Hiking

Choose from the following to find a site:

• Backpacking
• Day Hiking

The Forest maintains over 3,500 miles of trails. Visitors can hike, ride horses or cross- country ski on just about all the trails on the GMUG. Selected trails or roads are open to bicycles, motorcycles, ATVs and snowmobiles. Please refer to the MVUMs and visitor use maps for the best trails for your mode of travel on the GMUG National Forest.

The GMUG has 10 Wilderness areas comprising over 556,936 acres or almost 20% of our forest. Many trails lead to alpine lakes, wildflower meadows and rugged mountain cirques and can be accessed as a day hike. Check them out when planning your hiking adventures.

Check out some of our featured trails:

Ouray Ranger District:

• Bear Creek Trail - This national recreation trail,  near the town of Ouray, offers a  variety of geological features and remnants of the area’s rich mining history.
• Uncompahgre Wilderness Trails Map
• Silver Jack Reservoir  Recreation Map

Norwood Ranger District:

• Telluride Trail Brochure/ Map
• Rock of Ages Brochure/Map
• Thunder Mountain Trail System (Brochure/ Map)

Grand Valley Ranger District:

• Short Hikes on the Grand Mesa ( brochure and map 2014)
• Grand Mesa- Mesa Lake Trail (Geo-referenced) Map
• Grand Mesa- Ward Lake Trail (Geo-referenced) Map
• Crag Crest-Trail description/map,  Brochure

Paonia Ranger District:

• Dark Canyon - Trail Description/Map

Geo-referenced maps (latitude and longitude are embedded in the .pdfs) are available for select trails.