Are you looking for a day hike close to Denver, Colorado with amazing views? Check out the Alderfer-Three Sisters Park in Evergreen, CO.
Olive here, again! This was the first hike of my boyfriend and I’s weekend trip to Denver, CO and it was challenging, exciting, and a bit tiring. Of course, it’s completely worth it to see the beautiful views!
Itinerary – Three Sisters Park Trailhead Evergreen, CO
- Parked at Alderfer/Three Sisters East Trailhead, click here for map
- Made our way to/up the Brother (didn’t really use a trail)
- Enjoyed the beautiful views from the Brother
- Climb down the Brother and explored the area behind the rock formation
- Took Ponderosa Trail back to the parking area
Parking at Three Sisters Park Trailhead Evergreen, CO
We parked at the Alderfer/Three Sisters East Trailhead – there is a parking lot here, but it was full by the time we got there late morning on a Friday. There was lots of parking available on the street though and we parked right by the lot.
If you scroll down on this page, you will see a web link that provides real-time parking availability.
The Brother – Scenic Viewpoint
We started off our weekend with this hike and I’m pretty sure we hiked the Brother, but honestly we just kind of took off and created our own adventure not getting onto a true trail until later on.
We weren’t too far from the parking lot before we started walking on an incline/climbing up a rock formation (the Brother, I believe) to then look over the Evergreen Mountain Town. Based on the map, the Brother is a scenic part of the park.
Brothers Trail – More Difficult
After we enjoyed the view and took some pictures, we headed down from the Brother rock formation to explore the land behind it. We didn’t actually get on a trail from here, just explore the area between the Brothers Trail and the Sisters Trail.
For us being from Chicago, the elevation hit us a bit hard. We had to take a few breaks while going up the Brother rock formation. Once we hit the Ponderosa Trail, our breathing started to regulate and it handled the elevation gain well.
Ponderosa Trail – More Difficult
Finally after adventuring around, we found the Ponderosa Trail which took us on about a mile hike to the parking lot.
This trail was beautiful and filled with nature’s beauty. While on this trail we saw mountain bikers and a few pups! I’ve never ridden a mountain bike before, but I’d imagine this would be a challenging trail to do so.
If we traveled with our dog, this would definitely be a trail I’d take the pup on. It wasn’t too crowded and had so many things for her to sniff and explore.
Post Hike Lunch + Cocktail
During our two mile (give or take) hike, we worked up an appetite and thirst! So we drove down to the mountain town of Evergreen, CO and grabbed a bite to eat and a cocktail at Murphy’s Mountain Grill that was located right along the creek with both indoor and outdoor dining.
I ordered one of the salads (delicious and very big) and my boyfriend had the chipotle shrimp tacos which looked delicious.
There were some cute shops and other restaurants on this main street that we would have loved to check out if time allowed!
ROSE + THORN
ROSE – the amazing views from the Brother scenic viewpoint
THORN – the elevation gain for us out-of-towners was tough, but nothing a quick break couldn’t fix!
Check out pictures from the day!
The views are breathtaking; awesome pictures. The hiking trails are what everyone needs to unwind. Thanks for sharing your hiking adventure in Evergreen Colorado.
What a pretty place. I enjoy hiking and I like how scenic this is. Sounds like a lovely place to visit.
The hike looks challenging. But, you were rewarded with great views.
This looks like such a gorgeous hike! I have heard wonderful things about Colorado and it isn’t hard to see why!
I have been making a list of places I want to go hiking when I head to Arizona in the spring. After reading this, I think I need to make a trip to Colorado as well! This looks like a gorgeous hike! I think Colorado is an amazing place for hikers and any outdoor enthusiast, and this is definitely a place everyone should visit.
These are really great pictures! Hiking is such a great outdoor sports and is very beneficial to our overall health. Thanks for sharing your experience!
What a great way to spend the day near Denver! I like that you’ve included a post hike lunch and cocktail too!
Looks like a beautiful adventure! I always love visiting gorgeous spots like this for a nice hike, so nice to get fresh air and get some physical activity in.
I just love forest hikes! Evergreen looks like a nice mountain town to relax and rejuvenate. Beautiful pictures all around. Would love to try the Ponderosa trail.
I’m not much of a hiking person, but if the views are this beautiful, it would be hard not to do some exploring!
I love hiking this is a great place to visit.
Oh my goodness! What a glorious day in a fabulous place! Thank you for sharing <3
Looks like a beautiful hike – that elevation around Denver is no joke though, I know what you mean!
Happy to know that you had an amazing hike. I would love to bring my dog here as well. Thank you for sharing the photos. The view is great.
That lunch spot looks amazing!! 💖
Great outdoor pictures. They’re motivating me to take a hike.
I’m really getting into hiking so I’m sure I will enjoy these. The photos are fabulous and very convincing to come hike this area.
This is amazing, love to hike and this place looks just perfect for it. Thank you for sharing!
This sounds like an amazing hike, the nature there is so peaceful.
What amazing hiking. I cannot believe I have never visited Colorado but is super high on my bucket list, and this hiking sounds like something I would love to do. Already saved it to my bucket list!
Hi Olive, love all the greenery in your pictures. I would love to explore these trails, the next time I visit Denver.
My husband and I are always looking for new hikes to add to our list. Haven’t done this one yet, so we will try it this summer.
This looks extremely peaceful and definitely like something I would enjoy. Great photos and post.
The view from The Brother is amazing! Thanks for sharing these awesome hikes. I would love to check them out sometime!
Beautiful! Saving for later this year. I love Colorado, there is so much to do!
This looks like a beautiful hike to go on. And you had great weather for it too which is always a bonus.
Resting and reflecting after the hike is part of the fun. I enjoyed the pictures of some of the scenery you came across.
Places like Evergreen are why I love to hike. I’d love to explore that area one day.
We live close to Colorado and my Family loves hiking. This is perfect!
Such nice weather and an amazing place to hike. I enjoyed taking a look at your pictures!
I love hiking and am always looking for hikes with a variety of difficulties so I can take friends who don’t hike as much. Next time I’m near Denver, I’ll check these out!
Colorado looks like a hikers paradise!
Fabulous phots. The views are amazing.
This looks like such a fabulous place to hike! I loved the sound of the post Ponderosa trail cocktails too 🙂
That looks like a lovely hike. I am gonna bookmark it for my cousin who lives nearby.
I need to get back to Colorado and do some more hiking. Love the look of the trails here, so pretty. And a post hike food and drink stop is always worth it. I haven’t been to this part of Colorado before but will have to check it out on my next trip
We love hiking! Will definitely check out the Three Sisters Trailhead the next time we are near Denver. Thanks for sharing!
Hiking is fun and adventure.saving this for my next USA visit