Nordic Skiing
Backcountry Skiing
Paragon Guides. It's a good idea to hire a guide if you're unfamiliar with the area's backcountry trails. Paragon's capable guides can lead you along 300 different trails on snowshoes and skis, including overnight hut trips. 210 Edwards Village Blvd., Edwards, Colorado, 81632. 970/827--5363; www.paragonguides.com.
10th Mountain Division Hut and Trail System. This famed network is one of Colorado's outdoor gems. Its 34 huts are in the mountains near Camp Hale, where the decorated namesake World War II division trained. Skiers and snowshoers in winter (snowmobiles are not permitted to approach the huts) and hikers and mountain bikers in summer tackle sections of the more than 350 miles of trails linking new and rustic cabins on day trips or weeklong expeditions. Apart from the joy of a self-reliant adventure among rugged mountains, travelers enjoy the camaraderie of communal living (there are very few private rooms in the huts), and evenings spent swapping stories by the glow of a wood-burning stove or the twinkle of summer stars. Hut reservations should be made at least a month in advance. Vail, Colorado, 81657. 970/925--5775; www.huts.org.
