On 9NEWS 5 a.m., the author of a new book about Colorado hiking said energy can be gathered from Colorado's most pristine areas without damaging them.

Penelope Purdy, former Denver Post columnist and author of Hiking Colorado's Roadless Trails, said directional drilling rigs should be places outside of pristine areas but allowed to drill into them. Purdy says those drills auger into the ground at an angle and can access energy without harming the surface.

Purdy talked to 9NEWS to promote her new book. It's the first guidebook devoted solely to roadless areas in Colorado's national forests. A roadless are is simply an area that hasn't been cut up by roads. It does not have the same protected status as a designated "wilderness" area. Nonetheless, Purdy says roadless areas are still some of the most pristine and untouched in the state. She says they also provide some of the best wildlife habitat.

Purdy hopes her new book makes it easier for Coloradans to get into parts of Colorado they might, otherwise, never see. Purdy says roadless areas need to stay that way because cutting roads bring in a number of hazards, including an increased risk of fire.

To see a U.S. Forest Service map of Colorado roadless areas, log onto http://roadless.fs.fed.us/states/co/state3.shtml

Purdy's book, Hiking Colorado's Roadless Trails is available at bookstores throughout Colorado. She is also giving a slide show and answering questions at an appearance at the Tattered Cover in LoDo on June 16th at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on Purdy's appearance, log onto www.tatteredcover.com.