you\u2019ll face on fourteeners \u2014 minus the high altitude, of course.<\/p>\n

You may have admired it from the upper concourse at Red Rocks, longing to hike it despite posted \u201cNo trepassing\u201d signs. The peak isn\u2019t off limits, though. The trailhead is located at Red Rocks Park\u2019s Entrance 4, located about a half mile west of Morrison. The trail to the summit ascends the mountain\u2019s south ridge.<\/p>\n

It is not an easy hike. Leave the kids at home. Dogs are prohibited.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a family-friendly hike,\u201d said Kristoph Kinzli, a professor at Colorado School of Mines whom I met recently on the trail. \u201cThat\u2019s actually why it\u2019s great as a fourteener training hike. It\u2019s rugged, it\u2019s a difficult hike, you get a lot of loose rock. It\u2019s for avid hikers and mountaineers for training.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kinzli, an avid fourteener hiker who teaches civil and environmental engineering at Mines, hits that trail seven or eight times a year for training.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fairly comparable to some of the elevation gain you get (on fourteeners) when you\u2019re getting over 1,000 feet per mile,\u201d Kinzli said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing else like that, real close to Denver. I\u2019ve met people who do it to train for really big mountains, and they\u2019ll do it three times back-to-back in the same day. I\u2019ve seen people with massive packs who are training for Denali or (peaks) in South America.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That morning, Chatfield High School held its graduation ceremony in the amphitheater. Halfway up the ridge, we could hear Pomp and Circumstance. On the way down, we heard the names of graduates being read as they received their diplomas.<\/p>\n

Read more DIA will create walkway to all concourses using underground tunnels<\/a><\/p>\n

Mount Morrison has some history, too. A cog railway to the summit opened in 1909, followed by similar sightseeing inclines on Lookout Mountain (1912) and South Table Mountain (1913). All three were defunct by 1920, though, in part because the automobile road to the top of Lookout was completed in 1913. The lower terminal of the Mount Morrison Incline was located near what is now the amphitheatre\u2019s lower north parking lot. The amphitheatre opened in 1941.<\/p>\n

The hiking trail is very steep at the bottom, a little less so in the middle sections and steep again at the top, passing through rock bands near the summit. Mount Blue Sky is visible to the west. Views to the east take in Red Rocks Park, the Dakota Ridge hogback, Green Mountain and downtown Denver in the distance.<\/p>\n

Although the parking lot is located at the south end of Red Rocks Park, most of the trail is on Jefferson County Open Space land and is part of Matthews\/Winters Park. Jeffco\u2019s map for that park shows the path of the trail with topographical lines.<\/p>\n

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The steepness of the trail is only one of its challenges. Much of the trail is strewn with loose rocks. Other sections take the hiker over loose sand and gravel, which can cause lots of slipping and sliding. Many will find the descent as challenging as the ascent. Trekking poles are highly recommended.<\/p>\n

Mount Morrison is definitely not a casual hike, but casual hikes aren\u2019t the best training for fourteeners.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the best training around,\u201d Kinzli said. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to find anything steeper close to Denver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Two Colorado wordsmiths are competing in Scripps National Spelling Bee<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Overlooking Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Mount Morrison is steep and rocky, mimicking conditions on state’s highest peaks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,19,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-outdoors","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\nThis hiking trail near Red Rocks will help you get in shape for 14er season - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=834\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This hiking trail near Red Rocks will help you get in shape for 14er season - 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