Hiking the incredible Red Rocks and Morrison Slide Loop Trail near Golden Colorado

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One of the coolest places to visit in Colorado is Red Rocks, just outside of the small town Morrison. If you’re able to catch a concert at the venue it is a pretty cool experience (highly recommend looking up shows in advance). Not far the venue are a number of hiking and biking trails that are a great way to spend a morning, afternoon or evening in this part of Colorado.

I’ve always wanted to explore this area for a day trip, so I decided to hop in the car and make the drive for the day from Breckenridge. Part of the Mathews/Winters Park, what’s cool about this loop trail is it isn’t too difficult. It would be a great way to spend some time with your family, friends, or a significant other outdoors. Dogs are also welcome too, they just have to be on a leash. In this post I’ll be going over trail details, parking, what to know, and best time to visit. Coool lets get into it

How to get there and where to park

To get to this trail you’ll take I-70 to the Golden/Morrison exit. Turn onto Alameda Pkwy (Red Rocks Amphitheater Entrance 1) and park either in the small parking lot on the left or on the road at the base of the trailhead. That’s the nice thing about Red Rocks, is there is plenty of parking on the side of the road because of the concert venue.

Trail Stats

Download the trail ahead of time on AllTrails for help with navigation. Although there is signage throughout the trail, it’s always nice to have a map with you.

• 3.2 mile loop

• 692 Feet of Elevation Gain

• Open 1 hour before sunrise and 1 hour after sunset

• Dogs allowed, but must be on a leash

What to Pack

Plenty of water and sunscreen as this area can get pretty hot during the day, depending on the time of year. I would also make sure to have a good pair of hiking boots, a hat, sunglasses, lightweight outdoor clothing, as well as a rain jacket. Some of my favorite brands for outdoor gear include Patagonia, Fjallraven, Black Diamond, Hydroflask, and LaSportiva.

Best time of Year to Hike

May-October weather depending. During the winter there could be road closures due to snow, so check Jefferson County’s alerts and updates if you plan on hiking it during winter months. June is an awesome time because the temps aren’t too high yet and there’s also wildflowers along the trail.

If you want to avoid the heat I think the best time of day would be late afternoon-evening, catching a sunset as you hike back to the car. If you’re a morning person and can wake up early to catch a sunrise this hike would also be a great way to start the day!

What to Expect

The nice part about this area of Colorado is how different it is from the mountains such as Breck or Vail. It almost feels like a desert as the dirt and rocks are all red. Considered to be the foothills, which is in between the city and mountains, expect some elevation gain and rockier parts throughout your hike, hence the need for good hiking footwear. If you’re wondering about time, it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to hike the loop depending on speed.

Trail Details

You’ll want to start at the trailhead for Red Rocks trail, across from the small parking lot. The first part of the hike is where you’ll see most of the Red Rocks. I wouldn’t say it’s a canyon, but it’s more enclosed then most of the hike. As you make your way up the first part of the trail, you’ll see the sign for Red Rocks Trail and Morrison Slide. Take the Red Rocks Trail!

This is where the trail starts to open up and you can see a lot of the foothills and part of I70. This portion also levels out and is a good spot to take a breather if needed. Notice the connecting trails down below!

If you have time, the Red Rocks trail will continue further off this loop. You’ll see signs for the this about halfway through the hike. Check the photo below for details. I ended up continuing on the Red Rocks trail by accident before hiking back up to continue on the Morrison Slide trail. Definitely worth taking a wrong turn, you kind of feel like you’re in the valley of the foothills, cool experience during golden hour!

As you make your way back up the Morrison Slide part of the Loop, be prepared for the last bit of elevation gain before the trail levels off.

Once level, you’ll notice a pretty awesome view of Golden, a smaller city outside of Denver. I live in the mountains and hikes with these kinds of views don’t exist, so it’s always nice to hike something different, that still provides that unique outdoor experience.

The last part of the hike is essentially hiking down where you first started, back on the Red Rocks trail. If it’s later in the day, the red color of the rocks is best for photography!

That’s it for the Red Rocks Trail Morrison Slide Loop. Leave a question or comment about his trail below and if you are looking for more adventures in Colorado, check out one of my favorite towns, Buena Vista.

Three Secret Beaches near Sayulita Mexico

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So you’ve made it to Sayulita in Mexico and you’re interested in checking out a few secret beaches. The beaches within close proximity to town was what I liked about taking a surf trip to this area. These beaches are pretty secluded and you can visit them anytime of day (although nothing beats a good sunset at the beach). Bring a good book, blanket, some snacks, and enjoy some R and R as you listen to the waves crashing.

In this post I’ll be going over 3 secret beaches to check out as well as a fourth beach worth walking during sunset, what to expect, and best time to go. Alright let’s do this!

Playa Carricitos

Playa Carricitos is an awesome beach to check out for sunset because of the location and how calming the beach is. The landscape of the beach is pretty incredible with waves crashing on some of the larger rock formations not far from shore. There’s usually not many people that go this far to get to a secret beach so that’s what makes it so special. I went by myself, but I would recommend going with friends if you plan on going at sunset just for safety purposes.

How to get there

Walk through the south west part of town until you reach the main Playa Sayulita beach. From there you’ll keep going west until you reach a graveyard. Walk past the graveyard and small horse farm and follow the signage to Playa Carricitos. You’ll begin to walk through part of the jungle on cobble stoned streets, I personally liked downloading this trail ahead of time on All Trails, to not get lost.

The first beach that is much more popular that you will walk up on is Playa Los Muertos. Here you will see a parking lot to the left. Keep going and this is the part where there are a number of switchbacks through the jungle to get to the beach. Towards the end there is some elevation gain until you reach a concrete wall, walk down those stairs and you’ll be at Playa Carricitos!

Trail Stats

• 2.6 Miles round trip

• 223 feet of elevation gain

What to know

I wouldn’t swim at this beach because of the strong current, but bring a blanket, water, and headlamp (If you have one), if you plan on going at sunset. If you arrive early find a palm tree or two for some shade as the sun tends to be pretty intense in the late afternoon. Once the sun starts to go down set up the blanket, hangout, and chill.

Playa Malpaso

Malpaso is a good beach to go to during the day as it takes a little bit longer to access and I feel like the hike through the jungle could be confusing if you were to walk back after sunset, but that’s just me. Bring a book, blanket, and just hang out for an afternoon on this beach.

How to get there

Pretty simple to get to, what you’ll do is you’ll walk north through town on Avenida del Palmar. You’ll walk past local street vendors selling anything from jewelry to rugs to blankets. The north side of Sayulita will also have some restaurants, cafes’, and hotels which you’ll walk past. Keep going all the way until you essentially reach a dead end with a dirt trail.

As you start walking the trail you’ll notice an opening to a beach, that is going to be the north end of the Playa Sayulita beach. Stay on the dirt trail and it will start to lead you through the jungle. Pretty cool experience. There will be private and closed trails as you walk along, so try not to take a wrong turn and get lost. I stayed left on the trail and used a downloaded AllTrails map for navigation.

Trail Stats

• 1.7 Miles out and Back from the start of the trailhead

• 180 Feet of Elevation Gain

• From the middle of town it takes about 40 minutes to get to the beach

What to know

Once you arrive you’ll notice a few shaded areas under some palm trees. That’s where I set up to hang out for a little bit as the sun mid day can be pretty intense. The beach itself is pretty long making it a great place to explore and take a walk.

Depending on the time of year, you typically won’t see many people at this beach. Pack plenty of water and snacks along with a beach towel.

Playa Las Cuevas

If there’s one beach and hike I would recommend doing it would be this one. It was my favorite one. Playa Las Cuevas stands for “The Cave” because if you time the tide right there’s a cave on the beach you can walk into. I wasn’t able to time it because I think this beach and hike are best done in the late afternoon/evening. With that being said you still need to be cautious of the tide! If high tide is coming in be careful if you plan on going to the beach. Either way you can still do the hike and I think it had the best view in all of Sayulita.

How to get there

Walk north of town on Avenida del Palmar, the same way you go to get to Playa Malpaso above. From there, where there’s an opening to the Playa Norte Sayulita beach, start to walk along the beach until you reach a staircase and rocks that you have to walk up. This is why having good footwear is necessary for this beach. You’ll walk past stone lookout area and essentially this is where the trail begins.

The trail is narrow and in parts there are steep drop offs, but as long as you stay on the trail you will be ok! Just don’t get to close to the edge. It’s pretty cool to see waves crashing onto cliffs or fisherman fishing off some of the cliff points.

Once you pass some of the cliffs you will start to go through some brush/wooded areas before it opens up to a view overlooking the jungle and Playa Malpaso. I think it’s the coolest view during golden hour! To get to the beach keep hiking on the trail and it will take you through the jungle, this part of the hike will be a decline until the trail flattens out. Eventually you’ll be able to see the beach on your left! If the tide is low you can walk to the Cave, but if not, the beach is still worth checking out in my opinion.

Trail Stats

• Around 1.5 miles out and back from the North end of the Sayulita beach. The hike can be a loop at low tide if you walk through the cave.

• 180 feet of elevation gain

Playa Sayulita Norte

Last but not least, the very far north end of the Sayulita beach is an amazing place to catch a sunset. Bring a blanket and hangout until the sun sets. It’s about a 20 minute walk back to town so once the sun sets, you be able to catch “blue hour” on the way back. It is one of the coolest experiences I think in Sayulita. As you walk back you might see a couple beach fires, fisherman, and even people riding horses.

That’s it for secret beaches in Sayulita! If you’re interested in surf trip info check out the blog I wrote on taking a surf trip to Sayulita.