Adventure Travel Photography Blog
I arrived in Colorado on Jun 30th after basically two months on the road. After Wanderful Wheels replaced my defective stove, whose top shattered while I was cooking, I headed to Estabrook, our family property near Bailey.
I didn’t leave the property for an entire week! I woke up every morning to the Platte River and took cover from the rain every afternoon. In the middle I relaxed, blogged, and took Annie on walks all over the old logging roads.
HAPPY HIKING!
Back on the road again, I planned on meeting some friends in Moab on Wednesday. There was a brief break in the rainy and snowy weather nearby Denver on Tuesday, so I headed out early and made a few detours along the way. The first place I visited was Rifle Falls State Park.
Rifle Falls State Park, operated by the Colorado Parks & Wildlife, is located near Rifle, Colorado, on hour east of Grand Junction. The park includes a three hiking trails, a picnic area, and both drive-in and walk-in campgrounds along with wedding facilities.
HAPPY HIKING!
Today I hiked to John Frazer Cabin via Blue Grouse and Mule Deer Trails in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. The park is located 35 miles west of Denver, is very large, and has several entrances. A day pass to a Colorado State Park costs $10 and may be purchased at a variety of kiosks with exact change. An affixed annual pass to all Colorado State Parks costs $80 while a hang tag is $120. It seems a little pricy, but the trails are well marked and well maintained.
The parking area to Blue Grouse Trail is located off Golden Gate Canyon Road and does not include a kiosk for paying, so be sure to plan for this in another location. The nearby Mountain Base Road to Reverend’s Ridge Campground where there is a pay station was closed for the winter. As a result, it might be best to stop in at the Visitor Center before continuing to the trailhead. The AllTrails app provides perfect directions to the trailhead, and the Colorado State Park website provides good park maps.
HAPPY HIKING!
I broke up my road trip from Texas to Colorado into two days. As a result, I had a chance to visit Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site which was sort of on the way. The site is located 23 miles East of Eads.
Of all the times I’ve driven from Texas to Colorado and back, I’ve rarely even taken Highway 287, so the drive was relatively new to me. I veered off the highway near Eads and followed many dirt roads as I made my way to the Sand Creek Massacre Historic Site.
As I weaved along the roads through the plains, I hoped my GPS was right, as I was in the middle of nowhere. I had some degree of confidence since the Sand Creek Massacre site is a National Historic Site.
EXPLORE!
This summer I hiked with some friends who called themselves beginner hikers. Over the five days, I was reminded of things I once didn’t know or have since taken for granted as common knowledge. As a result, I’m writing a hiking 101 post covering how to plan hike, what to bring, favorite gear, and other considerations.
My first piece of hiking 101 advice is to make a plan. Everyone on the hike should know the plan and should not rely on the leader. A plan includes a place to hike, a distance to hike, a time to meet, and much more.
Based on weather, location, time, and how I feel, I sift through guidebooks and the AllTrails app to help select the trails I want to hike. I took AllTrails for granted as I thought everyone knew about it. Not so! It is an excellent resource and will work without cell service should you FAVORITE the trail you plan to hike.
GO HIKING!
One of my favorite “holidays” is Halloween. With COVID, the parties were non-existent and the status of trick-or-treaters was unknown, so I made the most of it with a Halloween hike. I’m thankful my friends Mike and Paula could join me at Matthew/Winters Park. We connected several trails to make a 4.4 mile lollipop loop.
HAPPY HIKING!
With the wildflower and fall seasons complete, and the weather getting a bit cold for 14ers in my opinion, hiking to mines is a good option. There are several mine hikes near Breckenridge of varying levels. Some are even popular for snow shoeing as winter approaches.
HAPPY HIKING!
I had the pleasure to join a handful of ladies on a hike on Sheep Creek Trail this past week. Amazingly, despite having driven the 285 Corridor countless times, I hadn’t heard of this trail or turned off into this National Forest Area outside of Fairplay, Colorado.
HAPPY HIKING
With our property located near Bailey, I have hiked most of the out-and-back surrounding trails off 285 and Guanella Pass. As a result, I have been trying to mix it up with different combinations on trails. Today, my friends, Tanya and Jimmy, joined me in a point to point which combined a portion of Rosalie Trail with Abyss Trail.
Up until the State of Colorado created the app, COTREX, I wasn’t sure how long the hike would be. Now, however, hikers may use the measurement tool to calculate distances. Admittedly, I still faced some user error, as upon proposing it to my friends, I came up with 8+ miles and 12+ miles. I’m still uncertain of the exact length as our watches indicated a 10 mile hike.
HAPPY HIKING!
Boy did I hit the gold mine, or should I say the gold colors for fall hiking on Game Creek Trail. What a lucky pick!
I took VANgo on her maiden voyage to Minturn, Colorado. On Thursday, I hiked nine miles to Grouse Lake. I also planned to hike twelve miles on Saturday. As much as I wanted to hike to Booth Lake, 10 miles and 3,000 feet of elevation, it seemed a little daunting for three days of hiking in a row with a bad knee. In addition, it is heavily trafficked with little parking.
HAPPY HIKING!