Anemone Trail

Posted on July 20, 2011 by admin

A short, but quite hot hike. It ended up taking a lot longer than I had anticipated, due to the heat and the hills. Also, several parts of the trail were in pretty bad condition, particularly in the areas without steps. I imagine that the trail would be a mess when it is wet.

The kids really enjoyed Settler’s Park. In fact, they may have been happier just staying there, rather than hiking. Since father knows best, though, we climbed up to the junction with Red Rocks trail, and then on up to the burn zone – where the trail turned back and became even more difficult to manuever.

TOTALS: 1.45mi, 1230ft, 1:33

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St. Vrain Mountain

Posted on July 16, 2011 by admin

A beautiful hike – I even timed it right to be getting back into my campsite just as the thunder and lightning started up again. Plenty of uphill – I climbed roughly 4000 feet in just a hair under 10 miles of hiking.

The destination was St. Vrain Mountain, the summit of which is right on the boundary between Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks Wilderness. I had to blaze my own trail up the last part of Rock Creek Road (FS #216.2) across a couple of snowfields, and around a few large patches of krummholz, while climbing over pretty loose scree. It was fun, but I sure could have used a pair of skiis to get down the slope on the way back towards camp.

After trudging down a very large snowfield, I completed my loop by heading north on the St. Vrain Mountain trail, back to its trailhead (with very beautiful views of the southern third of the National Park’s backcountry, as well as a few very picturesque meadows, aspen groves and waterfalls along the way…

Needless to say, the kids probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it. Even so, I sure did!

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Lost Lake

Posted on July 7, 2011 by admin

Megan’s very first backpacking trip – and she did GREAT!

I probably could have chosen a better first trip like I did for Ricky – this one was ALL uphill to the lake (but DOWNHILL on the way back…) Even so, both Ricky and Megan did a great job on the roughly 2 mile hike. We took a LOT more breaks than I had anticipated, but it helped us to get there without too much whining.

The lake itself is absolutely beautiful – it is nestled in a cirque, with panoramic views of the southern Indian Peaks Wilderness (it lies just east of the boundary.) We found a campsite, set up camp, made dinner and had a campfire. LOTS of fun after the tortuous hike…

In the morning, the kids played while I finished packing our stuff, and were like horses headed back towards the stable – I had to stop them for breaks. The only mishap on the trip was when Megan went too fast, and tripped (almost face first…!) She got up on her own and didn’t want me to talk to her. About 20 minutes later, she tripped again (almost like a slide into second base) and started laughing. Again, downhill suits both kids MUCH more than uphill…

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FS 357

Posted on June 26, 2011 by admin

A pleasant hike, with a fair amount of shade as it passes through Aspen and Douglas Fir groves. Parts of the trail, particularly at the saddle just past the first junction are exposed, and wind can be an issue. That being said, it is a good 4 mile lollipop loop, with plenty of nice views and beautiful wildflowers.

The trail begins at a Forest Service gate at the Front Range Trailhead, and climbs gradually for the first mile as a fairly well maintained jeep trail. At that point, there is a junction, with the left fork heading west towards FS 606, and the right fork as singletrack that creates a 1.5 mile loop back towards itself. There are plenty of wildflowers, including Columbines and Indian Paintbrush. After about 3/4 mile, the trail drops steadily to a second junction, with the left fork continuing the loop and the right fork heading into private property. There are plenty of signs reminding users to keep on Forest Service lands. After a short meander along the private property fence line, the trail climbs back to the south, with several spectacular views of the Indian Peaks. Finally, it heads back to the east, and completes the loop.

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Ceran St. Vrain Trail

Posted on June 19, 2011 by admin

A nice, relatively flat, undulating trail that parallels South St Vrain Creek, with plenty of nice views of the creek, and pleasant woods and the occasional wildflower.

The trail starts at the Ceran St. Vrain Trailhead, which has parking for about 20 vehicles. There are several no camping signs streamside along the parking lot, but there are a lot of firepits along the trail and down by the stream, which enable the allowed “dispersed camping” regulated by the Forest Service. That being said, many of the firepits are not the required 200 feet from the stream and from the trail, so be careful…

After crossing the bridge, the trail heads slightly uphill through a fairly open patch of woods. It makes its way north for about 2 miles to a junction with FS 252, with several minor hills along the way. All in all, it was the perfect choice for Ricky’s first backpacking trip!

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Meadowlark Trail

Posted on March 16, 2011 by admin

A brand new trail, the Meadowlark Trail connects the two popular regional trails, Rock Creek Trail and Coal Creek Trail in old town Superior. A pleasant day hike with dramatic views of the nearby Flatirons and the more distant Indian Peaks.

From the Coalton Trailhead, the Meadowlark trail climbs steadily for the first mile to the top of a plateau.  Climbers are rewarded with a tremendous view of the Flatirons and the Front Range.  Be warned: there is very minimal protection from exposure or the elements.  Mid-summer, this trail could be a roaster!  After about a mile of slight downward travel from its highpoint, the trail begins a few gradual switchbacks down to its other end, the Singletree Trailhead on 3rd Street in old town Superior.

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Coal Creek Trail (Part 1)

Posted on February 10, 2011 by admin

Public Road Trailhead to Adler/Fingru Open Space
My first real snowshoeing of the year, this was a relatively easy outing. I started at the Public Road Trailhead in Lafayette, just east of US 287 off of Public Road. There is a porta-potty (with FROZEN contents when I visited it…) The trailhead has parking for about 10 vehicles, and there are a couple of picnic tables down by the creek itself. It looks like it would be a really nice place to visit in the summer months – there are quite a few large trees bordering the creek.

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