Explore the traces of the rise and fall of Colorado's mountains, volcanic eruptions, shifting seas, wind-blown deserts, and dinosaur haunts. This new destination guide offers understanding of the many unique and spectacular geologic formations of Colorado. 8-page color photo insert. 80 b&w photos. 14 maps.

Includes Flat Tops, Never Summer, Sarvis Creek and Mount Zirkel Wilderness Areas.

Popular Science gives our readers the information and tools to improve their technology and their world. The core belief that Popular Science and our readers share: The future is going to be better, and science and technology are the driving forces that will help make it better.

The Flat Tops Wilderness Area is unique, a high plateau at 11,000 feet. Its nearly flat surface is covered with woodlands and alpine meadows, pockmarked with hundreds of lakes and drained by mountain streams. The wilderness is accessed by a network of trails for hikers and horseback riders alike. A visitor could spend an entire season here and not see all of this magnificent wilderness. This book is the only comprehensive guide to the Flat Tops Wilderness. It gives detailed directions to each trailhead and describes what you will find along the many trails. You will discover the many wonders of the Flat Tops; its geologic history from the episodes of mountain building and subsistence, and inundation by warm seas; the periods of volcanism and succeeding ice ages; and the first visitors to this remarkable land. The wildlife of the region, the flora and fauna, the weather, and seasons are all described. You will also learn common sense ways to protect wilderness environment as well as yourself on a visit to this incomparable land.

Since the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, Congress has designated 41 wilderness areas in Colorado, totaling some 3.4 million acres ranging from desert sagebrush to alpine crags. In addition, other undeveloped areas and national parklands have been proposed for wilderness status. In its newly revised second edition, The Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas continues to serve as the foremost guide to these magnificent wild places.

70 hikes and scrambles throughout Colorado’s nine most prominent mountain ranges Each hike highlights a lake destination. Scrambles may be a loop, a peak climb, or high-ridge traverse Tips for the trail, including gear and equipment, climbing classifications, weather and climate, and safety considerations This book is for anyone who seeks out the Colorado high-country hiking and scrambling experience. Dr. Jon Kedrowski has outlined and selected some of his favorite hikes to backcountry lakes (including places to swim in summer or ice skate in winter!). Some of the hikes are loops, meaning you will be able to return to the trailhead by a different trail. Then, an extra scrambling route--such as climbing a peak or following a high-ridge traverse from peak to peak--is suggested. Have you ever sat down for a snack break at a high mountain lake and wondered, "Can that peak be climbed?" Or, "I wonder if it’s possible to traverse that ridge"? This book answers those questions. Then, in the "Dr. Jon’s Extra Credit" sections, he dishes out even more options for creating your own adventures. Tap into your desire to be an explorer: grab this guidebook and a map and let your imagination run wild. Enjoy making your own adventures into some wild basins in the remote corners of Colorado!