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They don’t call us Colorful Colorado for nothing. From May through early August, the Centennial State is painted in pastel petals as native wildflowers bloom, with the peak for high-altitude species typically coming early this month. Nowhere is the show more spectacular than in Crested Butte, which will host its annual wildflower festival (featuring everything from guided hikes to photography classes) July 11 to 20.
But if you don’t want to drive four-plus hours to enjoy nature’s pyrotechnics, a slew of beauties blossom right here on the Front Range. To help you find them, we asked Maggie Gaddis, executive director of the Colorado Native Plant Society, where to go looking for lupines, Indian paintbrushes, and more, all within a two-hour drive of Denver.
1. Rocky Mountain Columbine
To discover our state flower, cue up our state song: “The cool summer breeze in the evergreen trees softly sings where the columbines grow.” This bloom—revered for its five icy white petals framed by just as many purplish, starlike spurs—thrives in moist meadows on mountainous slopes near evergreen trees. Those three ingredients are in abundance at Lost Lake in Nederland. The moderate Hessie Trail is just over four miles (out and back) and delivers you to the alpine lake. On the way, you’ll hike past fields of columbines and, perhaps, a moose or two (the animals love this area almost as much as the flowers do).
2. Indian Paintbrush
This species is named for its paintbrushlike bracts (small leaves often mistaken for petals) that look like they’ve been dipped in vibrant colors. The common peach variety blooms at lower elevations, but head to the Mt. Evans Wilderness to find the rarer pink and white versions, which grow only at higher elevations. The Chicago Lakes Trail gains more than 2,100 feet over nine miles, but you’ll be rewarded with vast meadows replete with purple Colorado tansyaster, yellow alpine avens, and magenta Indian paintbrushes.
3. Silvery Lupine
These flashy flowers are all born Leos: They practically beg for attention, with their periwinkle petals shooting straight up to the sky in long clusters. Like most wildflowers, they also crave sunshine, which is why the west-facing slope of the roughly six-mile Acorn Creek Trail in Silverthorne is littered with lupines. But don’t get so obsessed with the flowers that you forget to look up. The trail meanders more than 2,000 feet skyward up the western flank of Ute Peak and offers sweeping views of the Gore Range.
4. Blanket Flower
With its red center fading into yellow petals, the common gaillardia proves that ombré isn’t just a passing trend. And there’s no need to head for the hills to enjoy these daisy lookalikes. Blanket flowers prefer lower-elevation habitats like prairies and ponderosa pine forests. That includes the landscape surrounding Wrigley’s Trail in Golden, a one-mile, bike-friendly path that stretches from Wrigley’s Chicago Bar and Grill to the Hogback Park-n-Ride lot off I-70 at U.S. 40. You’ll also peep penstemons: hardy perennials with more than 60 species native to Colorado.
5. Dotted Gayfeather
If you miss the lupines and the columbines this year, fear not: You still have a chance to catch dotted gayfeathers at their prime. The late-blooming buds don’t show off their fuzzy-looking lavender flowers until August, when their Seussian plumage is on full display at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. See the purple wildflowers pop against the orange sandstone on the popular Ute Trail, an easy one-mile loop through the center of the park.
