The best running trails around Alma

This is a good hike at altitude. It is cool seeing the 4 x 4’s climbing this trail. The last section is the hardest part. Has a good % grade. Keep looking on the way up and down. We saw a couple moose by beaver ponds.

There are two lakes accessible from the DeCaLiBron parking area: Kite Lake and Lake Emma. While Kite Lake is just off the side of the main summit trail, Lake Emma is on a spur trail of its own and sees fewer visitors. Lake Emma is a classic rocky alpine lake with a few smaller pools next to it. This lake stays frozen late into the spring and sometimes into the summer. Even when you don't want to venture into the peaks of DeCaLiBron, you can still run the access road up to the Kite Lake parking area. This old mining road can be hard to maneuver in a car anyway. As a plus side, when the peaks close to the public, the road still stays open.

Mount Bross is a 14,178 foot mountain making up the final peak in the DeCaLiBron loop (when done clockwise). This mountain has lots of mines and mining claims associated with it, which leads to the private property issues often faced in the area. Coming down off of Bross is chossy and can be safer to hike at times. Get ready to surf some scree. The mountain is notorious for having limited and restricted access since the actual summit lies on private property. In fact, the entirety of the DeCaLiBron loop is sometimes restricted/closed to the public.

Mount Democrat is a very popular mountain summit in the Mosquito Range. Its peak rests at 14,155 feet, and it's a relatively short trek from the upper parking lot (situated over 12,000 feet) to the top. Hiking is a must on the way up, but if you are good at jogging on scree, you can do some running on the ridge between the peaks. Mount Democrat serves as the first 14er in the DeCaLiBron loop when being completed in the clockwise direction. Because there is a lot of private property on the DeCaLiBron loop, all four peaks (including Democrat) are subject to closure by the private landowners.

Mount Cameron is a 14,238 foot peak on the ridge linking Mount Democrat to Mount Lincoln. It is an official Colorado 14er and offers expansive views of the DeCaLiBron peaks.

Mount Lincoln is another one of the 14ers making up the DeCaLiBron loop. It stands at 14,293 feet and has incredible head-on view of two different mountain ranges: the Tenmile Range to the north and the Mosquito Range to the south.

Wheeler Lake is an alpine lake above treeline just south of Quandary Peak in Pike National Forest. The lakes are at the end of an old forest road, and they are a popular destination for both hikers and backcountry skiers. The lakes usually don't thaw out until late June or early July, making the wildflower season last well into the summer.

London Mountain is 13,194 feet and is mainly climbed by peak baggers checking 13,000 foot peaks off their list. There are a number of ways to summit the peak, but by far the most common route choice is following this west ridge to the summit. It is basically a rocky class 2 scramble all the way to the top, meaning there isn't a lot of real "running" going on.