Just south of Rocky Mountain National Park lies Indian Peaks Wilderness, a very nice area which has several peaks over 13,000 feet.  It's usually said that the tourists go to Rocky Mountain National Park and the locals visit Indian Peaks.

This photo is taken from the summit of Paiute Peak, which is one of many IPW thirteeners on the Continental Divide.  The photo is taken looking south.  Mount Toll is the prominent pyramid shaped mountain in the foreground.  Behind it, many of the most hiked peaks such as Pawnee Peak and The Arapahoe Peaks can be identified using a map.

I took the picture during a hike in July 2001 when I hiked to Mount Audubon first, crossed the saddle west to Paiute Peak and then descended Paiute's southeast slope towards Blue Lake and hiking out again to the Mitchell Creek trailhead.  This is a strenuous but purely non-technical all day hike that takes you to some of the most spectacular scenery in IPW.  Always start very early to avoid afternoon thunderstorms when hiking during the summer months!

Submitted by Camilla Bacher.