What could be better than a walk through Colorado's mountains, woods, or valleys? How about a history hike? Hikers and historians Ben Fogelberg and Steve Grinstead take you there, and then take you beyond-sharing vignettes of days past to enhance these 50 walks to historic places in and around Rocky Mountain National Park, Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, La Junta, and Trinidad. View gold and silver mines in their lofty mountain perches, visit old homesteads, walk to the site of a coal-mining tragedy, explore the burn zone of the Hayman Fire, descend a canyon to discover rock art and dinosaur tracks, even climb to remnants of a crashed B-17 bomber! From mile-long strolls to crossing the flanks of fourteeners, Walking Into Colorado's Past has fun and fascinating history hikes for all ages.

The Bad Old Days of Colorado celebrates the state’s glorious and rowdy past. Many people born and bred here relish just how “bad” things used to be: the terrain, the inhabitants and especially the quality of whiskey. It almost goes without saying that Colorado had all the characteristic Wild West elements—and in abundance! The chapters focus on the infamous and notorious rather than the law-abiding and civic-minded settlers. These pages, like the state, recount the tales of people who came West seeking, if not their fortune, at least opportunity. It is no secret that Colorado was settled by the adventurous willing to brave the harsh conditions and to prevail. Whether on the right or the wrong side of the law, all settlers and pioneers made unique contributions to the state’s complex culture. Certainly, in the nineteenth century, Colorado was not for the faint of heart.

It's 1863 and 10-year-old Emmy Blue Hatchett has been told by her father that soon their family will leave their farm, family, and friends in Illinois, and travel west to a new home in Colorado. It's difficult leaving family and friends behind. They might not see one another ever again. When Emmy's grandmother comes to say goodbye, she gives Emmy a special gift to keep her occupied on the trip. The journey by wagon train is long and full of hardships. But the Hatchetts persevere and reach their destination in Colorado, ready to start their new life.

Maverick was a strong and outgoing blond-haired, blue-eyed sixteen-year-old that had the world at his fingertips, or so his family thought. A life full of friends, laughter, and love, Maverick succeeded in absorbing and influencing the world around him. The youngest of three, Maverick was protected as he was the source of endless entertainment and teenage independence-based challenges. Maverick died by suicide on June 17, 2016. Three days after his father's birthday and two days before Father's Day. Walks in the Dark is the real story written from Maverick's father's perspective honed over months of introspection on very early morning walks, education, interactions with other grieving parents, and long talks with his wife, Tracey, Maverick's mom. A story about the short life and untimely death of Maverick, his amazingly tight bond with his mother, as well as the processes his family employs in attempting to understand how this could happen, and to accept life without their Maverick.