2013 General Archive Stories

CHAFEE COUNTY - This rapid is called "Canyon Doors." River features were named ages ago by the thrill seekers who first ran them, with a touch of practicality and a touch of humor. On this stretch of the Arkansas River, you'll pass rapids named "Widowmaker," "Raft Ripper" and "The Graveyard." The imaginative river rat likes to thi

Combine short stretches on three trails to make a loop just west of Colorado Springs that makes a great spring and early summer jaunt, with seclusion and rocky outcroppings with fine views. To get there Turn left (south) onto 26th Street from U.S. Highway 24. Drive the winding hill to a four-way stop at Lower Gold Camp Roa

GLENWOOD SPRINGS - The Glenwood Canyon bike and recreation path reopened on Friday for the season, nearly a month later than last year, after its usual wintertime closure. Last spring, the Colorado Department of T

Colorado’s snowy April has reversed the course for Antero Reservoir in Park County, which was scheduled to be emptied this spring. Officials with Denver Water announced Wednesday that the reservoir, a popular spot for anglers, will remain filled and will not be drained into Eleven Mile and Cheeseman reservoirs as originally planned

DENVER — The kind of avalanche that killed five people in Colorado over the weekend is among the most difficult to predict and trigger, and it's dangerous because of the amount of snow normally involved. Saturday's slide in near Loveland Pass is called a deep persistent slab avalanche, and it was the kind of avalanche that b

CARBONDALE - An organization dedicated to protecting the region's "backyard" is stepping up to provide volunteer trail patrols at the popular Hanging Lake area in Glenwood Canyon this summer. In fact, that's what the Carbondale-based nonprofit, the Forest Conservancy, has been doing for the past decade; helping bridge the gap where the U

GLENWOOD SPRINGS - An 18 percent budget cut for the White River National Forest this year will impact the seasonal work force at area campgrounds and along trails this summer, including the popular Hanging Lake area in Glenwood Canyon, Forest Service spokesman Bill Kight said Wednesday. "We are looking at 18 positions that we had last ye

EAGLE COUNTY - When the lifts stop running at Vail and Beaver Creek, it will signal the end to the 2012-13 ski season but also the beginning of an on-mountain construction season featuring several big projects. Vail and Beaver Creek are entering the first of many summers of construction as the resorts prepare both for the 2015 World Alpi

SOCHI, Russia — In April, at the end of another seemingly endless winter, most Russians are eager to get rid of the piles of snow that have clogged their cities and streets and yards for months. Yet down south in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, fleets of heavy

The American flag that flew over Scott Hente’s home is a red, white and blue reminder of the Waldo Canyon fire that damaged his house and destroyed hundreds of others in his Mountain Shadows neighborhood last summer. Hente intended to keep the faded but undamaged flag in his family — a personal memento from a historic catastr

GUNNISON — Rangers looking for an overdue backpacker at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park have found a body about 1,000 feet below the canyon's South Rim. The victim's name wasn't immediately releas

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. — At first, the rescuers couldn't believe their ears: After four days of grueling searching, they suddenly heard a faint female voice calling for help. Over the next 90 agonizing minutes, the cries for help — and first fai

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. — Helicopter crews took advantage of clear skies Wednesday in the hunt for two hikers lost for days in Southern California's Cleveland National Forest, as searchers focused on an area where a glimmer of light was spotted the night before. So far, nothing has been found in the area where mountai

DRAPER, Utah — Three decades ago, Chris Santacroce taught himself to do somersaults a few thousand feet in the air. He ran off a mountain ridge here, taking flight against the backdrop of Utah Lake and the Wasatch mountains. Today, Santacroce, known as the "Yoda" of the sport, holds internationa

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet has not climbed the Manitou Incline. But Monday, he looked up at the trail running a steep 2,000 feet above Manitou Springs and had an appreciation for the hundreds of thousands who do it each year, some running sprightly and others huffing and puffing with their heads down as they climb the former tourist train

Thought Denver Broncos football was the official state sport of Colorado? Nope. Meet the men and women of pack burro racing. It began as a distraction for overworked miners and evolved as a curiosity in mountain towns hoping to draw more visitors to summer festivals. But for a group of hard-core enthusiasts, it is a gruel

DENVER — Local officials in Parachute are confident the flow of an oil-like liquid near a natural gas processing plant will not affect the town's water. The substance, described as a natural gas liquid, was found about 60 feet from Parachute Creek, which runs into the Colorado River. As of Monday morning, crews had pulled 5,

NOME, Alaska — A 53-year-old former champion has won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race to become the oldest winner of Alaska's grueling test of endurance. Mitch Seavey and 10 dogs crossed the Nome finish line to cheering crowds at 10:39 p.m. Alaska time Tuesda

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche Information Center says the danger of avalanches is high in some areas follow a big snow storm that moved through the state over the weekend. Forecasters said Tuesday a large avalanche was reported near the Eisenhower Tunnel that was up to 6 feet deep and 600 feet wide. On the Front Range, an

Raise your protein shakes. It’s time for a toast. Coloradans can flex their well-cut biceps in celebration once again. For the third year in a row, Gallup pollsters found Colorado has the nation’s lowest obesity rate. Colorado was the only state on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index where less than 20 percent of a

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — After days of heating up meals in boiling water used to make gravy for the dogs and snacking on energy bars or chunks of meat, the first musher to reach the village of Anvik along the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race earned quite a treat. Four

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — No one who races sled dogs is going to get filthy rich anytime soon, even if they win Alaska's 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The prize for winning the sport's premier race is only $50,400 and a new truck. That doesn't even cover the annual dog food bill for many competitive mushers, who

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The bodies of two adults and a 10-year-old girl were found in the wreckage of a small airplane that crashed Monday near the route of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Pilot Ted Smith, 59, Carolyn Sorvoja, 48, and Rosemarie Sorvoja, 10, died in the crash near Rainy Pass.

If you have ever hiked or biked through Ute Valley Park, there’s a good chance you are guilty of trespassing. Not that you’d know it. It’s hard to find a “no trespassing” or “private property” sign on the 200 acres of urban woodland on the park’s east side, land so interspersed with social

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The towering giant sequoias at Yosemite National Park would go unprotected from visitors who might trample their shallow roots. At Cape Cod National Seashore, large sections of the Great Beach would close to keep eggs from being destroyed if natural resource managers are cut. Gettysburg would decrease by