out there
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Colorado’s most famous nature photographer donates life work to public domain
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For the past eight months at his home in the Summit County hills, John Fielder spent most every morning and afternoon sifting through photographs tucked away for decades. They were transparencies from his years of hauling heavy film equipment deep into Colorado’s backcountry. The transparencies needed paring down – duplicates in which the exposure and/or contrast…
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Discounted state parks pass now available to Coloradans through vehicle registration
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With the new year comes a cheaper way to access Colorado’s state parks. As previously approved by legislation, a $29 Keep Colorado Wild Pass will be added to vehicle registrations in 2023 unless drivers opt out of the process online or in person. The pass will grant entry to the 42 state parks at a…
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Avalanche beacon training park opens for season in Colorado
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A one-of-a-kind place for avalanche preparedness in Colorado has opened for the season. The U.S. Forest Service calls it a “beacon training park,” a snow-covered slope at the Mountain Meadow trailhead by the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger Station in Minturn. That’s along U.S. 24, about a quarter-mile from the Interstate 70 exit to town. The story…
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Survey gauges Colorado Springs outdoor industry on diversity, growth, conservation
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A new report offers a glimpse into how Colorado Springs-area business people and advocates are feeling about hot-button issues facing the outdoor industry. With a grant from Colorado Tourism Office, Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance contracted a survey of 160 representatives of local stewarding groups, retailers, outfitters and manufacturers. The intent, according to the nonprofit…
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Colorado’s outdoor industry rebounds from 2020 hit, analysis shows
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A new report confirms Colorado’s outdoor industry as a sustained force in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Skiing, hiking, biking, camping, fishing, hunting, off-roading and other forms of recreation spelled an economic output of $11.6 billion last year in the state, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That was up from $9.6 billion…
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Upgraded website forecasts avalanche danger in Colorado
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Colorado Avalanche Information Center has upgraded its website in hopes of better preparing this winter’s backcountry travelers. The center’s director, Ethan Greene, called it “a much-needed upgrade” in a news release. The hope is an easier, more in-depth interactive experience, complete with “dynamic forecast zones” that color code ranges in terms of risk. Monarch Mountain…
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Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes grows with land roamed by bison
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Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is now bigger. That’s thanks to the transfer of 9,362 acres of surrounding ranch land, as recently celebrated by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and National Park Service Director Chuck Sams during a visit to the San Luis Valley. The Nature Conservancy sold the large portion…
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Donation marks momentum for bike path along notorious highway in Colorado
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Boulder County is one step closer to realizing a long-envisioned bike path along a popular, notorious roadway. Nonprofit Cyclists 4 Community recently announced a $30,000 donation to the county to help pay for a feasibility study that could pave the way for a bike lane along the North Foothills Highway. That’s the stretch of U.S.…
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Fees announced for overnights in popular wilderness of Colorado
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Starting next year, you’ll have to pay to stay the night in some of Colorado’s most iconic, backcountry destinations. The U.S. Forest Service recently announced a permit program that will require a $10 fee per night per person staying in certain parts of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. That goes for hikers along the Four Pass…
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New Colorado state park could feature 80-plus miles of trail: Draft plan
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A recently released draft master plan paints the picture of a state park under development in southern Colorado. Three years after Fishers Peak State Park was established, a document spanning 188 pages lays out a detailed proposal for the future of the 19,000-plus acres. That includes plans for hikers to finally reach the iconic, flattop…









