A new decade is upon us! Here are three ways to reach your New Year's intentions in the Backcountry Wilderness Area.
It’s a new year, a new decade, and the perfect time to take inventory of how you are spending your time. Whether you find yourself setting specific goals or rather focusing on life-guiding intentions, we all want to be a better version of ourselves in a better world.
Be More Active The Backcountry Wilderness Area is home to 26 miles of natural surface trails. You can run, bike, or walk on our singletrack trails at Highlands Point and Wildcat Mountain, along with the connective Douglas County East-West Trail. If you’re looking for more of a guided activity, we offer Wellness Walks—a free jaunt from Base Camp into the reserved part of the Backcountry—at least once a month.
Make Time for Volunteer Hours
The Backcountry Wilderness Area is 13 square miles of habitat conservation property that needs to be maintained in order to remain a healthy ecosystem. We provide volunteer opportunities throughout the year doing trail maintenance, helping with our barnyard animals, completing specialty projects like Eagle Scout projects, and
Try Something New
Every Backcountry Wilderness Area program, as well as the archery ranges and horseback riding, are open to the public. If you are looking to break out of your activity mold, consider picking up a bow and send some arrows at one of our three archery ranges. Looking for a friend, think about taking out one of our horses on an equine adventure led by the Backcountry horse staff. Does learning to be more self-sufficient in the outdoor interest you? We offer a ladies-only Women in the Wilderness course—taught by women instructors—for women who want to self-start a fire, set-up their own tent, and gather a heap of confidence for a variety of adventure settings.
Spend More Time Screen Free
Raise your hand if culling down your screen-time is tops on your resolution list! Screens, especially our mobile devices, are great for maps and epic selfies but its effortless to get lost in them. Set your smartphone aside and be present in the Backcountry Wilderness Area. Upcoming programs include Astro Viewing, Wildlife Discovery (Turkeys), and even Backcountry Bedtime Stories if you have youngsters.
Didn’t see anything that fits your 2020 mission yet? Head to our website for a full listing of programs and to our Facebook page for updates on new happenings.
Lindsey McKissick is the outreach coordinator for
the Backcountry Wilderness Area. She is Colorado
born, Chicago raised, and Wyoming educated.
For Lindsey, there is nothing better than waking up
in a warm tent on the side of a remote river with
coffee preferably made by someone else. You'll
find Lindsey on river rafting/SUPing, mountain
biking, or camping with her husband and two pint-
size, adventure-seeking daughters.