It's hikers-only on the Mount Galbraith Loop near Golden, a moderately strenuous, 4.9-mile lollipop trek that gains about 1,100 feet in elevation and features fab views of Denver, Golden, the Front Range, Golden Gate Canyon and Clear Creek Canyon. Start out on the Cedar Gulch trail, and on hot days head for shade right away by turning right onto the Mount Galbraith Loop; the trail is lined with ponderosa pines and spruce. Climbs in and out of several ravines and rocky sections make it a little more challenging. Dogs on a leash are allowed, and they can be helpful in alerting you to the bighorn sheep clambering around the canyons.
Readers' Choice: Red Rocks Trail