Basics:
Distance: 1.6 miles to 5+ miles. My group hiked about 5 miles.
Elevation Gain: I did about 400 feet, max is 1,058 feet.
Dogs:Allowed on leash.
Location: Granby Ranch is between Winter Park and Granby; the trails are at the Sol Vista Ski Basin. (see directions and trail map)
Lift ticket price: Free for hikers
Friends on this hike: Joan, Gaylene, Joyce & Bill

I skied at Sol Vista Ski Basin back when it was Silver Creek Ski Area. Now the ski area is part of the Granby Ranch, a 5,000-acre mountain community developing new housing and recreational opportunities in the Granby area.

The hiking and biking trails on the mountain opened in early June. While you can walk up any of the trails, a lift ticket for hikers/walkers is free. You just have to stop at the Base Lodge for your ticket. While you're there, pick up a trail map. It lists the distances for each trail. The lift is open Fridays from 12 p.m. -5 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. -3 p.m. until the end of September.

My group decided to ride the lift up and take one of the several looping trails.

From the lift, the main trail is Vista Ridge. If you do nothing else here, walk straight off the lift to the east and take in the view. It's a great vista of the snowcapped Indian Peaks. There are some picnic tables on the ridge so you can eat here and take the lift back down or start hiking.

We took Vista Ridge to the Cabin Trail. One of the first things you'll see on the Vista Ridge Trail is a funky building with a sign that says it's for kids, and parents must be accompanied by a child. Stephanie Carey, the marketing director for Granby Ranch, said the buildings are for ski season. It's part of a ski park for kids; they can ski through the doorways and go through tunnels.

Sol Vista, like much of Grand County, has been hit by the pine beetle epidemic. While many of the pine trees have turned red or brown, there are dozens of beautiful stands of aspens along the trails. I think this would be a great place to hike in September when the leaves are turning. The lifts are on weekends until the end of September.

The trails here are multi-use. You'll see bikers, hikers and people with dogs. We only encountered two groups of bikers on the Vista Trail. Most of the bikers got off the lift and immediately turned right onto a bike trail for fast and aggressive downhill riders.

The trails are easy to follow, there are lots of signs. As you walk along Vista Ridge, you'll find signs for the turnoffs to the Nature's Way Trail to the base; then the Sweet Nancy Trail and Rabbit Run Trail. Sweet Nancy and Rabbit Run connect to the High Road Trail to the base or you can choose a trail back up the mountain.

The grade and the pitch of the trails are relatively mild -- so following a trail down, then up, and back down again, is not as hard as you might think.

We took Vista Ridge to the end. Continuing on the trail takes you to a residential neighborhood called "The Highlands." We turned right onto the Cabin Trail and headed down.

About a mile and half from the lift, you see why this trail is named the Cabin Trail. We found an old, two-story cabin. Carey said it was part of an old homestead. Even in its dilapidated condition, it was still impressive to check out this old structure and marvel that it is still standing after all the snow and freezing temperatures it must have endured for the past century.

Our plan was to take the Cabin Trail to the Sweet Nancy Trail and head back up the mountain. As we hiked toward the Sweet Nancy Trail, we found a logging road back up the hill. We hiked that for awhile and ran into the Sweet Nancy Trail.

One advantage of hiking this ski hill is you know if you hike up, you'll find the Vista Ridge trail back to the lift. Or you can hike down to the High Road Trail and back to the base.

We worked our way up Sweet Nancy and were thrilled with the trail. While there was some elevation gain, about 350 feet, the aspens on this trail were amazing. It was a beautiful area to hike and even on a Saturday, we didn't see another soul on this trail.

At the top of Sweet Nancy we went back up Vista Ridge. The dilemma for us was: should we take the lift back down? Or take the Nature's Way Trail down? Our grumbling stomachs won that decision pretty easily. We decided to ride the lift down and come back after a little rest and re-fueling.

Lunch was easy to find. At the bottom of the lift, there's a restaurant called the Seven Trails Grille. We had lunch on the patio. Not only was it nice to sit outside and enjoy the mountain views, there was another reason to sit outside -- the constant spectacle of high-speed mountain bikers zooming down the mountain. There were some amazing jumps and a few dramatic spills as we watched the action.

While we were eating, we also spotted members of a bridal party descend on the chairlift in all their formal attire following a mountaintop wedding that we had caught glimpses of earlier in our hike. The contrast between the festively dressed bridesmaids and the dusty bikers was striking. You could see both groups were obviously having fun.

After lunch, we stuck to our plan; we went back up the chairlift to burn off our lunch. This time we took the Nature's Way trail back down. This is a great trail; it winds in and out of the trees and takes you right to the base. But watch the trail intersections. The Nature's Way trail crosses bike trails several times. You don't want to get hit by a fast moving biker and you don't want to turn on the wrong trail. It's pretty easy to tell the difference. The biking trails see more use and are more worn, the hiking trail is thinner and more overgrown.

In late June, we saw lots and lots of wildflowers along the trail; everything from lupin to wild roses to Indian paintbrush.

Back at the bottom, we hit the bar at the Seven Trails Grille for a summer cooler and to toast ourselves for covering most of the resort's trails.

Directions: From Denver, take I-70 to the Winter Park/Highway 40 exit. Take Highway 40 over Berthoud Pass; past Winter Park, past Fraser, past Tabernash. About 9 miles from Tabernash, watch for the sign that said "Sol Vista Ski Area." Turn right onto an unnamed street. If you see the City Market grocery store on the left side of the highway, you've gone too far. Once you turn right on the unnamed street, drive 2.1 miles to the base lodge. For more information, visit the Granby Ranch Web site.

It’s almost time for my annual list of my favorite hikes and I'd love your help. Send me your top five favorite hikes in Colorado and why you like each location so much. I'll include your list with your name and hometown. Just e-mail me at deb_stanley@kmgh.com. I also welcome your e-mails if you have any questions or comments about this hike or my previous reports.