My favorite rock piles are the ones with giant sized
boulders that just beg you to crawl all over them.
The Pike National Forest is littered with giant boulders
but these trails are my favorites.
Rampart Reservoir Trail
This is one of the most beautiful and fun trails anywhere
in the country. The trail on the north side weaves through
forest, creeks and boulder strewn hills, while providing
great views of Pikes Peak over the lake.
Crags Trail
The Crags formation is a giant dome of a cliff just south
of Divide village. The dome is a stack of house-sized
boulders where you crawl over them to get to the top and
then you find there are even more of them near-by to
explore. Even the trail has a few church-sized stacks
incase you don't want to hike the whole way.
Garden of the Gods
This is the most popular formation of rocks in Colorado.
You're not allowed to climb on them but it's still a great
place for a hike. The giant towers are right in town and
easy to find, but are also crawling with tourists.
Nichols Reservoir Trail
Nichols is just down stream from Rampart Reservoir, and the
north side of the lake is a literal boulder orgy. They're
all over the place and in a beautiful mountain-lake setting.
Devils Kitchen
Just east of Rampart Reservoir is Ormes Peak and an area
of giant potato rocks called Devils Kitchen. It's like a
kids playground and loads of fun.
