Crack the Code to Cold: 10 Colorado Winter Hiking Tips From a Local

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Colorado winter hiking tips from a local of 30 years: what to wear, microspikes vs snowshoes, safety essentials, and where to grab a beer after.

I tiptoed my way into winter hiking in Colorado on a Spring Break trip during college. Our hosts declared Mueller State Park the perfect place for beginners to learn how to snowshoe. Recently transplanted from Africa, winter hiking was a foreign concept to me.

Armed with borrowed snow pants, rented snowshoes from REI and trekking poles, I was ready to tackle one of the best winter hikes in Colorado.

Or so I thought….

Fast forward three hours, my hands were icicles, my feet freezing and I was OVER the adventure. Thankfully I didn’t let my unpreparedness bar me from ever snowshoeing again.

I learned, on that fateful winter day, that keeping my core warm, head covered, feet dry and body hydrated would have made the day’s adventure so much more fun.

You don't have to be an expert hiker to enjoy winter hiking. In fact, there are many things you can do to prepare yourself before hitting the trail.

Winter Hiking Checklist at a Glance

  • Layers: wicking base, fleece or puffy, waterproof shell. No cotton.

  • Warm hat, gloves plus a spare pair, neck gaiter

  • Wool socks plus a dry pair in a ziplock

  • Microspikes (and snowshoes after fresh snow)

  • Insulated water bottle and a hot drink

  • Extra snacks, more than you think

  • Headlamp, even for a short hike

  • Map downloaded on your phone plus a paper copy

  • Emergency blanket, hand warmers, fire starter

  • Sunscreen, SPF lip balm, sunglasses

  • Someone at home who knows your route and your turnaround time

Want this list on paper? Grab our free printable winter hiking checklist below.

Headed on out a snowy winter hike near Divide, Colorado

Tip 1 | What to Wear Winter Hiking in Colorado

Colorado winter hikes can be downright unpredictable thanks to the variety of weather this state gets in one day.

Wearing the right layers for winter hiking can make or break a day of adventure.

Below is what we wear on winter hikes in Colorado. Consider buying previously owned gear from local gear stores. Or shop sales, like us! We love REI for their one year money back warranty and sales.

Prefer pants over leggings? See our picks for the best women’s hiking pants.

The brighter the colors, the better on Colorado winter hikes.

HEAD, HANDS AND FEET:

Start at the top of your head, donning a warm beanie. Bold and bright is our motto around here - it allows others to see you on the trail, a particularly helpful for hunters to see you on backcountry winter trails. It also makes you memorable to others on the trail.

Gaiters work for blocking wind and snow. The Buff is lightweight, perfect for all weather hiking or winter runs. Smartwool’s merino wool gaiter kept Melody warm on Mt Kilimanjaro’s summit and long Colorado winter hikes.

For our toes, Colorado winter hikes are synonymous with wool socks. While it’s best to avoid getting feet wet, wool is marvelous at maintaining some semblance of heat if that happens.

BASE LAYER:

Avoid cotton and stick with wool blends. Check clothing descriptions for words like “moisture-wicking” and “breathable”

  • Short sleeve merino wool or polyester shirt, perfect for wicking sweat on those uphill winter hikes in Colorado.

  • Merino or polyester leggings work great

PRO TIP! Body heat leaves the body through the head and extremities (hands and feet). Keeping your hands and feet dry, along with a warm winter hat goes a long way in staying toasty warm on the trail.

See our favorite base layers:

MID LAYER:

A winter hike on Section 16 - layers are key!

Add this layer for temperatures below 40°F or excessive wind.

Thin Fleece
Lightweight Down Jacket

Typically, when when it’s super chilly, leggings are enough to keep us warm hiking in winter. Adding long gaiters helps with keeping feet and lower legs warm and dry.

These mid layers are on repeat for our winter hikes:

OUTER LAYER:

Think waterproof and windproof for this final layer. For temperatures at freezing, long sleeved jackets are best. Down vests are perfect in temperatures above 30°F or bright and sunny winter days.

Hands down favorite outer layer jackets and vests:

Not if, but when you get hot, stash your layers in a right sized for you daypack. We spend a lot of our winter hikes in Colorado putting on and taking off layers.

Outdoor gear can be pricey. As two thrifty moms, we get it!

Add a piece or two of essential hiking gear each season, investing in solid reliable clothing from companies that have warranties.

Patagonia, Cotopaxi, and Osprey are some of our favorite companies for those very reasons.

Osprey has a fabulous backpack online tool. With just a few clicks, find out what size and style to purchase for your body type.

PRO TIP! The night before your winter hike, lay out your entire hiking outfit. In the running world this is called a “Flat Stanley.” While you’re welcome to take a picture, minimize and mail it (as was the trend a few years ago), we’d recommend sticking with the runner version of simple clothes layout. This weird but super helpful activity kept me from certain calamity on many races and hikes.

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Tip 2 | What to Pack in a Winter Daypack

The 5 C’s of survival

Carry these five essential items on Colorado winter hikes.

  • Cover

    A waterproof layer like a 8x10 tarp or extra large garbage bag along with an emergency blanket. We love Dagmi Outdoor’s reusable emergency blankets. Each comes in its own compression sack, super lightweight and easy to stash in our daypacks.

  • Cutting Tool

    Knife and/or sharp edge for protection and food procurement. We each carry a mini leatherman tool that includes a knife and tweezers.

  • Cord

    Hardware store standard paracord works in a pinch. However, consider a newer product - Mariner’s Net line. It’s lightweight and best of all, doesn’t fray easily.

  • Combustion

    For day hikes, we carry waterproof matches sealed in a small snack size ziplock bag. Other options include fire cubes, zippo fire starter and bee’s wrap.

  • Container

    Winter hiking in Colorado creates thirst despite the cold. Along with an insulated water reservoir, we carry an insulated water bottle. Having an extra cup gives you the ability to boil water or melt snow in a pinch.

Taking a bit more gear on Colorado winter hikes brings peace of mind, in my opinion. That said, don’t overload your back, creating fatigue. Winter hiking is hard enough without carrying excessive amount of gear.

PRO TIP! Load your daypack and take it for a spin on a neighborhood walk before you hit a long trail. See how it feels on your back and hips. Readjust (heaviest items belong in the bottom of the pack) and remove as needed.

Osprey Packfinder Tool

PRO TIP! Carry a compression sack and bungee cord. On long winter hikes, stash layers in the compression bag and bungee to the outside of your daypack. Easy access and allows you more room inside your pack for snacks and a hot drink!

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Tip 3 | Winter Hydration and Trail Snacks

Tanya hydrating on one of our many Colorado winter hikes near Palmer Lake, CO

Before heading into the woods, bring water, food, and shelter. This means having enough supplies to last through the day and overnight. It also means planning ahead so you won’t run out of anything when you need it.

While you might not want to drink water, bring it and drink it. Often times flavored water is easy to put down on cold weather hikes.

Rule of Thumb: Bring enough food for an extra day.

If you are new to Colorado winter hiking, pack more food than you think. Winter hiking ignites hunger in a way summer hiking seems to diminish. This means quick easy access food like bars, water flavor packets, and nut butters.

Stash them in a ziplock bag within easy access in your daypack.

PRO TIP! Indulge in warm drinks. Fill that insulated flask with hot cocoa or tea but stay away from coffee (at least on the trail). Caffeine dehydrates (and makes you pee a lot!)

CoHH Winter Snacks and Drinks

PRO TIP! Make winter hiking fun, planning fun hot drinks. Hot chocolate, fresh ginger tea and chai are calorie laden, warming your insides and giving you those vital calories. If you’re in a savory mood, warm broth and carry it along.

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Tip 4 | Check Weather, Roads, and Trail Conditions

Checking our hiking route in Red Rock Canyon

Colorado weather can swing 40 degrees in a single day, and a sunny morning in town can mean wind and snow at the trailhead.

Don’t pull a rookie move like I did on my first Pikes Peak hike.

We forgot to check the weather that morning and got caught in a wild August sleet storm near the summit. In August!

Check the forecast the night before AND the morning of your hike.

Here’s what we check before every winter hike:

Our Winter Hiking Check List

  • National Weather Service: type in your trailhead, then click the map for a forecast at that exact elevation. It’s free and it’s what most Colorado hikers rely on.

  • Mountain Forecast: our pick for summits and high elevation hikes, with forecasts at the base, middle, and top of a peak.

  • COtrip: CDOT’s road conditions, closures, and traction law alerts. Check it before any mountain drive.

  • CAIC: the Colorado Avalanche Information Center posts daily avalanche forecasts by zone. More on that in Tip 5.

  • COTREX: the free Colorado Trail Explorer app from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, with trail maps, closures, and offline downloads.

Then Check Sunset

Winter days are short. In December the sun drops behind the Front Range around 4:40 p.m. in Colorado Springs, and the trail gets cold and dark fast. Look up sunset for your trailhead on timeanddate.com, then plan to be back at the car with daylight to spare.

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Tip 5 | Avalanche Basics for Colorado Hikers

Hiking in winter means looking at ALL the signs

Recently we met with a Pikes Forest ranger regarding guiding permits. We learned that while many areas in Colorado are not prone to avalanches, it’s important to know the signs on any winter hike in Colorado.

Be mindful of avalanche prone areas. According to REI, three things are needed to create an avalanche: unstable snow, avalanche terrain, and a trigger. Check avalanche weather before you head out.

Look for basic signs of impending avalanches:

  • area had recent avalanches

  • shooting cracks in snow as you hike

  • Whumpfing sounds as you hike

  • big changes in the weather

Consider taking an avalanche safety course. Perhaps, like us, we often don’t think we’ll be in unstable snow. However, sometimes a wrong turn or an extra mile veers into avalanche area. Knowing what to look for and understanding basic safety in an unstable situation might save your life.

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Tip 6 | Winter Hiking Safety: Tell Someone, Carry a Map

Being a safe hiker means you are an educated hiker. No, we don’t mean you have to get a winter hiking degree.

Following a few simple tasks EVERY TIME you hike sets you up for success and enjoyment.

There are many tips for hiking solo. So many, in fact, that we wrote an entire post on that topic. While hiking solo requires a few more steps, most of the rules apply to hiking in groups as well.

When hiking in winter, here’s some basics to consider:

  • Pick a route, print a copy of the map to leave in your car. If you don’t make it back, search and rescue have a starting point to look for you.

  • Notify someone of where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Give them a “call search and rescue by this time” information.

  • Carry first aid essentials that include the 5 C’s.

  • Download a map on your phone and bring a paper copy as well. If you’re winter hiking in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas, purchase PocketPals maps. Weather and tear resistant, these little maps have tons of trails marked with waypoints.

Get your Pocketpals Maps Here

  • Buy a CORSAR card. Here’s a local tip many visitors miss. The Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue card costs $5 for one year or $20 for five years, and it helps reimburse the county search and rescue teams who respond when hikers get lost or hurt. It isn’t insurance, and rescuers will help you either way. But it supports the volunteers who might one day come looking for you. Get your CORSAR card from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

  • Know if your phone can text by satellite. Many newer phones can reach emergency services by satellite when you have no cell signal, and plenty of Colorado trails have none. Check your phone’s settings and try the demo mode at home before you need it. On remote winter hikes, I also carry a Garmin inReach. It lets me send an SOS or text Matt from places my phone can’t reach.

PRO TIP! Make sure to notify your person when you get off the trail. We’ve been busy drinking our post hike beer only to have a spouse buzz our phones to make sure we were safe. Oops!

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Tip 7 | Know the Signs of Frostbite and Hypothermia

Most cold injuries start small. Learn to spot them early, in yourself and in your hiking partner.

Frostbite usually hits fingers, toes, cheeks, ears, and noses. Watch for numbness, tingling, and skin that turns white, gray, or waxy. Warm the area gently against your body. Don’t rub it.

Hypothermia creeps in with uncontrollable shivering, clumsy hands, slurred words, and bad decisions. Hikers call these “the umbles”: stumbles, mumbles, fumbles, and grumbles. If someone stops shivering but still seems confused, that’s an emergency.

The fix starts the same way: get dry, add layers, eat something, sip something warm, and head back to the car.

Want to understand how fast it happens? Listen to the Outside Podcast episode “Frozen Alive.” An experienced hiker on a familiar trail makes a few small mistakes. It’s gripping, and it’s stuck with us for years.

PSSST…Are you a podcast junkie?
The best teacher is experience, they say. Some of our favorite podcasts like "Against the Odds" and "Outside" podcasts are your thrilling guides to learning outdoor survival.These podcasts share gripping stories and invaluable advice to help you stay safe and thrive in the great outdoors. Happy listening and hiking!

Learn from other’s mistakes on the best outdoor podcasts.

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Tanya busting out her spikes in Red Rock Canyon

Tip 8 | Microspikes, Snowshoes, and Cold Weather Gear

Most winter days on Front Range trails call for microspikes, not snowshoes. Snowshoes earn their spot after a fresh storm or up high, where snow stays deep and soft. Here’s how we decide what to grab.

Most winter days on Front Range trails call for microspikes, not snowshoes. Snowshoes earn their spot after a fresh storm or up high, where snow stays deep and soft. Here’s how we decide what to grab.

Microspikes or Snowshoes?

  • Packed snow or ice (Red Rock Canyon, Garden of the Gods, the Incline): microspikes

  • Fresh powder over your boot tops: snowshoes

  • Packed trail with deep drifts: spikes on, snowshoes strapped to your pack

  • Dry trail with icy patches in the shade: spikes in your pack, on when you need them

If you’re sinking past your ankles with every step, it’s snowshoe time. Hikers call this postholing. It’s exhausting, and it leaves holes that freeze into ankle traps for the next hiker.

Melody wearing all the layers in Leadville, backpack snugly strapped to her back with more essential hiking gear.

  • Microspikes

    Microspikes grip packed snow and ice far better than coil style traction like Yaktrax, which works best on light snow over pavement. Visit Colorado Springs and you’ll hear about the Incline at least once. It’s open year round with a free reservation, and it’s beautiful in winter with fewer crowds. But the steps and the Barr Trail descent ice over, and hiking it without spikes can mean a serious fall.

    OUR FAVORITE SPIKES: Kahtoola MICROspikes keep you upright no matter how slick it gets.

  • Snowshoes

    Snowshoes shine in fresh, deep powder. We often bungee ours to our packs and pop them on for the deeper stretches. Melody hikes in MSR EVO snowshoes. She loves how quickly they go on and off, even with cold, gloved hands. They’re also made of sturdy materials that hold up hike after hike. Add snow baskets to your trekking poles so they don’t sink, and check out our favorite snowshoe hikes near Colorado Springs.

  • Tall gaiters

    Gaiters accomplish two things: keep your legs warm and dry. OR makes a fantastic Gore Tex gaiter that we both use.

  • Extra pair of wool socks

    PRO TIP! Stash these warm dry socks in a mini ziplock bag. They’ll stay dry no matter what weather comes your way. Add a large garbage bag as well. It’s a cheap way to guarantee a dry butt on a lunch break or stave off wet when a sudden sleet or snow storm arrives.

  • Power source

    Whether it’s a rechargeable battery brick or batteries, keep extras in your daypack for those just in case moments.

    Cold weather does havoc on electronics. Carry your phone near your body to maintain consistent temperatures.

  • Emergency Heat Gear

    Stash in your daypack hand warmers and an emergency blanket for winter hiking

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Tip 9 | Sun Protection at Altitude

A magical snowy cloudy day winter hiking near Grand Junction, CO

When the skies are cloudy and the sun is hidden, it’s easy to think sunscreen is not necessary. I learned my lesson the hard way snowshoeing a few years ago.

Oblivious to the sun’s radiation, I’ve gleefully played in the snow for several hours. That evening I had the fiercest raccoon eyes along with a brilliant red face.

  • Apply sunscreen before and during winter hikes.

  • Wear a hat, preferably one with some type of brim.

  • Carry and use chapstick with SPF.

  • Vaseline is great for cold chapped hands.

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Tip 10 | Plan for Short Days and Slow Miles

Goofing off in snow on a winter hike near Grand Junction, CO

On my first solo snowshoe, I mapped out an amazing 10 mile route on the Burro Trail near Breckenridge, CO. I’d done this hike many times in summer months, knocking out the trail in half a day. Boy did I underplan and underestimate the slow slog of a snowshoe hike.

A few miles in at the 3 hour mark, I was ready to turn around. How did I get my timing so wrong?

Looking back, this newbie mistake could have cost me a lot had I been more remote without essential gear.

PRO TIP! While everyone has a different hiking pace, plan on adding at least 10 minutes extra to each mile if you are snowshoeing or snow ploughing (breaking fresh snow trail with hiking shoes and spikes).

Trekking poles are handy for post holing (putting hiking pole into ground ahead of you, determining depth of snow) and maintaining balance on unpredictable terrain covered with snow.

Speaking of trekking poles, there were many years I thought they were for the more “mature hiker.” (ahem…full disclosure, I am that more “mature hiker” now).

That mindset could not be farther from the truth!

HIKING POLES: YOUR TRAILSIDE SUPERPOWER!

Trekking poles stabilize the core, give a great full body workout, help with balance and when needed, created a pole for an emergency shelter.

Our FAvorite trekking poles:

MRS DynaLock Ascent Carbon Trekking Poles (Melody’s)

Black Diamond Pro Shock Trekking Poles (Tanya’s)

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Where to Warm Up After a Winter Hike

This is Colorado Hikes and Hops, after all. Half the fun of a cold hike is the warm drink at the end. Here’s where we head after the trails in this post.

  • After Mueller State Park: Paradox Beer Company, Divide. Just up the road from the park, Paradox is known for barrel aged sour and wild ales. A cozy stop on the drive home.

  • After the Incline or Barr Trail: Manitou Brewing Company. This small brewpub on Manitou Avenue sits at the base of Pikes Peak, a short walk from the Incline. Stay for lunch; the food is as good as the beer.

  • After Palmer Lake: Goat Patch Monument. You might know it as Pikes Peak Brewing. Goat Patch took over in 2026 and still pours the Elephant Rock IPA and Gold Rush Belgian Golden Ale.

  • After a Leadville snowshoe: Two Mile Brewing. Housed in a converted gas station on Harrison Avenue, Two Mile calls itself America’s highest brewery at about 10,152 feet.

  • After the Burro Trail: Broken Compass Brewing, Breckenridge. Choose the original brewery on Continental Court or the Main Street taproom. On a snowy day, the Coconut Porter tastes like dessert.

Not a beer person? Most of these spots pour something warm too. Or grab a latte at one of our favorite coffee shops in Colorado Springs.

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FAQ

Is it safe to hike in Colorado in winter?

Yes, with the right gear and a plan. Stick to well traveled trails, carry traction, check the weather and avalanche forecast, and set a turnaround time.

Do I need microspikes to hike in Colorado in winter?

On most Front Range trails, yes. Packed snow turns to ice in shady spots, even when town is sunny and dry.

What should I wear hiking in 20 degree weather?

A wicking base layer, a fleece or light puffy, a windproof shell, a warm hat, gloves, and wool socks. Expect to shed layers on the climb and add them back at the top.

What are the best winter hikes near Colorado Springs?

Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Palmer Lake Reservoirs, Section 16, and Mueller State Park are great starts. See our full list of winter hikes near Colorado Springs.

Can you hike the Manitou Incline in winter?

Yes. It's open year round with a free reservation, but wear microspikes. The upper switchbacks on Barr Trail ice over. See our Manitou Incline guide.

Winter hiking is quieter than any other season. Snow muffles everything. The crowds stay home. Some mornings it's just you, the pines, and the squeak of your boots.

Those icicle hands at Mueller feel like a long time ago now. I wonder which trail will teach me the next lesson.

What's the winter hiking tip you learned the hard way? Tell us in the comments.

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Melodie Monberg